Other equipment
Jermaine Allensworth's wristband
The date was July 12, 1998. Allensworth, then a Royals outfielder who wore uniform #46, jogged off the field at Comiskey Park and tossed this my way.
Fernando Seguignol's bat
Who?! As a September call-up with the 1999 Expos, Seguignol pinch hit in the ninth inning at Turner Field, cracked his bat, and unexpectedly slid it to me across the dugout roof after the game.
Ryan Speier's glove
During batting practice on 9/29/05 at Shea Stadium, I thought Speier was done throwing so I called his name in the hopes that he'd give me the ball. Instead, the 6-foot-7 righty turned around and flung me his glove. In-SANE.
Cliff Floyd's bat
At my first game of 2006, Floyd headed to the dugout after BP and gave me his bat. Perfect condition. Totally random. I hadn't even asked for it.
Chris Woodward's cap
After the Mets clinched the NL East on September 18, 2006 and mobbed each other on the field, several players tossed their caps into the crowd, and I happened to grab this one. Mmm, sweat stains!
Ramón Hernández's bat
At my last game of 2006, I got another random bat (or at least most of one). It came from the Orioles' bat boy after BP at Camden Yards. Half an hour later, an usher made me check my "weapon" at Fan Assistance.
Heath Bell's cap
I got to know Bell when he was an under-appreciated middle reliever with the Mets, and he's been friendly ever since. When I visited PETCO Park in 2008, he gave me this cap and a 2007 Opening Day ball.
Greg Norton's bat
I got this one on 9/24/08 at Citizens Bank Park. The fact that I was one of the only fans who was fully decked out in Braves gear probably had something to do with Norton's decision to give it to me.
Jorge Cantú's cap
The last day of the 2008 season was my best day ever as a collector. Not only did I get this cap from Cantú after the game as well as a batting glove from Wes Helms, but I caught Carlos Beltrán's 263rd career homer run — the last homer EVER hit by the Mets at Shea Stadium. Here's my blog entry about it.
Ángel Pagán's cap
Two important Ángel Pagán cap facts:
1) He wears a size 7 cap, which means he has a small head.
2) The day he wore this cap, he went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a triple.
Austin Jackson's bat
In his rookie season, Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson hit .293 with 34 doubles, 10 triples, 103 runs scored, and 27 stolen bases -- and I got his bat after the final game.
Mike Nickeas's bat
Mets catcher Mike Nickeas hit his first major league home run on 4/21/11 at Citi Field. I caught the ball, gave it back to him without asking for anything, and unexpectedly got this autographed bat in return.
Joey Votto's wristband
On 8/18/11 at Nationals Park, I snagged 15 balls (including my 800th of the season) and got this wristband after the game.
Lee Tunnell's cap
Brewers bullpen coach (and former major league pitcher) Lee Tunnell tossed me his cap after the game on 9/29/13 at Citi Field.
Alex Rodriguez's bats
On 6/19/15 at Yankee Stadium, I snagged Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th career hit, and when I gave the ball to him two weeks later, lots of good things happened. The charity Pitch In For Baseball received a $150,000 donation from the Yankees, and I got all kinds of stuff, including these autographed bats.
Alex Rodriguez's jersey
Here's something else I got. Unfortunately this jersey is not game-used, but it IS team issued, which is still kinda cool. Check out this short documentary about me and the whole A-Rod experience.
Andrés Blanco's bat
On 8/31/15 at Citi Field, Andrés Blanco broke his bat while facing Mets' closer Jeurys Familia. Thanks to a connection I had with someone on the Phillies, I got it five minutes later from the equipment manager.
Jonathan Villar's bat
This was randomly placed on the dugout roof during the game on 6/14/16 at AT&T Park. Villar had thrown me a ball earlier in the day, so he really hooked it up.
Cancer awareness wristband
On September 1, 2017, I got this from a ballboy after the game at Yankee Stadium.
Jason Phillips' cap
Blue Jays bullpen catcher (and former major leaguer) Jason Phillips gave this to me after the final regular season game at Yankee Stadium in 2017.
Alex Blandino's bat
On May 1, 2018, I snagged THREE home run balls DURING the game at Great American Ball Park. The final homer happened to be Alex Blandino's 1st in the major leagues. After the game, I gave him the ball in exchange for this bat, which he signed, "To Zack, Nice play out there!" Here's my video from this game.
Willson Contreras's bat
In August 2018, I filmed a promotional video with Willson Contreras at Wrigley Field. At the very end of the day, he invited me into the clubhouse and handed me this bat, and BTW, the video is amazing. Click here to watch it.
Steven Matz's bat
In the first game of a doubleheader at Citi Field on September 13, 2018, I grabbed Steven Matz's first career home run and got this bat in exchange for the ball. In the second game, I caught a Miguel Rojas home run — my first time getting homers during BOTH games of a doubleheader.
Mike Trout's bat
Way back in 2011, I didn’t ask Mike Trout for anything in return when I caught his first home run and gave him the ball. Pretty stupid, huh? Years later I asked him for a signed bat, and he hooked me up on April 16, 2019 at Globe Life Park. #stud