Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th hit ended up in the hands of a ball hawk, and he’s not giving A-Rod his milestone ball back.
Zack Hample, famous for having caught more than what he says are 8,000 major-league baseballs, came away with Rodriguez’s first-inning home run to right field in section 103, just below where the Bleacher Creatures sit. The 37-year-old from New York City says he became a Yankees season-ticket holder last year and picked the right field area because it’s a “good spot.”
Security personnel, led by Eddie Fastook, tried to negotiate with Hample and offered him memorabilia, a chance to be on television, his own press conference and tickets, but Hample took the ball back to his seat after MLB authenticated it.