Chicago Cubs rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong took care of two major-league milestones in one at-bat Thursday.
The top prospect launched a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth inning of the Cubs' 3-1 victory over the Astros, recording his first major-league hit and first home run on the same swing.
The historic baseball landed in the bare hands of 18-year-old Derek Mitchell, who was sitting in Wrigley Field's right-field bleachers among 200 or so students celebrating senior skip day from New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois.
“It looked like it was drifting like five feet to my right … then it just comes like right in my face,” said Mitchell, who caught the historic ball off the fly, securing it with two hands, "unobstructed" by competing fans.
Quickly, a security guard called over to Mitchell.
“He just asked me [my] name, my age, and if I’d be willing to trade the ball,” Mitchell said.
The guard told Mitchell to hold on to the ball until after the game and that he could bring three people with him to the Cubs clubhouse to make an exchange for the baseball. Mitchell agreed to do so.
To Mitchell’s surprise, the guard allowed him to return to his seat, where he watched the remainder of the game, ball in hand.
After the game, Mitchell and his friends made a game plan, ranking the items that he should ask for in return. Topping the list? The game bat used for the home run.
“We go down there to the clubhouse, and he’s there, already holding the bat,” Mitchell said of Crow-Armstrong. “I asked him before we made the trade: ‘Is that the bat you hit it with?’”
Crow-Armstrong told him no, but that he would go get it for him, according to Mitchell. He returned with a new bat, which the outfielder gave to Mitchell, completing the trade.
— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) April 26, 2024
Later, Crow-Armstrong described the exchange for reporters, saying, "There (were) four guys who came in and brought it down. (They) couldn't have been too much younger than me. We had a nice, little chat. They were very nice to bring it down. I told him that it meant a lot, and they understood. So, I appreciate it."
When asked about the exchange of items, Crow-Armstrong said, "We traded the bat for the ball. So, I thought it was fair enough."
The question, however, is which "bat" was traded for the ball.
Mitchell says when he later saw videos of the home run on social media, he noticed a discrepancy in the bat he received and the one in the highlights.
“It’s got pine tar all over it,” Mitchell said describing the bat he left the clubhouse with. “But the one he used throughout the game is, like, straight out of the box.”
cllct spoke to a Cubs team official who said he spoke to Crow-Armstrong to get his version of events. The rookie had a different account of the exchange, telling the team official he didn't hear the fan specifically ask for the bat used for his first MLB hit.
That bat is with Crow-Armstrong this weekend in Boston. "He wants to keep using it," the official said.
Now realizing he does not have the game bat, Mitchell says he feels misled.
“I understand that it’s a huge piece,” Mitchell said, referencing the significance of the game bat to Crow-Armstrong. “But my only gripe is ‘why don’t you just say no?’”
Despite the massive value discrepancy between the two bats, Mitchell says it’s not about the money.
“Even if it's like the gum wrapper he used in the fifth inning, then that's still cool. It’s still connected to the moment. ... But, you know, the bat that I have is probably like a batting practice bat that's just some unconnected piece of memorabilia.”
Related story: MLB needs better system for fans who catch milestone baseballs
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectible market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.