ballcatchers.com | Famous Home Run Balls Caught by Fans

Ken Griffey Jr.

Sunday, June 20, 2004

Busch Stadium (St. Louis)

500th career home run

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Mark Crumley

19, nursing student

Mount Carmel, Illinois

"My brother bought tickets for the family for Father's Day," he said. "I almost went to work today. I thought about skipping the game, but I didn't."

Crumley was walking toward a Cardinals souvenir shop inside Busch Stadium in search of baseball memorabilia. He stepped through a tunnel leading to the right field bleachers and saw a baseball flying his way. "I was peeking through that aisleway, and it was a clear sky above," Crumley said. "Everyone stood up, and I saw it. It hit above me, then it came right to me, and security got me out of there in a hurry."

Crumley was immediately whisked down to the Cincinnati Reds' clubhouse so that he could return the ball to Griffey. "I never thought about selling it," Crumley said. "I just thought it was the right thing to do. I guess my parents raised me right."

The first thing Crumley did was pull off the No. 5 Albert Pujols jersey that he was wearing. "I didn't want to meet [Griffey] in a Pujols jersey," he said.

He was somewhat speechless when he met the newest 500 Home Run Club member. "I said I didn't expect him to be that tall. ... I didn't know what I was going to say. ... He just thanked me, really. Sean Casey kept congratulating me. He told me it was the right thing to do. I didn't really know these people." Crumley gave the ball to Griffey and received the No. 30 jersey right off the slugger's back. That was just part of a treasure trove of memorabilia that Griffey gave him in exchange -- with more stuff to come.

"Mark was awesome," Griffey said of Crumley, hanging out with the fan and family outside the Reds' clubhouse after a news conference for both. "We had a couple guys give him some things -- [Sean] Casey signed a bat, and Barry [Larkin] went up to him to talk to him. After that at-bat, I wore a different jersey and gave that one to him. I'll figure out something else to give him."

After all the handshakes and autographs and photographs and smiles and giggles, Griffey shook Crumley's hand one more time and told him, "I'll talk to you later."

"I sort of figured that was just a figure of speech, you know?" Crumley said as he stood near the Reds' dugout. "But then I kept getting phone calls from Rob Butcher (the Reds' public relations man), and he's talking about how Junior wants to get me tickets to see them play the next time they come to St. Louis and about tickets to the All-Star Game. It's just been awesome, man."

Crumley then returned to his seat to watch the rest of the game -- with his new No. 30 Reds jersey to go along with that Pujols gear.

A few days later, Griffey and Butcher arranged a trip for Crumley and three others to the All-Star Game, including four tickets to the game (field box seats along the third-base line), round-trip airfare for four, four tickets to the Home Run Derby, four tickets to the fanfest and hotel accommodations for Crumley, his father, brother, and one good buddy.

"It's all been pretty cool," said Crumley, who will also get to shag flies during the Home Run Derby. "My brother got a call from a guy who said he makes half-and-half baseball jerseys. So it will be half Cards, half Reds. That might solve the problem of what I should wear, because I'm a Cardinals fan, but I probably should wear something for the Reds too since [Griffey's] paying for everything, right?"

Barry Bonds

Tuesday, April 13, 2004

SBC Park (San Francisco)

661st career home run, passing Willie Mays' career total

Larry Ellison

53, computer sales executive

Fairfield, California

Bond's 468-foot home run became the 29th hit into McCovey Cove, the 33rd overall at SBC Park. Like #660, this one plucked out of the water by kayaker Larry Ellison.

The struggle was so fierce Ellison's cell phone was ruined by salt water, and he was whacked over the head by an oar blade. But he held on.

After the game, Ellison again approached Bonds to return the ball, but Bonds told him to keep it. The ball sold for $17,000.

Barry Bonds

Monday, April 12, 2004

SBC Park (San Francisco)

660th career home run, tying Willie Mays' career total

Larry Ellison

53, computer sales executive

Fairfield, California

Bonds' towering three-run shot splashed into McCovey Cove. It was the 28th time Bonds has homered into the water.

