Pieces of history
MLB probing whether umpires sold balls from Wells' perfect game
Posted: Friday August 21, 1998 05:32 PM
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Wells pitched the perfect game on May 17 against Minnesota David Seelig/Allsport |
NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Baseball is looking into the possible role of
AL umpires in selling baseballs used in David Wells'
perfect game to a memorabilia dealer.
Baseball's top security official, Kevin Hallinan, told The New York
Times in Friday's editions that the AL asked him to investigate, but he
did not provide details.
AL spokeswoman Phyllis Merhige confirmed the investigation to The
Associated Press.
A Long Island sports memorabilia dealer who said he bought 14 balls from
Wells' May 17 perfect game named Al Clark as the umpire directly involved
in the sale, the Times said.
Dealer Mark
Lewis said Clark gave him a letter authenticating the balls, which each
carried Wells' signature and a handwritten notation that it was used in the
game, the Times said.
Baseball's policy bars umpires from seeking autographs from players. In
this case, it was unclear who obtained the autographs for the balls.
Clark was not part of the umpiring crew that called the game at Yankee
Stadium. Lewis added that Clark's letter said he got the balls from John
Hirschbeck, the first-base umpire that day.
Hirschbeck denied he had any role in the sale of the balls, and also
questioned their authenticity. He also wondered why Clark would say he was
involved.
"I don't see how they can be legitimate," he told the Times. "I know
the ball bag never came to our locker room. They came to Wells."
Lewis, who was at Shea Stadium on Thursday and set to pay $10,000 for the
ball Mark
McGwire hit for his 50th home run, said Wells called him to ask about
the balls.
"He questioned whether the umpires got the balls from the ball bag because
he thought he received all the balls from the ball bag," Lewis told the
Times.
The ball bag in question had balls that were used in the game or rubbed up
for use in the game.
Hirschbeck said Tim McClelland, the plate umpire that day, had four balls
in his ball bag at the end of the game.
"David Wells signed those and Tim gave one to each of us," Hirschbeck said.
"I still have mine."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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