Like so much else in our society, MLB home run balls have become a thing to fight over.
Last season, Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball, which made him the first ever member of the 50/50 club, sparked multiple lawsuits over ownership between fans who had fought for it in the stands before it ended up selling for a record $4.392 million. This season, even an otherwise forgettable home run ball from a random Phillies-Marlins game sparked a heated exchange that resulted in an adult taking it from a child. So when Mike Trout hit his 400th career home run on Saturday night, the latest milestone in what is already a hall-of-fame career, it could have gotten ugly once the valuable ball reached the Coors Field stands.
Instead, it landed in the hands of a man who wanted a memory more than a payday.
a night to remember ⚾️
Thank you to Alberto and his family for reuniting @MikeTrout with his milestone baseball! pic.twitter.com/LNup4Qu6BC
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) September 21, 2025
The fan who caught the home run ball, identified only as “Alberto” by an Angels social media post, returned it to Trout in a dugout meeting after the game. Alberto was joined by his wife and two young kids for the exchange, in which Trout gave him three autographed bats and two autographed baseballs, according to ESPN — far off the monetary value of a milestone home run ball hit by a generational talent. But Alberto did have one more request.
“You mind if we can, like, (have a catch) on the field?” he asked.
Trout readily obliged and the two men then tossed a ball back and forth near the third base line.
Alberto, the fan who caught @Mike Trout’s 400th career homer, gave the superstar his milestone baseball. His one request? To play catch. 🥹 | #mlb #angels #baseball #miketrout
♬ original sound – Los Angeles Angels
Anyone who’s ever cried their eyes out during the final scene of “Field of Dreams” knows that a simple game of catch can be a priceless experience. It was likely a memory Alberto will treasure more than the initial catch that made it possible.
After a few tosses, Alberto said he was good and they embraced. Trout then gave him the ball they used, completing a trade of one baseball with personal meaning for another.
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(Top photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)