Mike Shuster took his seat above the Green Monster at Fenway Park last Friday night understanding he could be directly in the line of fire for one of the most controversial and historic pieces of memorabilia in baseball history.
Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez was sitting on 659 home runs, one shy of tying Willie Mays for fourth most of all-time. Even though A-Rod had gone hitless in his previous game and wasn't in the starting lineup Friday night, Shuster knew the chance was there for a pinch-hitting appearance late in the game.
And that's exactly what happened.
Rodriguez stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and deposited a 3-0 pitch from Junichi Tazawa over The Monster in left. The line shot was hit directly to Shuster, who was wearing thin gloves to stay warm on a chilly night in Boston.
"I caught it clean," said Shuster as he visited the FOX25 studios Tuesday afternoon.
Now in possession of a controversial, yet significant keepsake, Shuster is debating what to do next. He talked with me about his night at the ballpark, how his life has changed in the five days since and what sort of advice he's received from people who know more about memorabilia than he does.
Watch the entire interview in the player above and let us know what you think Mike should do with the ball.