Ellison was out in his kayak accompanied by his 23-year-old son, Jeremy, who was in another kayak. The two had agreed to be a team and decide together what to do if either caught home run #660.

"There wasn't a battle for the ball," Ellison said. "There were five or six people in front of my boat, with one guy leaning back and not paying attention."

"We thought about it [selling the ball] -- everybody dreams about that. But we thought Barry and Willie should have the ball."

Ellison, known for wearing an Arnold Schwarzenegger mask and a T-shirt reading "Arnold the Governator" while floating on the cove, has seen only a handful of games inside SBC Park and has spent some 15 days and nights plying the waters where Splash Hits -- Giants homers that reach there on the fly -- land. He's grabbed about a dozen batting-practice shots, so this was his most significant baseball, a keeper he didn't keep.

"It was important for them," said Ellison of Bonds and Mays.

Bonds and the Giants were grateful; in return they gave Ellison other memorabilia and six tickets behind homeplate so he and his family could enjoy the next game as VIPs. Ellison kept the memorabilia and five of the tickets, but turned down the seat for himself. He preferred his kayak in McCovey Cove.

Alex Gonzalez

Thursday, October 23, 2003

Pro Player Stadium (Miami)

2003 World Series, Game 4: won the second-longest game in World Series history

?

Aaron Boone

Thursday, October 16, 2003

Yankee Stadium (New York)

2003 ALCS, Game 7: won the game and series for the New York Yankees

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Rick Peterson

Peterson's wife was with him and left after the seventh inning because she knew that they couldn't win as long as she was there.

Peterson recounted the story, "Aaron Boone swung at the ball and hit it, and I knew three things right away: the Yankees would win, the Red Sox would lose again, and this ball was coming directly to me into my hands." Peterson said the ball deflected into his chest after hitting someone else's hand.

"A lot of people wanted to take pictures. They wanted me with the ball, me with their girlfriends and the ball, or me with them and the ball. One guy came up and kissed me on the cheek. The guy next to me gave me two big bear hugs."

Afterward, Boone signed the ball for Peterson and the two took photos together. Peterson plans to hang onto the ball.

Luis Castillo

Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Wrigley Field (Chicago)

"Steve Bartman incident": Chicago Cub fans believe fan interference on a foul ball cost the team a trip to the 2003 World Series

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Jim Staruck

33, attorney

Chicago, Illinois

Bartman sat in Section 4, Row 8, Seat 113. He touched the fly ball once it crossed into the stands, disrupting a potential catch by Cubs outfielder Moises Alou. If Alou had caught the ball, it would have been the second out in the inning, and the Cubs would have been just four outs away from winning the National League pennant and going to the World Series. Instead, the Cubs ended up losing the game.

Laurie Holmes, a Chicago attorney, was sitting directly behind Bartman. It looked "like it was going foul behind us, and at the last minute the wind blew it forward," she said. "Steve Bartman deflected it and it landed at my feet. One of the guys I was with picked up the ball. We're all high-fiving him and congratulating him and then we realized everyone is booing."

Staruck was behind Bartman when the ball hit off a concrete rail and caromed into his hands. He put the ball in his pocket.

Almost immediately, fans started shouting at both him and Bartman. "I felt nervous for a while," Staruck said. "I did get threatened by some fans. I'm not sure people differentiated between him and me."

Brian Marren of MastroNet said his company concluded the foul ball was authentic after reviewing the man's ticket stub, affidavits from friends sitting around him and--perhaps the most important piece of evidence--a photo from USA Today showing the infamous bobble, with Staruck sitting right behind Bartman.

"I look at it this way: I went to a game, caught a ball," Staruck said. "Whatever it sells for, it's like found money." He said he had sympathy for Bartman but did not feel bad selling the ball. "I'm not profiting at his expense," he said. "He went through what he went through because of the media. I had nothing to do with it. ... While I feel bad for him, I don't feel responsible for his misfortune." Staruck has not spoken to Bartman since the incident.

