Two swings before Derek Jeter drove his 3,000th hit into the stands, he fouled a pitch beyond first base.
Seconds later, Jeter was rounding the bases and nobody thought twice about the foul ball — until Tuesday.
According to a sports collecting website, the ball Jeter fouled off two swings before recording his 3,000th hit is being auctioned off by Milwaukee-based MEARS in its monthly online auction.
Christian Lopez, the New York man who caught Jeter's home run, gave the ball back to Jeter without charge. It was a ball estimated at $250,000. For his actions, the Yankees gave Lopez signed memoribillia and box seats for the remainder of Yankee home games.
The unamed catcher of the foul ball, on the other hand, is looking to cash in on history, albeit early history.
MEARS, in promoting the auction, is calling it "The Greatest Modern New York Yankees Event Ball Ever Publicly Offered."
