Patrick Hayashi, left, and Alex Popov hold Barry Bonds' record-setting 73rd home run during a press conference at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco, Tuesday, May 27, 2003. Both men claimed ownership of the ball.
Oct. 7, 2001
The San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds set a new record for most single-season home runs on the last day of the 2001 season in San Francisco’s PacBell Park when he hit his 73rd. Two fans claimed ownership of the ball — Alex Popov, who gloved the ball for an instant, and Patrick Hayashi, who ended up with the ball. The ownership battled went to court and lasted 14 months until a judge ruled they would sell the ball and split the profit. It sold for $517,500 to comic book artist Todd McFarlane, who collects baseball memorabilia. He also has Sammy Sosa’s 33rd, 61st and 66th home-run balls, and Mark McGwire’s first, 63rd, 67th, 68th, 69th and 70th.