Grant DePorter purchased it at auction in December 2003 for $113,824.16, on behalf of Harry Caray's Restaurant Group.

On February 26, 2004, the ball was publicly detonated by special effects expert Michael Lantieri.

In 2005, the remains of the ball were used by the restaurant in a pasta sauce. While no part of the ball itself was in the sauce, the ball was boiled and the steam captured, distilled, and added to the final concoction.

Manny Ramirez

Monday, October 6, 2003

Network Associates Coliseum (Oakland)

2003 ALDS, Game 5:

?

As if "go-ahead three-run homer off the reigning AL Cy Young winner in the sixth inning of a do-or-die Game 5 with your franchise's 85-year title drought hanging in the balance" isn't self-explanatory enough, Manny decided to take his time and made sure everybody in Oakland knew what just happened.

The ball struck the concrete steps in the bleachers and bounced back not the field.

Rafael Palmeiro

Sunday, May 11, 2003

Ballpark in Arlington (Arlington)

500th career home run

Father John Collet

Irving, Texas

Collet, a professor at Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas, paid $20 for his ticket.

After it was bobbled by fans around him near the right field foul pole, Collet gripped the home run ball and held fast against a mob snatching at the souvenir. He said the scramble caused a minor scrape on his left hand.

"It was a surprise. First of all, I was submerged in all these people, and then all of a sudden I looked around and there were all these policemen all around. I was escorted out very quickly. I didn't really have time to pay much attention."

Palmeiro, who is Catholic, was visibly relieved when he heard a priest had caught the ball. He shook Collet's hand, thanked him for his kindness, and the pair shared a few laughs before a group of local media. Collet exchanged the historic ball for autographed items including a baseball, a bat, a batting helmet, T-shirts, and a jacket. Palmeiro said the negotiations between he and Collet "weren't bad" and that he "was glad to get the ball back."

Sammy Sosa

Friday, April 4, 2003

Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati)

500th career home run

Zach Kirk

22, college student

St. Louis, Missouri

Kirk's girlfriend, Jessica Shull, suggested they get tickets to the Reds game so they could see Great American Ball Park, which had just opened. "It was all her idea," he said. "She was the one who picked up the tickets and picked out the seats in right field, hoping Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr. would hit a home run there."

Kirk said Sosa's homer flew over their heads, deflected off several sets of hands, and came to rest in front of him. "It landed at my feet, and I just dove on it," he said. Immediately, fans gave him business cards and offered to pay $20,000 for the ball.

Kirk was ushered away by Major League officials so that the baseball could undergo the proper authentication and tagging procedures. A Cubs representative told Kirk he could exchange the ball for an autographed Sosa jersey and a couple of photographs. Kirk jokingly asked the Cubs for an internship in the media relations department for the ball but was rebuffed. Sosa said he didn't care if he got the ball back.

"It crossed my mind to give it back," Kirk said. "At the same time, I'm 22 and a senior in college. It could be a blessing." Kirk wasn't sure what to do with the ball, but the decision was soon clear. "I went home and slept on it, literally," said Kirk. "My parents had a big part in helping me decide it would go a long way toward paying for my graduate degree some day.

MastroNet Inc. auctioned the ball in 2003. "I'll be happy with whatever happens," Kirk said. "Anything I get for the baseball is money I never had when I walked into the stadium."

The ball sold for $44,824. Kirk said he would put the money toward getting a master's degree in education.

Barry Bonds

Sunday, October 20, 2002, 9:01pm

Edison Field (Anaheim)

2002 World Series, Game 2: dramatic home run almost spoiled Angels chances of winning the World Series

?

There the Angels were, one out away from their first World Series victory in franchise history, and all anybody could think about is what Bonds managed to do to that poor baseball.

In the words of Tim Salmon: That's the farthest ball I've ever seen hit.

The television cameras lost sight of the ball. It may have cleared the stadium.

