Hi all,
Please pardon the immense wall of text but I wanted to share my newest addition to my collection and it’s an item that’s been years in the making…
I’ve always had an affinity towards game used gear, after all no other memorabilia puts you closer to the game or your favorite athletes. For me it’s pretty unique. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy cards, tickets, programs etc. but an item that was at a game and used during said game is pretty neat and at times can be historic. As a history major, the history/artifact aspect is something I enjoy as well. For me, the baseball cap is synonymous with the game itself and it’s my favorite part of a uniform. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been asking Major League ball players and teams for a game used cap after a game or the end of a season. It’s fun to see what the possibilities are, who knows, someone might say sure, that’s how I’ve gotten other gear before and the worst a player could say is no. That’s been my track record, whenever I ask, the answer is always no. I’ve always kept a game used MLB cap at the top of my list of “collecting goals” a cornerstone item if you will.
Once I found eBay as a kid, it made that search a whole lot easier but everything was out of my range as a kid without a ton to spend and nothing really grabbed my attention. I grew up with Griffey Jr. but his items have always been through the roof in terms of price and when I found caps of other guys I’ve enjoyed watching through the years, Montero, Mauer and Springer, it was never the right time to buy. However, I kept looking.
Over the last few seasons I’ve become a much more refined and open minded baseball fan. I followed guys from different teams and became more invested in my Astros, there were guys that I used to detest that I found now myself in awe of when I watched them play. One such guy was Zack Greinke. I had loathed him as a Dodger and having lived in AZ and rooted for the Dbacks while living there, I became involved in that divisional distaste first hand. When Greinke pitched for LA, I was subscribed to the belief that he was cocky and rude, so when he came to AZ in 2016 it took me quite a while to warm up to him and when he was traded, this time to my beloved ‘Stros, I still wasn’t sold on him. That changed on September 25, 2019. Zack pitched a gem against Seattle, nearly throwing a no hitter. I loved the performance and was in awe of his pitch selection and mastery of control. As I took a harder look at Zack, I was excited with what I saw. Later that year during the postseason, I learned of his battles with anxiety and depression and further refined my view of Zack and understanding of him as I was reminded never to judge a book by it’s cover. I was now, believe it or not, a fan of #21! Then came 2020.
After silently struggling for a few years with what unbeknownst to me at the time was OCD which triggered anxiety, it was enhanced and mixed with fear and depression during the outbreak of COVID, I couldn’t take it anymore and finally confided to the closest person in my life, telling them what I was going through. Just telling someone made me feel like a weight had been lifted. I was able to get help and learn how to deal with what I was feeling and experiencing and although I still have days where I feel like it’s falling apart, most days are much better than they used to be. I have people around me who were accepting of what was going on inside of me and continue to help me every step of the way. I also remembered hearing about Zack and his struggles during the 2019 ALCS against the Yankees and suddenly he was the most relatable athlete on the diamond. If I had just turned the corner during his performance against the M’s, I was a full on fan now and although being a hero and an inspiration is probably the exact opposite of what Zack is trying to do, that’s exactly what he became to me.
Having read the above, I’m sure you can imagine my excitement as a collector and a fan of Zack’s, when I tracked down a lead on the game used cap worn by Zack on Mother’s Day last season against the Blue Jays on May 9th. The hat was MLB authenticated and came directly from the Houston Astros. This. Was. Huge. I’ve always been a big fan of what the MLB Authentication Program provides for collectors and in my search for a game used hat I added a personal stipulation that I wanted the piece to be authenticated. Plus this wasn’t a random hat, worn on a random day, it was one of the special celebratory hats with the pink logo and ribbon in honor of all the Mom’s out there. This was extra special because my earliest baseball memories go back to my Mom and why I’m an Astros fan. She’s the most important person in my life and is the one person I can always connect with the sport I love. So it was Zack’s game worn hat celebrating Mother’s Day, celebrating my Mom. Needless to say I was over the moon. One last aspect was the fact that Zack was the starting pitcher that day. As is too often with special caps worn by Major League clubs, you rarely have the opportunity to find one from a big name pitcher that was worn by them on the mound rather than in the dugout. With a five man rotation, it make it tough for your guy’s start and a special holiday to intersect, not impossible but tough. Couple that with the fact that caps used for entire seasons are rarely offered, that Zack took the mound while wearing this hat is extraordinary to me! Although he would end up with a no decision, the Astros would go on to win 7-4 with Zack only going 4 innings, giving up 9 hits and 4 runs. He did however, record four strikeouts and numbers 2721-2724 on his career. At the end of the year as we know, the ‘Stros went on to capture yet another AL pennant and have a thrilling postseason run, in part thanks to Zack. Although he struggled in the later half of the year with injuries, he did what he needed to do when his team needed it from him most.
After a couple months of debating and negotiating, I was able to add this piece to my collection. It is an extremely awesome piece and encompasses a lot of what makes baseball special to me.
So here’s my tip of the cap to one of the greatest pitchers of his era! Thanks for reading and enjoy!
