Fan decides to give up historic Albert Pujols ball, but Pujols doesn't want it now

Tom Gatto

Fan decides to give up historic Albert Pujols ball, but Pujols doesn't want it now image

Ely Hydes said he didn't like how the Tigers were pressuring him to give up the home run ball Angels slugger Albert Pujols hit for his 2,000th career RBI Thursday. After taking time to "sleep on it," Hydes decided he didn't need to keep that piece of baseball history.

"He's not my player, he's not my guy, I don't deserve the ball," Hydes told the Detroit News on Friday night. "I reconsidered. One hundred percent, I'm either going to give it to Pujols or to the (Baseball) Hall of Fame."

Cooperstown might be the ball's next stop after Pujols' comments to USA Today Sports on Friday night.

"I don't want it, brother," Pujols was quoted by Bob Nightengale as saying. "(Hydes) can keep it. He had a chance to give it to me (Thursday), and he declined. That’s fine. It’s his right. So, no need for him to change his mind now. Let him keep it."

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Hydes told the News (and Pujols via Facebook earlier Friday) that he did not want any money for the ball, which was never authenticated.

The Tigers were offering him no cash, but rather memorabilia and a meet-and-greet with Pujols, when they met with Hydes and his companions in the left-field stands at Comerica Park. Hydes, 33, told the News the team was making a "hard sell," so he responded by walking out of the stadium.

Tigers vice president Ron Colangelo said in a statement Friday that team personnel acted appropriately. From the News:

"We spoke with members from the Comerica Park operations and security staffs that had contact with the guest, and we have no doubt that our staff conducted themselves in a professional manner when speaking with the guest," Colangelo said Friday.
"After generous offers of both Angels and Tigers autographed memorabilia, including a meet-and-greet with Albert Pujols, our staff informed the guest that a decision needed to be reached as the Angels would be leaving the ballpark soon after the game ended.

"The guest decided he wanted to keep the ball, and our staff left the area."

FAGAN: Attempts to low-ball fan embarrassing

Hydes told the News he was swayed by Pujols saying postgame that Hydes was within his rights to keep the ball. He called Pujols a "class act" and was trying to contact him to deliver the ball.

Hydes won't go away empty-handed if he does give up the ball: He will receive a generous supply of hot dogs from Hebrew National after expressing a desire for the Tigers to resume selling the product at Comerica.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.