Ken Griffey Jr. Sunday, June 20, 2004 Busch Stadium (St. Louis) 500th career home run Watch Video Who Caught the Ball? Mark Crumley 19, nursing student Mount Carmel, Illinois	What's the Story? "My brother bought tickets for the family for Father's Day," he said. "I almost went to work today. I thought about skipping the game, but I didn't." Crumley was walking toward a Cardinals souvenir shop inside Busch Stadium in search of baseball memorabilia. He stepped through a tunnel leading to the right field bleachers and saw a baseball flying his way. "I was peeking through that aisleway, and it was a clear sky above," Crumley said. "Everyone stood up, and I saw it. It hit above me, then it came right to me, and security got me out of there in a hurry." Crumley was immediately whisked down to the Cincinnati Reds' clubhouse so that he could return the ball to Griffey. "I never thought about selling it," Crumley said. "I just thought it was the right thing to do. I guess my parents raised me right." The first thing Crumley did was pull off the No. 5 Albert Pujols jersey that he was wearing. "I didn't want to meet [Griffey] in a Pujols jersey," he said. He was somewhat speechless when he met the newest 500 Home Run Club member. "I said I didn't expect him to be that tall. ... I didn't know what I was going to say. ... He just thanked me, really. Sean Casey kept congratulating me. He told me it was the right thing to do. I didn't really know these people." Crumley gave the ball to Griffey and received the No. 30 jersey right off the slugger's back. That was just part of a treasure trove of memorabilia that Griffey gave him in exchange -- with more stuff to come. "Mark was awesome," Griffey said of Crumley, hanging out with the fan and family outside the Reds' clubhouse after a news conference for both. "We had a couple guys give him some things -- [Sean] Casey signed a bat, and Barry [Larkin] went up to him to talk to him. After that at-bat, I wore a different jersey and gave that one to him. I'll figure out something else to give him." After all the handshakes and autographs and photographs and smiles and giggles, Griffey shook Crumley's hand one more time and told him, "I'll talk to you later." "I sort of figured that was just a figure of speech, you know?" Crumley said as he stood near the Reds' dugout. "But then I kept getting phone calls from Rob Butcher (the Reds' public relations man), and he's talking about how Junior wants to get me tickets to see them play the next time they come to St. Louis and about tickets to the All-Star Game. It's just been awesome, man." Crumley then returned to his seat to watch the rest of the game -- with his new No. 30 Reds jersey to go along with that Pujols gear. A few days later, Griffey and Butcher arranged a trip for Crumley and three others to the All-Star Game, including four tickets to the game (field box seats along the third-base line), round-trip airfare for four, four tickets to the Home Run Derby, four tickets to the fanfest and hotel accommodations for Crumley, his father, brother, and one good buddy. "It's all been pretty cool," said Crumley, who will also get to shag flies during the Home Run Derby. "My brother got a call from a guy who said he makes half-and-half baseball jerseys. So it will be half Cards, half Reds. That might solve the problem of what I should wear, because I'm a Cardinals fan, but I probably should wear something for the Reds too since [Griffey's] paying for everything, right?"

Barry Bonds Tuesday, April 13, 2004 SBC Park (San Francisco) 661st career home run, passing Willie Mays' career total Who Caught the Ball? Larry Ellison 53, computer sales executive Fairfield, California	What's the Story? Bond's 468-foot home run became the 29th hit into McCovey Cove, the 33rd overall at SBC Park. Like #660, this one plucked out of the water by kayaker Larry Ellison. The struggle was so fierce Ellison's cell phone was ruined by salt water, and he was whacked over the head by an oar blade. But he held on. After the game, Ellison again approached Bonds to return the ball, but Bonds told him to keep it. The ball sold for $17,000.

