Brewers fan catches milestone home run ball, trades it for signed bat from White Sox newcomer Murakami

MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee Brewers fan walked away with a unique souvenir after catching a milestone baseball on Opening Day.

Steve Pollack and his son were in the stands when Chicago White Sox newcomer Munetaka Murakami hit his first Major League home run in the ninth inning.

"Me and my son both jumped up, and then my son got a little trampled by other people, and the ball bounced forward under the table — and I landed on it," Pollack said.

Watch: Brewers fan catches milestone home run ball, trades it for signed bat from White Sox newcomer Murakami

While White Sox fans asked for the ball and Brewers fans wanted him to throw it back onto the field, stadium staff intervened.

"The usher came over and said, 'Do not throw that ball back on the field,'" Pollack said.

Soon after, Pollack heard Murakami wanted to keep the baseball. Following the game, Pollack and his son were ushered down to the White Sox clubhouse, where they met Murakami and his translator.

In exchange for the baseball, Murakami handed over a signed bat.

"We just started shaking hands, laughing. He said he greatly appreciated the ball coming back to him," Pollack said.

The exchange even created some new supporters for the opposing team.

"All four of us that were there said we are going to go to a White Sox game now," Pollack said.

After the game, Murakami was asked what he plans to do with the ball. He said he is sending it back to Japan.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.

Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

Report a typo or error