The Yankee fan who caught Freddie Freeman’s sixth straight World Series home run ball on Tuesday revealed why he turned down a potential six-figure payday after Game 4.
Freeman’s historic run for the Dodgers continued as he opened the scoring for LA in the Bronx on Tuesday. The Dodgers entered the game with a 3-0 series lead, one away from a sweep and a title.
51-year-old Marcus Kline was the lucky fan who took the ball in his hand after it was shot into the stands early in the match. However, the Yankee faithful had to make a choice and ultimately turned down what many believed could have netted around $100,000, if not more, by throwing it back on the field.
“This is the turning point,” Kline told the New York Post, noting how his decision affected the game. ‘Then the bats came to life, the stadium was electric, the air was reinflated. It was fire, it was crazy.
“There were a few people who came up later and mentioned the significance of that ball and the history, and I thought, ‘No regrets.’ This is bigger than money.”
The fan who caught Freddie Freeman’s early home run ball turned down a six-figure payday
Freeman opened the score on Tuesday evening with his fourth homerun of this World Series
The Yankees went on to win the game 11-4 and force a Game 5 thanks to an electrifying performance by Anthony Volpe.
After failing to get tickets, Kline, a finance worker, got lucky when a friend offered him two front row tickets in Section 107 because he couldn’t attend the game.
To further boost his fortunes, Freeman’s fourth World Series homer this year reached his section in the top of the first inning.
The ball bounced around several spectators before Cline got the final grip after eliminating others. Speaking to the New York Post, he revealed that a Yankees victory was more valuable than the ball.
Kline also noted the two Yankee fans who were ejected after trying to wrestle a ball out of Mookie Betts’ hand shortly after the Dodgers advanced.
“It almost looks like a football rum,” Kline said. ‘Everyone tries to pull the ball out of your hands, like you saw with Mookie a few minutes later. That’s what it felt like: everyone grabbed the ball. At that moment I didn’t realize the why or the meaning, but I stood my ground and had the ball.’
Two Yankees fans were later ejected after trying to grab a ball from Mookie Betts’ glove
The Yankees went from trailing 2-0 to an 11-4 victory, forcing a Game 5 on Wednesday
Anthony Volpe’s inspiring performance took the Yankees, who were on the brink of a sweep, to the next level
Kline claimed that Freeman’s home run felt like a “punch in the gut” that knocked Yankee Stadium into the air. As a result, he decided to inspire the New York crowd by showing how little value the ball had to him.
Jorge Soler’s Game 6 home run ball for the Braves in the 2021 title win sold for $70,000. Earlier this season, Shohei Ohtani’s homer, which made him the first member of the 50-50 club, sold for $4.392 million.
The specific amount Kline could have collected for the ball remains unknown, and it doesn’t matter after his decision. However, some around Kline suggested he could have made at least $1 million.
“Pure instinct was that it wasn’t about the money,” Kline said. “This is about our team, our city. You sit in the stands, you have to be part of the stands and that is the energy of New York City at its best.”
The Yankees and Dodgers return to the Bronx for Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night.