Zack Hample

He also caught the first career home runs of Mike Trout and Mike Nickeas, and Barry Bonds' 724th home run.

Zachary Ben Hample (born September 14, 1977) is an American baseball collector.

The first baseball that Hample caught at a game was at Shea Stadium in 1990.

Hample has described his interest in catching foul balls as "a passion".

He has said his obsession for catching balls developed "when I got my first ball, it’s like it multiplied from there. I wanted it so bad, not just one, I wanted another, and another and another."

His first book, How to Snag Major League Baseballs (1999), is about ballhawking.

His second book Watching Baseball Smarter (2007) is an introduction to the mechanics and rules of baseball, and was mostly well received by critics.

Craig Smith of The Seattle Times wrote that it "isn’t the first book to take on the challenge of explaining baseball intricacies, but I’ve never seen it done better".

Publishers Weekly called it "an invaluable resource for armchair fans".

In 2008, Hample caught the last Mets homerun hit at Shea Stadium.

In 2011, Hample published his third book, The Baseball: Stunts, Scandals, and Secrets Beneath the Stitches, which chronicles the history of baseballs.

Hample claims to have collected more than 12,000 baseballs from Major League stadiums, including Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th career hit and Mike Trout's first career home run.

Hample has been criticized by sportswriters, players, and fans, due to his aggressive tactics to collect baseballs.

Hample was raised in New York City.

He is the son of author, performer, playwright and cartoonist Stoo Hample.

He developed an interest in baseball at the age of five.

He played Division III baseball for the Guilford Quakers while studying English at Guilford College.

During his youth, Hample hoped to play Major League Baseball before he began collecting baseballs.

Hample caught his 6,000th baseball in 2012.

By 2022, he claimed to have caught 12,000 balls.

He developed a device for catching balls at stadiums made out of a baseball glove, rubber band and pen.

Hample claims to have developed friendships with current and former professional baseball players including Richard Bleier, Heath Bell, and Jeremy Guthrie.

Hample publishes videos about baseball and ballhawking on YouTube, where he had nearly 600,000 subscribers.

He hires his own videographers to document some of his ballhawking exploits.

Hample also operates a "concierge service", escorting fans to games and catching balls with them.

He charges fans $1500 for the experience, plus travel expenses.

On April 18, 2013, Hample caught two home run balls during a game at Yankee Stadium, including the first career homer of shortstop Didi Gregorius.

In June 2015, Hample caught Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th career hit, which was a home run.

Hample initially refused to return the ball on Twitter, saying Rodriguez "deserves nothing".

However, he eventually agreed to give the ball to Rodriguez as part of an agreement with the Yankees where the organization donated $150,000 to Pitch In For Baseball.

Hample also personally received an autographed jersey, two autographed bats, a VIP backstage tour of the stadium and tickets to the 2015 MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby as part of his deal.

In 2017, Topps created a controversial Zack Hample baseball card, which was included in the 2017 Topps Archives set.

In August 2022, Hample attempted to enter a prohibited section at Coors Field, which required a specific ticket for entry, to catch a Nolan Arenado home run ball.

After Hample refused to comply, a group of security guards told him he would be ejected if he did not remain seated.

Hample agreed, but complained about the "fan experience."

According to one Twitter user, a Rockies usher also claimed Hample had grabbed a ball dropped by a young fan and refused to return it.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman criticized Hample for the incident, calling him "a loser."

The Portland Pickles, a collegiate summer baseball team, announced that Hample was banned from attending games at Walker Stadium following the incident.

Hample later removed a video about the incident from his channel and posted an apology.

Hample has written several books about baseball, and previously wrote for MiLB.com.