Pujols isn't worried about No. 700 HR ball: 'Souvenirs are for the fans'
St. Louis Cardinals legend and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols isn't concerned about getting the ball he blasted into the bleachers at Dodger Stadium for his 700th career home run.
"Souvenirs are for the fans," Pujols said postgame Friday after becoming the fourth player in MLB history to reach the plateau, according to the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett. "I don't have any problem if they want to keep it. If they want to give it back, that's great. But at the end of the day, I don't focus on material stuff."
The fan who caught the ball for No. 700 got it authenticated and left the stadium, officials told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The man was approached and presented offers by the Cardinals but intends to keep the ball, according to Ben Verlander of Fox Sports.
Some believe the ball could be worth as much as six figures.
"I think it's a solid ball. Somebody in St. Louis could be more excited about that than necessarily nationwide … I think it's a $100,000 ball, probably my guess," the founder of Steiner Sports Memorabilia, Brandon Steiner, said, according to Ryan Morik of Fox Business.
HEADLINES
- Braun, Encarnación among 12 new additions to 2026 Hall of Fame ballot
- Report: Yankees, Yarbrough agree to 1-year, $2.5M deal
- Mariners re-sign Naylor to 5-year deal reportedly worth $92.5M
- Padres re-sign Hart to 1-year deal with 2027 option
- Kyle Hendricks, who helped Cubs win 2016 World Series, retires after 12 seasons