An Interview With The Man Who Caught A-Rod’s 3000th Hit, Zack Hample

Favorite and Least Favorite Stadiums

Patrick Hennessy: Out of all of the major league stadiums you have attended, do you have a favorite/least favorite?

Zack Hample: Umm, Camden Yards is my favorite stadium of all time and I also love Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. My least favorite… let’s just say the one I find most difficult right now is Citi Field. There are places where I might snag fewer baseballs per game but there’s more room to maneuver and security is not as hard.

There are just a lot of rules at Citi Field and the configuration is very difficult for what I do. I used to love Citi Field a number of years ago when the Stadium opened even earlier and the crowds weren’t as big and security wasn’t as mean to me but you know, things change over time so there may come a day where I love Citi Field again and some other place gives me problems but yea Camden Yards would be the one I’d most want to go to now and Citi Field would probably be at the bottom of my list.

Patrick Hennessy: Now, many people, especially Yankee fans, were introduced to you when you caught Arod’s 3000th hit, when you were walking into the stadium that day how good did you think your odds were?

Zack Hample: I thought there was a chance but not a very good chance. I would have worn a better shirt for starters if I really thought I was gonna catch the ball. I was just wearing a kinda faded U2 t-shirt and I’m not even really a U2 fan, I just grabbed that shirt and threw it on. I would have not said some stupid things the day before, I would have dressed a little better, I would’ve maybe prepared what to say better to the media when I was swarmed by reporters and again I said some stupid things.

So, yeah I definitely thought there was a chance. I was leaving work at my family’s book store and the last thing I said before I left for the stadium was I basically told my mom A-Rod had 2,999 hits and I was just basically like if he happens to hit a home run and if I happen to get that ball it would be life changing and she just jokingly made some praying gesture and I walked out the door. Just a few hours after that I was holding the ball in my hand, it was just really incredible.