A piece of Toronto Blue Jays history is now up for sale.
The ball from Addison Barger’s pinch-hit grand slam in Game 1 of the 2025 World Series is now up for auction, after one Blue Jays fan opted to part ways with it.
The ball was caught by Georgetown native Austin Jenkins, who was attending the game with family and friends.
Barger’s bat connected with a ball that laser-beamed pretty much right directly at Jenkins’ seat, who emerged from the chaos of the moment triumphantly lifting the ball over his head.
“The emotions of the moment still haven’t cooled down. It was and is the highest adrenaline rush I’ll ever feel in my life,” Jenkins had told Offside two days after the home run. Toronto entered the sixth inning tied 2-2 with the Los Angeles Dodgers in Canada’s first World Series game since 1993.
Dan Hamilton/Imagn Images
Amazingly, the 11-4 victory was actually Toronto’s only home win in an epic seven-game series, with the Blue Jays falling in seven games to the Dodgers. But while the Jays didn’t end up victorious in the series, it’s hard to argue that Barger’s hit was anything other than one of the biggest home runs in franchise history.
“Being able to now say I am a part of Blue Jays and MLB history is just surreal. Being able to celebrate in the moment with my brother and have him lift me up and get the photos people took around us is something I’ll be thankful for for the rest of my life,” Jenkins had told Offside last month.
Barger’s camp had initially reached out to Jenkins, though the pair did not broker a deal to get the ball to the Toronto slugger. He also says he was offered tickets and “some signed memorabilia” from the Blue Jays themselves.
“After the series was over I was reached out to by multiple auction houses who were looking to auction off the ball,” Jenkins told Offside in a message on Tuesday.
A picture of the ball on Sotheby’s auction house.
While Jenkins debated keeping it, he opted to send it to the open market.
The auction, which went live on Sotheby’s Tuesday morning, ends Dec. 11.