The First Cardinal Home Run Baseball From New Busch Stadium-Hit By Albert Pujols!

Auction: First Home Run Ball - New Busch Stadium

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First Home Run Ball - New Busch Stadium
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The First Cardinal Home Run Baseball From New Busch Stadium-Hit By Albert Pujols!

The St. Louis Cardinals are among the most storied and successful franchises in the history of professional baseball. Their rich history, including nine World Championships and a long list of Hall of Fame names, has earned them an ever-growing fan base whose dedication is rivaled only by their anticipation of each coming season. There was a brief time though that fortune did not shine upon them and as all teams do at one time or another, they did flounder. A brief misstep that coincided with financial difficulties that nearly forced the Birds to relocate. It was during a gray February in the winter of 1953 that a ray of hope in the form of August A. Busch, Jr. came to the rescue. The heir to the Anheuser-Busch fortune and a grand visionary purchased the Cardinals with plans of not only injecting life into his slumping hometown heroes but to rejuvenate the entire surrounding city of St. Louis. As a man of his word he did just that, by the mid-1950s he had persuaded the board of directors of Anheuser-Busch that if the team was to prosper and attract the fans necessary to support a major league franchise it would have to move to a new stadium and in 1964, with their backing and that of city officials, the ground was broken on the playing field that would eventually become the focal point of the redevelopment effort for the entire downtown area. Two short years later on May 12, 1966, Busch Stadium officially opened as the new home of the Cardinals. In a 12-inning inaugural, the Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Braves, 4-3. Forty years later, the city of St. Louis is thriving, hordes of residents and tourists alike fill the new office buildings, hotels, and shopping complexes while bustling crowds roam the streets in Cardinal red and white. All the while their home team has grown with them, four decades of fans have been entertained and awed inside the walls of Old Busch Stadium by the likes of Gibson, Brock, Cepeda, Carlton, and McGwire. Their talents and triumphs have gained the interest of fans from coast to coast and as a result have created a demand for a brand new, bigger park. With the opening of the New Busch Stadium on April 10, 2006 the latest chapter of this beloved organization has begun and while the names and faces may have changed, the story has remained the same. Just as the Birds of old relied on Sutter and Smith, the 21st Century Cardinals now fly high on the back of MVP and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. The smooth swinging first baseman has wrought havoc upon opposing pitchers since his arrival in 2001, demonstrating power to all fields and an exceptional eye for the ball. Considered by most as the best player in baseball today, he rarely disappoints and that Monday afternoon against the visiting Brewers would be no different. Facing Tomo Ohka in the bottom of the third inning, Pujols spotted his pitch, set his powerful hips in motion and sent the ball skyrocketing towards left-centerfield. Just at that same moment, lifetime fan Jeff Fetcher found himself far from the seats he originally purchased in Section 130 and wandering the left field bleachers in search of his older brother Joe. As the crack of the bat echoed through the park, all of those surrounding him rose from their seats with arms outstretched towards the sky. Jeff's eyes quickly focused on the white blur headed in his direction, and with every inch the ball would descend the excitement and tension grew within and around him. Finally, just when it seemed the ball would fall short of his reach and fall into the hands of the patron in front of him, fate intervened. The gentleman he stood behind just could not handle the speed at which the ball was traveling (who can blame him) and he bobbled the catch. The ball bounced to floor and rolled to the feet of an elated Fetcher, instinct took over and he pounced on it as the masses closed in around him. After a few moments of chaos he emerged from the bottom of the pack with the object of every living St. Louis fan's desire. The first ever home run ball hit at the New Busch Stadium by a Cardinal! Lelands is proud to offer to you this exquisite piece of baseball history. The Official Major League Baseball (Selig) is toned from handling acquired during play and boasts an "Inaugural Game-Busch Stadium-April 10, 2006" logo stamping found only on balls used that day. Most significant though is the darkened area that marks the point of contact on the side panel to the left of the sweet spot. Words alone cannot express the importance of such a piece and to only view the ball floods the imagination with images of the all-time Cardinal moments. This is truly one of the rare opportunities to own such a piece, one deserving and possibly destined to end up in the Hall of Fame. The ball is accompanied by a letter written by Jeff Fetcher that describes the day's events in his words along with a St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper article from the following day featuring Fetcher and a full description of the day's events.