Collecting Game-used: A ball with key names and a little extra

There’s a visual giveaway above ... but there’s still a story to tell.

We’re back to the standard game-used baseballs for this month’s installment in the Collecting Game-used series that has one little detail that makes this one stand out from many out there -- but it has nothing to do with the names or the plays attached.

Just like the others in this series, its life in the game -- this time just two pitches -- are immortalized in the MLB Film Room database of video clips but it’s a little different. All I knew when grabbing this one, though, was the day of the game -- so I knew the lineups of the teams battling it out at Citizens Bank Park but not much else.

You can keep reading to see the details and see the ball in action ...

THE BASICS ...
Game-used ball (MLB Authenticated): Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies, May 2, 2025 -- a City Connect gamer
Watch it in action: Right here or embedded below.

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The matchup: Diamondbacks OF Alek Thomas vs. Phillies SP Jesus Luzardo
The result: A called strike (bottom) and then a ground out to Nationals SS Trea Turner and caught by 1B Bryce Harper in the top of the second inning of a 3-2 win for Philly.

What's Buzz-worthy: I paid a bit more for this one than the standard mystery ball since it has the Phillies’ CC logo for 2025 stamped on it -- as it was for all baseballs used in the game. Why? Just for something different here, though with teams playing those games often during the season there isn’t really a reason to pay any kind of dramatic premium here. The Phillies wore their alternate unis for Friday home night games and this was third time last season. The ball ended up with a pair of All-Stars attached to it with the chopper up the middle that was fielded by Turner who threw it to Harper for the out, though there aren’t really any meaningful stats for any of them tied to this. It’s not my lone specialty ball, but I bit since the teams both have a number of hobby-relevant talents who might have popped up here among the batters -- remember it was a mystery-box grab -- and I think it’s OK given who is tied to this one. It also has some solid ink wear on it from contact with the bat and ground -- more than you see on a lot of baseballs.

>> See all past Collecting Game-used stories from Buzz here

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