These photos are of John Bains, a Toronto Blue Jays fan, and his son Matthew, who caught back-to-back home runs during Game 7 of the World Series.
The father and son were attending Game 7 when they each caught separate home run balls hit by Los Angeles Dodgers Miguel Rojas and Will Smith.
The first home run, caught by the father, John, was a 387-foot blast from Rojas that tied the game.
The second, a home run hit by Smith, was caught by his son, Matthew.
While watching the game, I thought Bains threw Rojas’ ball back because that’s what it looked like on screen, but apparently he threw a decoy which was waiting in his pocket. The real one never left his hand.
From a report by Darren Rovell:
“I had a feeling I might have had to do it,” Bains said.
Bains said he had a regular major-league ball in his right pocket, and that’s the one he threw back.
“It wasn’t even a World Series ball,” he said, laughing.
He said Matthew also did the same thing, and the two Blue Jays fans are now in possession of the two pieces of history. MLB will not authenticate baseballs that leave the field of play, unless they are specially marked.
He says he’s leaning toward keeping the balls as a keepsake but when asked what price might change his mind he was quick to say:
“I’d take $1 million for the Rojas ball and $1.5 million for the Smith ball,” he said. “They were both game-changing baseballs.”
They will certainly be life-changing balls when he sells them and it sounds like the price he’s asking isn’t totally out to lunch:
Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam ball from the 2024 World Series sold last year at SCP Auctions for $1.56 million. It’s the third-highest price paid for a baseball behind Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball from the 2024 season ($4.39 million at Goldin Auctions) and Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball ($3.05 million at Guernsey’s in 1999).
(via cllct)