Rodriguez's first-inning homer off the Tigers' Justin Verlander was caught in the right-field seats by Zack Hample, a 37-year-old from New York who has published a book on the art of snagging baseballs at games.
The Yankees said that team president Randy Levine and chief operating officer Lonn Trost spoke to Hample about the ball, which has been authenticated by Major League Baseball. Hample has said that he intends to keep this one.
"Maybe years ago that would have been kind of an important thing for me," Rodriguez said. "I think about 2015 and I think about 2009, and for me there's a lot of resemblance there.