TBM
09-30-2015, 10:12 PM
How many of you have bats from a player’s first major league home run? Here is the story behind mine.
I went to the last two Royals home games of the 2015 regular season. I had been wanting an Eric Hosmer game used bat but I found a diamond in the ruff instead. I had been communicating with the Royals Authentics store for a couple weeks trying to line up a Hosmer gamer. I had no success, but had my heart set on a GU bat. On the last two home games of the season I attended a game on Saturday and Sunday. Before the Saturday game I got out my phone and started looking up all the MLB authentication numbers on the wall of GU bats. I wanted a bat that was used to get some kind of hit and not just a foul ball. I found a nice Mike Moustakas bat that was authenticated with a hit on it. I was so close to getting it but decided not to. I would sleep on it and maybe they would have a Hosmer bat out the next day.
On Sunday, We were the first ones in line and when the gates opened we made a bee line to the authentics store. There were no new bats. So I once again started going through the bats that were there and kept coming back to the Moustakas bat. I decided to again wait. In the last innings of the game I went back to the store. I got a couple balls and started looking at the bats again. I once again had the Moustakas bat in hand and once again I put it back. It was just too much even if it had a hit authenticated on it.
I started going through some bats from other players and finally settled in on a Paulo Orlando bat. I zeroed in on it because it was used during a game at Wrigley Field. It was authenticated to a ground out on a pitch by Jake Arrieta on May 29, 2015 in which the bat was broken from the impact. The bat was signed and it looked like it had gone through hell. It was plastered with ball and cleat marks. Paulo has become one of my favorite players. I have seen him in Omaha with the Royals triple A team the Storm Chasers as well as in KC. He has even signed a ball for me during one of the games. This bat faced a possible Cy Young candidate, for this season, and did not survive. I figured with as messed up as this bat was that it had to have some other games on it. So I bought it.
When I got home I looked back at the game footage on MLB.TV. I always like to look at the game footage that my items were used in. I then started to wonder what other games this bat may have been used in. I looked at the box scores for previous games and started to watch the parts of the game where Paulo was up to bat. I got to the May 26 game against the Yankees and went a little far in looking for his at bat. I heard the audio first. Paulo Orlando hit his first career home run. I was floored, was it hit with the bat I now own? “Please, Please, Please, Please” I am shaking and muttering to myself. Finally I get a nice close up of the bat and there are the familiar marks that were the reason I bought the bat for. Unmistakable, Undeniable and clear as day. I went outside and started to celebrate. I was whooping and hollering, I was so happy and elated. Paulo Orlando had hit his first career major league home run with my bat. He hit it against Andrew Miller at Yankee Stadium. It was also the only run that was scored by the Royals in a 1 – 5 loss.
This is my first Home Run bat, by one of my favorite player on my favorite team. The bat had been used at both Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field. I have not had time to look more into it but this bat could have been used in a game as far back as May 20 versus the Reds, Cardinals, Yankees, and Cubs. I have to dig more to see how many other hits this bat has on it, if any. I just need the time to do so.
Not only was this Paulo’s first home run it also happened during the Sonic Slam inning and Dewey Collins won $900 on that home run. The first picture shows a screen capture from just before his first home run with a picture of the bat that I overlaid on it.
I went to the last two Royals home games of the 2015 regular season. I had been wanting an Eric Hosmer game used bat but I found a diamond in the ruff instead. I had been communicating with the Royals Authentics store for a couple weeks trying to line up a Hosmer gamer. I had no success, but had my heart set on a GU bat. On the last two home games of the season I attended a game on Saturday and Sunday. Before the Saturday game I got out my phone and started looking up all the MLB authentication numbers on the wall of GU bats. I wanted a bat that was used to get some kind of hit and not just a foul ball. I found a nice Mike Moustakas bat that was authenticated with a hit on it. I was so close to getting it but decided not to. I would sleep on it and maybe they would have a Hosmer bat out the next day.
On Sunday, We were the first ones in line and when the gates opened we made a bee line to the authentics store. There were no new bats. So I once again started going through the bats that were there and kept coming back to the Moustakas bat. I decided to again wait. In the last innings of the game I went back to the store. I got a couple balls and started looking at the bats again. I once again had the Moustakas bat in hand and once again I put it back. It was just too much even if it had a hit authenticated on it.
I started going through some bats from other players and finally settled in on a Paulo Orlando bat. I zeroed in on it because it was used during a game at Wrigley Field. It was authenticated to a ground out on a pitch by Jake Arrieta on May 29, 2015 in which the bat was broken from the impact. The bat was signed and it looked like it had gone through hell. It was plastered with ball and cleat marks. Paulo has become one of my favorite players. I have seen him in Omaha with the Royals triple A team the Storm Chasers as well as in KC. He has even signed a ball for me during one of the games. This bat faced a possible Cy Young candidate, for this season, and did not survive. I figured with as messed up as this bat was that it had to have some other games on it. So I bought it.
When I got home I looked back at the game footage on MLB.TV. I always like to look at the game footage that my items were used in. I then started to wonder what other games this bat may have been used in. I looked at the box scores for previous games and started to watch the parts of the game where Paulo was up to bat. I got to the May 26 game against the Yankees and went a little far in looking for his at bat. I heard the audio first. Paulo Orlando hit his first career home run. I was floored, was it hit with the bat I now own? “Please, Please, Please, Please” I am shaking and muttering to myself. Finally I get a nice close up of the bat and there are the familiar marks that were the reason I bought the bat for. Unmistakable, Undeniable and clear as day. I went outside and started to celebrate. I was whooping and hollering, I was so happy and elated. Paulo Orlando had hit his first career major league home run with my bat. He hit it against Andrew Miller at Yankee Stadium. It was also the only run that was scored by the Royals in a 1 – 5 loss.
This is my first Home Run bat, by one of my favorite player on my favorite team. The bat had been used at both Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field. I have not had time to look more into it but this bat could have been used in a game as far back as May 20 versus the Reds, Cardinals, Yankees, and Cubs. I have to dig more to see how many other hits this bat has on it, if any. I just need the time to do so.
Not only was this Paulo’s first home run it also happened during the Sonic Slam inning and Dewey Collins won $900 on that home run. The first picture shows a screen capture from just before his first home run with a picture of the bat that I overlaid on it.