Zack Hample - Baseball Collection

Baseball Collection

As of January 15, 2013, Hample has collected 6,459 baseballs from 50 different Major League stadiums. He acquired his first ball from a Mets reliever at Shea Stadium on June 20, 1990 and set a personal, one-game record with 36 baseballs at Great American Ball Park on September 14, 2011. Some of Hample's notable catches include Barry Bonds' 724th career home run at PETCO Park on August 16, 2006, Mike Trout’s first major league home run on July 24, 2011 at Camden Yards, and the first home run of the 2007 Home Run Derby, hit by Justin Morneau at AT&T Park. On May 12, 2011, he caught three foul balls during a single game at Camden Yards, and on May 28, 2011, he caught his 5,000th career baseball—an Alex Rios batting practice homer at Rogers Centre. In March 2012, Hample attended MLB's Opening Series at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, snagging a total of 23 balls in two games.

During the final week ever at the old Yankee Stadium, Hample gained worldwide recognition by catching home run balls on consecutive nights. On September 16, 2008, he made a leaping catch on a Jason Giambi home run and immediately celebrated with a goofy dance that was captured on TV. The following night, in nearly exactly the same spot in the right field bleachers, Hample reached far over a railing to make a backhanded catch on a Johnny Damon home run and celebrated with the same dance. The Yankees' announcers recognized him from the previous game, and within the next 24 hours the story was covered by ESPN, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN International, Japanese TV, and many other media outlets. Yahoo! Sports initially acknowledged Hample's baseball-snagging skills, but did not know that it was he who had made the catches. Less than two weeks later, on September 28, 2008, Hample caught the last home run ever hit by a Mets player at Shea Stadium, this one off the bat of Carlos Beltran. On October 8, 2008, Hample appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and followed that nearly one year later with an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Prior to Hample's three notable home run catches of 2008, he had been featured on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and on an episode of the John O'Hurley version of the game show To Tell The Truth, during which he managed to trick the audience and two of the four celebrity panelists.