Barry Bonds Monday, April 12, 2004 SBC Park (San Francisco) 660th career home run, tying Willie Mays' career total Who Caught the Ball? Larry Ellison 53, computer sales executive Fairfield, California	What's the Story? Bonds' towering three-run shot splashed into McCovey Cove. It was the 28th time Bonds has homered into the water. Ellison was out in his kayak accompanied by his 23-year-old son, Jeremy, who was in another kayak. The two had agreed to be a team and decide together what to do if either caught home run #660. "There wasn't a battle for the ball," Ellison said. "There were five or six people in front of my boat, with one guy leaning back and not paying attention." "We thought about it [selling the ball] -- everybody dreams about that. But we thought Barry and Willie should have the ball." Ellison, known for wearing an Arnold Schwarzenegger mask and a T-shirt reading "Arnold the Governator" while floating on the cove, has seen only a handful of games inside SBC Park and has spent some 15 days and nights plying the waters where Splash Hits -- Giants homers that reach there on the fly -- land. He's grabbed about a dozen batting-practice shots, so this was his most significant baseball, a keeper he didn't keep. "It was important for them," said Ellison of Bonds and Mays. Bonds and the Giants were grateful; in return they gave Ellison other memorabilia and six tickets behind homeplate so he and his family could enjoy the next game as VIPs. Ellison kept the memorabilia and five of the tickets, but turned down the seat for himself. He preferred his kayak in McCovey Cove.

Alex Gonzalez Thursday, October 23, 2003 Pro Player Stadium (Miami) 2003 World Series, Game 4: won the second-longest game in World Series history Who Caught the Ball? ?	What's the Story?

Aaron Boone Thursday, October 16, 2003 Yankee Stadium (New York) 2003 ALCS, Game 7: won the game and series for the New York Yankees Watch Video Who Caught the Ball? Rick Peterson	What's the Story? Peterson's wife was with him and left after the seventh inning because she knew that they couldn't win as long as she was there. Peterson recounted the story, "Aaron Boone swung at the ball and hit it, and I knew three things right away: the Yankees would win, the Red Sox would lose again, and this ball was coming directly to me into my hands." Peterson said the ball deflected into his chest after hitting someone else's hand. "A lot of people wanted to take pictures. They wanted me with the ball, me with their girlfriends and the ball, or me with them and the ball. One guy came up and kissed me on the cheek. The guy next to me gave me two big bear hugs." Afterward, Boone signed the ball for Peterson and the two took photos together. Peterson plans to hang onto the ball.

Luis Castillo Tuesday, October 14, 2003 Wrigley Field (Chicago) "Steve Bartman incident": Chicago Cub fans believe fan interference on a foul ball cost the team a trip to the 2003 World Series Watch Video Who Caught the Ball? Jim Staruck 33, attorney Chicago, Illinois	What's the Story? Bartman sat in Section 4, Row 8, Seat 113. He touched the fly ball once it crossed into the stands, disrupting a potential catch by Cubs outfielder Moises Alou. If Alou had caught the ball, it would have been the second out in the inning, and the Cubs would have been just four outs away from winning the National League pennant and going to the World Series. Instead, the Cubs ended up losing the game. Laurie Holmes, a Chicago attorney, was sitting directly behind Bartman. It looked "like it was going foul behind us, and at the last minute the wind blew it forward," she said. "Steve Bartman deflected it and it landed at my feet. One of the guys I was with picked up the ball. We're all high-fiving him and congratulating him and then we realized everyone is booing." Staruck was behind Bartman when the ball hit off a concrete rail and caromed into his hands. He put the ball in his pocket. Almost immediately, fans started shouting at both him and Bartman. "I felt nervous for a while," Staruck said. "I did get threatened by some fans. I'm not sure people differentiated between him and me." Brian Marren of MastroNet said his company concluded the foul ball was authentic after reviewing the man's ticket stub, affidavits from friends sitting around him and--perhaps the most important piece of evidence--a photo from USA Today showing the infamous bobble, with Staruck sitting right behind Bartman. "I look at it this way: I went to a game, caught a ball," Staruck said. "Whatever it sells for, it's like found money." He said he had sympathy for Bartman but did not feel bad selling the ball. "I'm not profiting at his expense," he said. "He went through what he went through because of the media. I had nothing to do with it. ... While I feel bad for him, I don't feel responsible for his misfortune." Staruck has not spoken to Bartman since the incident. Grant DePorter purchased it at auction in December 2003 for $113,824.16, on behalf of Harry Caray's Restaurant Group. On February 26, 2004, the ball was publicly detonated by special effects expert Michael Lantieri. In 2005, the remains of the ball were used by the restaurant in a pasta sauce. While no part of the ball itself was in the sauce, the ball was boiled and the steam captured, distilled, and added to the final concoction.

