Fan says ‘no way’ to giving up gold ball at Home Run Derby
Jul 12, 2011, 5:54 AM | Updated: 5:56 am
For the first time Major League Baseball implemented gold baseballs for the final out of each contestants round during the Home Run Derby.
These balls featured a panel with actual 24-karat gold leather crafted by Rawlings and Gold Sport Collectibles.
Boston Red Sox slugger Adrian Gonzalez was the first one to put one in the seats and the lucky fan to make the catch was Adrian Hayes.
Hayes, a volunteer with the Jr. RBI Baseball, caught the ball and was immediately getting offers from surround fans.
One fan offered Hayes up to $500 right on the spot.
“No way!” Hayes exclaimed and cradled the ball.
The Jr. RBI Baseball program is designed for young people in underserved communities to get an opportunity to play baseball.
With each gold ball that was hit out of the park $18,000 was donated to the Boys & Girls Club as State Farm and Major League Baseball combined to donate to the organization for each gold ball home run hit throughout the State Farm Home Run Derby. That figure represents the 18,000 State Farm agents in the U.S. and Canada, and is in addition to the $3,000 State Farm will donate to Boys & Girls Club for non-Gold Ball home runs hit during the Derby.
