Interesting point made in last night Yankee's game.

andywtn

Last night as Arod came to bat they changed balls to the specially marked ones for MLB authentication. The one announcer asked an interesting question. He said the ump get five balls to put in his pouch, when a new ball is required he just reaches in and grabs one not knowing what the authentication number it is. Say that ball (or several balls) are hit foul into the stands and then Arod hits HR 500. How do you really know which ball went into the stands for the home run compared to the foul balls?

NathanSr

Because the person who catches it will be sitting in the outfield bleachers, not behind one of the dugouts or down one of the lines.

In all seriousness, I am sure they have the STAFF on the lookout for the specific area the ball lands. With that and instant replay, they got it covered.

NathanSr

gonzer

They're probably numbered sequentially. At the end of the game the highest # would be the HR ball.

ajw

Just yesterday, FP Santangelo, the Giants sideline reporter, showed one of the balls used when Bonds comes to bat. There seem to be two special marks, one of which is different on each ball, and appears to be some sort of sequential numbering system. He wasn't even allowed to show that mark on television, so he covered it with his finger. He said the umpires put the balls into play in order, and careful records are kept as to where each numbered ball ends up. So, it seems pretty easy to show that ball XXYX was a foul ball while XXYZ was a home run.

I'd assume they're doing something similar with ARod, balls. [insert joke here]