Detroit Tigers: Should Tigers fan keep historic ball?

The Detroit Tigers suffered a brutal 13-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels at Comerica Park on Thursday afternoon and it was a game in which history was made.

In the third inning of Thursday’s contest in the Motor City, Angels first baseman Albert Pujols launched a solo HR to left field off Detroit Tigers pitcher Ryan Carpenter. The home run marked the 2,000th RBI of Pujols career, making him the third (or fifth depending on who you ask) player in the history of the major leagues to ever reach that mark.

The biggest story now emerging from the historic event, however, is the fact that the Detroit Tigers fan who was lucky enough to catch the home run ball has decided to keep it.

The man who caught the ball was 33-year-old Ely Hydes of Detroit. According to USA Today, Hydes made his decision to keep the baseball in part because of how he was treated by Detroit Tigers’ staff after catching the home run. USA Today references a Facebook post in which Hydes explained he was offered money for the ball and when he refused was told the ball would be worthless once he left the stadium with it.

Pujols himself actually praised Hydes for taking the ball and gave him his blessing to keep it. ESPN quotes Pujols saying that “It’s a great memory for him. I mean we play this game for the fans, and it’s a piece of history that he’s going to have for the rest of his life.”

Whenever you go to a baseball game nowadays it seems that if you’re fortunate to catch any sort of foul ball or home run, there’s a pressure to immediately find the nearest little kid and give it away to them. Personally, I praise Hydes’ decision to keep the ball.

Hydes now holds a piece of baseball history and is enjoying what it means to him as a fan. He was just out at Comerica Park for a “beer and a game” as he told Fox Sports Detroit’s Trevor Thompson.

A big congratulations again to Albert Pujols on reaching such a historic milestone and shoutout to Ely Hydes for being a great fan of the game of baseball.

What do you think about Ely’s decision to keep the ball? What would you do if you caught a piece of baseball history? Feel free to let us know in the comments section down below.