[Déjà Bru]

From The Athletic:

Mariners looking for fan who gave valuable Cal Raleigh 60th home run ball to nearby child

By Larry Holder



A Seattle Mariners fan snagged Cal Raleigh’s 60th home run ball after Wednesday night at T-Mobile Park and did what might be unthinkable. The man simply gave away the ball — potentially worth six figures on the open market — to a child near him in the right field stands.

It was a far cry from the Phillies fan who took a home run ball away from a child earlier this month.

The boy who ended up with the baseball and his father were then taken away by security to have the ball authenticated. Mariners media relations told The Athletic that the boy traded the ball for a bat signed by Raleigh and has been invited to attend batting practice on the field at a future game.

But the Mariners are also hunting for the man who awarded the ball to the child. Social media posts quickly popped up expressing appreciation for the man. So much so that the Mariners have made a public plea to find the unidentified man.

Mariners senior manager of communications Adam Gresch posted on X: “The Mariners would love to get in contact with this incredible fan. If you know him, please DM!”



As of Thursday afternoon, the Mariners haven’t been in touch with the man who originally snagged the baseball.

This isn’t the first time in recent memory that home run No. 60 landed in the player’s hand rather than on the auction block, though.

During the 2022 season, the 20-year-old man who corralled the 60th home run ball hit by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge handed the ball back right after the game. He agreed to swap the ball for a clubhouse meet-and-greet with Judge, four autographed baseballs and a signed game bat (not the one Judge used to hit the homer).

Judge’s American League record-breaking 62nd home run ball sold for $1.5 million in December 2022. The current record for a home run ball sold at auction was achieved in October of last year, when Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball from his historic 50/50 season sold for $4.392 million after sparking multiple lawsuits between fans who battled for ownership of it.

Raleigh is the seventh player in Major League history to reach the 60 home run milestone, following Judge, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Maris, and Babe Ruth.

https://x.com/hachtel24/status/1971067926808821808