Derek Jeter Passes Gherig
Image: AP
With Derek Jeter just four hits shy of 3,000, the MLB Authentication staff is pulling out all the stops to tag and bag the ball that the Yankee captain hits to reach the historic milestone.
MLB has marked 48 “Jeter balls” with both an actual number and a “covert mark” to make sure there will never be a dispute about which ball is the true (read: valuable) piece of history.
The balls were rubbed with mud by the Yankees’ clubhouse crew, and ten were on display at the MLB Fan Cave in Manhattan yesterday.
MLB.com’s Mark Newman described the appeal of going to see ten baseballs with this mind-bending philosophical nugget:
“You can go to Cooperstown and see all kinds of historic artifacts, but this was a first: A place where fans could look at possible history in advance — depending on the Yankees' captain.”
Aren’t we always looking at “possible history in advance”?
The possibly historic balls will be put in play each time Jeter comes to bat once he’s at 2,999 hits.
If the ball is hit in play, authenticators will remove it from play and safeguard it.
If the 3,000th hit somehow makes it into the stands, MLB security will be posted around the park to take the ridiculously lucky fan to a safe location.
The Yankees come back to the Bronx tomorrow night for a four-game series against the Rays. So fans who went to the Fan Cave to stare at not-yet historic artifacts have the chance to witness actual history this weekend.
Source: MLB.com