Autographed balls in the mix for HR Derby
If you happen to be at T-Mobile Park when eight of baseball's greatest sluggers take aim at the seats in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday night, you might experience the thrill of catching one of the numerous homers that will be launched.
But the ball you catch might be more than just a homer off the bat of Pete Alonso, Julio Rodríguez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Mookie Betts, Luis Robert Jr., Adolis García, Randy Arozarena or Adley Rutschman.
The ball you catch might bear one of these players' autographs.
Prior to the Derby, there will be 192 baseballs featuring an authentic individual autograph put into circulation for the event, and any of these balls that don't end up over the fence will be auctioned off for the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation.
The YDF is a joint initiative by MLB and MLBPA to support efforts that focus on improving the caliber, effectiveness and availability of amateur baseball and softball programs across the United States and internationally.
The excitement of catching a home run or getting one of your favorite players to autograph your baseball have been two of the greatest feelings a fan could have during a day at the ballpark as long as the game has been around.
On Monday night at the Home Run Derby, those two experiences will be packaged into one.