New York Yankees

Famous ballhawk says a fan assaulted him at Yankee Stadium

Published Jul. 23, 2015 9:03 a.m. ET

Brett Smiley

Zack Hample, a baseball ballhawk who caught Alex Rodriguez's 3,000th hit ball on June 20 (a home run), claimed that a large "20-something-ish" man went rogue when Gonzalez, according to Hample, attempted to throw a ball his way during batting practice.

Hample posted his account of what unfolded on Twitter and shared photos of his neck, which appears to be lacerated and bruised:

The Yankees statement regarding the incident, as one would expect, offers a much more innocuous version of the confrontation:

Unfortunately the answer to "Have you ever gotten into a fight for a ball?" is now yes. I was flat-out assaulted. pic.twitter.com/MADnmIiTBy
— Zack Hample (@zack_hample) July 22, 2015

I'm scraped up in various places. The @Yankees Stadium medical staff says these are fingernail scratches: pic.twitter.com/EqO773iZj1
— Zack Hample (@zack_hample) July 22, 2015

A collector who also wrote "How to Snag Major League Baseballs," Hample later disputed the "no punches were thrown" characterization:

Hample didn't say what he was attempting to eat for dinner. But maybe all is well that ends well, as Hample still managed to do what he does and catch a home run ball. Here he is with the Orioles' Ryan Flaherty's shot in the third inning, followed by video of the play.

Well, I might've had some pre-game "issues," but I caught Ryan Flaherty's 3rd-inning homer. Take THAT, universe!! pic.twitter.com/MEe2CCCxVS
— Zack Hample (@zack_hample) July 23, 2015