DETROIT (WXYZ) — Tigers fan Ely Hydes says he plans to give Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols homerun baseball to the Hall of Fame "if they want it."
Initially, Hydes refused to give back the ball after Tigers security tried to offer him free paraphernalia in exchange.
UPDATE: Hydes says he plans to give the ball to the Hall of Fame if they want it. @PujolsFive said after Thursday’s game that he was cool with Hydes keeping it. Hydes tells me it would be “a gift from the Hydes family and the people of Detroit” to the HOF @wxyzdetroit ⬇️ https://t.co/CAE0XoVxIQ
— Jenn Schanz (@JennSchanzWXYZ) May 11, 2019
“I was surprised. And we had security sitting by us and we heard them say ‘he’s not giving it up’ over the radio,” said Tigers’ fan Jessica Burley, who was at Thursday’s game.
The 33-year-old law student living in Detroit did offer to give the ball to Pujols, but the first baseman insisted he was okay with the fan keeping the home run ball that marked his 2,000th career RBI.
Hydes told 7 Action News reporter Jen Schanz he owed Pujols "the respect and courtesy to give him the first shot at it." He said the ball would be a gift to the Hall of Fame “donated in the name of Cyrus Arlo Maloney and the people of Detroit.
Cyrus was his young son who passed away recently and loved baseball.
Pujols reached the milestone on a solo home run in the 3rd inning of the Angels' 13-0 win over the Tigers on Thursday.
