Fan who caught A-Rod's 3,000th hit had catch down to a science
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June 21, 2015 | 1:34am
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He caught superstar Mike Trout's first homer.
He snagged home-run king Barry Bonds' 724th long ball.
Then, on Friday night at Yankee Stadium, Upper West Sider Zack Hample grabbed Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th career base hit.
And now, in a claim that is sure to enrage the professional ball hawk's many critics, he says it was just dumb luck that the historic horsehide — worth upwards of $200,000 — fell into his lap.
"Last night was 99-point-something-percent luck," he told The Post on Saturday. "The only skill of it was where I chose to have my seat."
Hample, 37, was in his normal season-ticket perch, in Section 103 at Yankee Stadium, on Friday night.
He picked that location based on pure geographical logic: He needs an aisle seat in order to chase down homers and wants to be above the short right-center-field fence where left-handed hitters often yank their taters.
He was surprised the right-handed-hitting Rodriguez would poke a homer to the opposite field for hit No. 3,000.
"A-Rod hit it deep. I knew it was coming right to me. I could hardly believe it," Hample said. "I just got pushed by the crowd from behind, on the stairs, and the ball sailed over my glove by a couple of feet. And I thought like, that was the unluckiest thing ever.
"And then I look down for the ball and it is at my feet on the steps. I just reached down and I grabbed it, and it was just like, 'Is this real life? I can't even believe what's happening.' "
Hample has written the book, literally, on how to catch baseballs at big-league stadiums — mostly during batting practice and tossed from players during warm-ups.
The author of "How to Snag Major League Baseballs" and "Watching Baseball Smarter" claims he's grabbed more than 8,000 baseballs in his "career."
Some of his tips are obvious:
• Bring a glove and be the first person through turnstiles when the ballpark opens, so to have the least amount of competition for batting-practice homers.
• Position yourself in the right-field cheap seats for left-handed hitters and in left field for right-handed sluggers.
But other strategies border on diabolical:
• Bring hats and shirts of both teams, especially the visitors, to catch the eye of players who'd want to throw baseballs to their own fans.
• Learn how to say "Throw me the ball" in multiple foreign languages so Latino, Asian — and even Dutch — baseball players can hear you over all English-language screams.
Midtown memorabilia dealer Pete Siegel estimated that Hample's souvenir is worth about $200,000, even if it was hit by the steroid-tainted slugger.
"Even though he [Rodriguez] did whatever he did with steroids, he still has incredible numbers — 3,000 hits, 660 home runs, No. 3 all-time RBIs," said Siegel, of GottaHaveIt.com. "This is still important stuff. Even [suspected PED user] Barry Bonds stuff still sells."
But if A-Rod — in the midst of a 10-year, $275 million contract with the Bombers — wants the ball back, he'll have to bring his check book.
"I don't think that it's just so cut-and-dry that he automatically deserves the ball," Hample said. "I'm considering giving it back. I'm considering doing something involving charity, working with the Yankees."
This surely will be Hample's biggest score. He missed out on a big payday with Trout – a Millville, NJ, native considered to be baseball's best all-around player – by returning his first homer back for free.
"I wonder what would have happened if I kept it and how much it might be worth, " Hample said. "But I think if I had it to do all over again I'd probably still give it back to him. He [Trout] remembers me. We've had some nice interactions at stadiums over the years since then. He follows me on Twitter."
Other bighearted New York baseball fans haven't blinked about giving back historic baseballs.
Most notably, Christian Lopez — a 27-year-old Highland Mills resident — caught Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit, also a homer, in 2011 and gave him the ball back for free.
"He's [Hample] going to get ripped either way – either he's an idiot for not selling it or he's going to be a jerk for selling it," a sympathetic Lopez said Saturday.
"I have no regrets [not selling Jeter's ball]. I got to share it family, got to experience something not a lot of people get to experience."
Manhattan resident Damon Woo, a Massachusetts native and Red Sox diehard, caught Marry Ramirez's 500th career home run during a 2008 game in Baltimore before surrendering it to the slugger for nothing.
"Everybody has a different situation," Woo said Saturday. "For me, it was definitely the right choice. As I look back it over the years, I've had more fun knowing that I gave it back. To me, the karma was right."
If Hample sells the A-Rod ball, the ball hawk said he'll probably deal a portion of proceeds to Pitch in For Baseball, a charity that gives equipment to poor kids.
"He's [Hample] a quirky guy for sure," said David Rhode, the charity's founder. "But there's another side to him and I hope people can get to see him in that different light."
Filed under alex rodriguez , new york yankees
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