Bidders showed no hesitation in chasing the ball that put ARod in a club with less than two dozen members.
The ball hit by Alex Rodriguez for his 500th career home run sold at auction early Friday morning.
The final realized price was $103,579 including a 20% buyer’s premium. The winning bidder chose to remain anonymous.
SCP Auctions conducted the sale on behalf of Walter “Sonny” Kowalcyk, the fan who snared it while seated in the stands at Yankee Stadium that day in 2007.
“We’re thrilled to have been able to be a part of the auction of A-Rod’s 500th home run baseball,” said company president David Kohler. “This ball is truly a monumental piece of baseball history and one that will no doubt be the centerpiece of the new owner’s collection.”
The home run off Kansas City Royals’ pitcher Kyle Davies made Rodriguez the youngest player in major league history to hit 500 home runs and the 22nd player to reach one of baseball’s most revered milestones.
“I really want it back,” Rodriguez said at the time. “But if not, I congratulate him for catching it. Nice catch.”
The ball was authenticated and affixed with a numbered hologram by MLB officials.
Given the prolific rate at which ARod has continued to hit home runs, his 500th clout will likely become a more significant milestone should he reach the ultimate destination of breaking the all-time record now held by Barry Bonds.
Rodriguez became the third player to hit 500 as a Yankee and the second to do it in Yankee Stadium. Babe Ruth did it at Cleveland on Aug. 11, 1929, and Mickey Mantle reached the mark at home against Baltimore on May 14, 1967.
The ball was part of a 700-lot auction of sports memorabilia that began January 20.
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[…] August 4, 2007 – Alex Rodriguez Yankees fan Walter “Sonny” Kowalcyk caught Rodriguez’s 500th home run at Yankee Stadium. Three years later, SCP Auctions sold it on Kowalcyk’s behalf for $103,579. […]