Manny Ramirez Monday, October 6, 2003 Network Associates Coliseum (Oakland) 2003 ALDS, Game 5: Who Caught the Ball? ?	What's the Story? As if "go-ahead three-run homer off the reigning AL Cy Young winner in the sixth inning of a do-or-die Game 5 with your franchise's 85-year title drought hanging in the balance" isn't self-explanatory enough, Manny decided to take his time and made sure everybody in Oakland knew what just happened. The ball struck the concrete steps in the bleachers and bounced back not the field.

Rafael Palmeiro Sunday, May 11, 2003 Ballpark in Arlington (Arlington) 500th career home run Who Caught the Ball? Father John Collet Irving, Texas	What's the Story? Collet, a professor at Holy Trinity Seminary at the University of Dallas, paid $20 for his ticket. After it was bobbled by fans around him near the right field foul pole, Collet gripped the home run ball and held fast against a mob snatching at the souvenir. He said the scramble caused a minor scrape on his left hand. "It was a surprise. First of all, I was submerged in all these people, and then all of a sudden I looked around and there were all these policemen all around. I was escorted out very quickly. I didn't really have time to pay much attention." Palmeiro, who is Catholic, was visibly relieved when he heard a priest had caught the ball. He shook Collet's hand, thanked him for his kindness, and the pair shared a few laughs before a group of local media. Collet exchanged the historic ball for autographed items including a baseball, a bat, a batting helmet, T-shirts, and a jacket. Palmeiro said the negotiations between he and Collet "weren't bad" and that he "was glad to get the ball back."

Sammy Sosa Friday, April 4, 2003 Great American Ball Park (Cincinnati) 500th career home run Who Caught the Ball? Zach Kirk 22, college student St. Louis, Missouri	What's the Story? Kirk's girlfriend, Jessica Shull, suggested they get tickets to the Reds game so they could see Great American Ball Park, which had just opened. "It was all her idea," he said. "She was the one who picked up the tickets and picked out the seats in right field, hoping Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr. would hit a home run there." Kirk said Sosa's homer flew over their heads, deflected off several sets of hands, and came to rest in front of him. "It landed at my feet, and I just dove on it," he said. Immediately, fans gave him business cards and offered to pay $20,000 for the ball. Kirk was ushered away by Major League officials so that the baseball could undergo the proper authentication and tagging procedures. A Cubs representative told Kirk he could exchange the ball for an autographed Sosa jersey and a couple of photographs. Kirk jokingly asked the Cubs for an internship in the media relations department for the ball but was rebuffed. Sosa said he didn't care if he got the ball back. "It crossed my mind to give it back," Kirk said. "At the same time, I'm 22 and a senior in college. It could be a blessing." Kirk wasn't sure what to do with the ball, but the decision was soon clear. "I went home and slept on it, literally," said Kirk. "My parents had a big part in helping me decide it would go a long way toward paying for my graduate degree some day. MastroNet Inc. auctioned the ball in 2003. "I'll be happy with whatever happens," Kirk said. "Anything I get for the baseball is money I never had when I walked into the stadium." The ball sold for $44,824. Kirk said he would put the money toward getting a master's degree in education.

Barry Bonds Sunday, October 20, 2002, 9:01pm Edison Field (Anaheim) 2002 World Series, Game 2: dramatic home run almost spoiled Angels chances of winning the World Series Who Caught the Ball? ?	What's the Story? There the Angels were, one out away from their first World Series victory in franchise history, and all anybody could think about is what Bonds managed to do to that poor baseball. In the words of Tim Salmon: That's the farthest ball I've ever seen hit. The television cameras lost sight of the ball. It may have cleared the stadium.