The Game 7 home run ball that sent the Toronto Blue Jays to their first World Series in 32 years is up for auction. The Blue Jays hosted the Seattle Mariners on Oct. 20 in the American League Championship Series finale after clawing back from a two-game deficit. After tying the game in the first inning, it appeared all hope was lost as the Mariners took a 3-1 lead, which they held for most of the game. Cue George Springer. With runners on the corners, the designated hitter launched a 96 m/h go-ahead bomb into left centre field. The ball travelled 381 feet to Jays fan Michael Angeletti. “I kind of blacked out for about four seconds in the moment,” Angeletti told CTV News after the game. The homer blew the lid off a frenzied Rogers Centre and the 4-3 victory sent the Blue Jays to the Fall Classic for the firs time since 1993. While the World Series didn’t go Toronto’s way (a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7), the ball itself represents one of the biggest moments in the city’s sports history. “The baseball exhibits extensive wear, with white leather scuffing and surface abrasions throughout,” a description of the item, published by auction host Goldin, reads. Bidding starts at US$10,000. The ball also comes with a provenance attesting to Angeletti’s catch. The auction ends on Dec. 13. This marks the second baseball from an electrifying moment in the Jays’ post-season run that has gone up for auction. Sotheby’s is auctioning off the ball from Addison Barger’s pinch-hit grand slam—the first ever in World Series history—in Game 1 against the Dodgers.
