(97.1 The Ticket) When Albert Pujols launched a third-inning solo home run into the left-field seats, one unsuspecting Detroit Tigers fan wound up with a piece of history.
His homer made him just the fifth player in MLB history to reach 2,000 career RBIs and the third since the league began tracking RBIs as an official stat in 1920.
Eli Hydes, sitting behind the bullpen, caught the historic ball, but says he didn't even realize the significance of it until he was approached by Comerica Park personnel, who asked for the ball so it could be returned to Pujols as a keepsake.
Hydes says officials offered him memorabilia from Pujols, but he declined -- especially when officials returned multiple times, which rubbed him the wrong way.
"I didn't want anything for it, I'm not looking for money. I'm a baseball fan and I'd rather just give it to my son," Hydes told WWJ. "But they kept coming back and offering me more and more memorabilia from Albert Pujols and then the Tigers got involved and they're like, 'oh, we'll give you (Miguel) Cabrera stuff too.' And I'm like, 'that's cool, but why are you treating me like a piece of s--t?'"
Hydes is expecting the birth of his son next week and wants to give him a special keepsake.
"I'm in law school, I'm going to be a lawyer soon, I'll be making money. I'm not desperate for anything. I said no on principle because you were treating me so terribly," Hydes said.
Pujols, meanwhile, said he is fine that the fan wanted to keep the ball.
"I think he was given a little hard time and I told the guys, 'You know what, just leave it, just let him have it.' I think he can have a great piece of history with him, when he looks at it, he can remind himself of this game," Pujols said. "I don't fight about it. I think we play this game for the fans too and if they want to keep it, I think they have the right to. I just hope he can enjoy it."
Asked whether he would pay Hydes for the ball, Pujols said he "won't pay one penny for that."
"He can have it. I don't play this game so I can pay fans. He can have that piece of history. It's for the fans that we play for. I really don't have any problem and he has the right to keep it," Pujols told reporters.