25 Infamous Baseball Items We Wish Would End Up on eBay

Owning a piece of baseball history is something that almost every MLB fan would love to do. Some of these pieces of memorabilia are almost impossible for fans to get their hands on, however.

Milestone home run balls are amongst the most popular items when they become available. However, there are a number of items from infamous moments in MLB history that would draw a lot of attention if they were to ever hit the market.

Items from infamous moments could have significant value, and they could also be great pieces to round out any fan's collection.

Curt Schilling's Bloody Sock

After losing the first three games of the 2004 ALCS, the Boston Red Sox were going to need a miracle to reach the World Series. They won the next two games and then turned to Curt Schilling, who had ruptured his tendon sheath earlier in the series, to keep them alive in Game 6 (h/t Baseball-Reference).

Schilling famously pitched a gem and helped the Red Sox force a Game 7. Throughout this gutsy performance, Schilling's sock became stained with blood as a result of the sutures that were used to keep his tendon in place. 

Boston once again turned to Schilling in the World Series, and his sock once again became bloodied. This sock has gone to the Baseball Hall of Fame (h/t Associated Press via NBC Sports).

George Brett's Pine-Tar Bat

On July 24, 1983, George Brett hit a go-ahead home run in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees. The Kansas City Royals' lead was short-lived as Yankees manager Billy Martin went to the ump and challenged the amount of pine tar on Brett's bat.

Umpire Tim McClelland measured the amount of pine tar and found that it was against league rules. Brett was subsequently called out and then went berserk. The Royals appealed and the ruling was eventually overturned. The home run counted and the game was replayed from that point.

As for the bat, it is now in Cooperstown. It was given to Gaylord Perry to hide during the game, and it eventually made its way back to Brett before he sold it. He then had a change of heart and thought that it belonged in the Hall of Fame, so he purchased it back from the collector he sold it to (h/t Tyler Kepner of The New York Times).

Jeffrey Maier Ball

With the Baltimore Orioles up by one run in the eight inning of Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS, Derek Jeter hit a ball to right field. Orioles outfield Tony Tarasco ran to the fence and got under the ball and prepared to catch it.

As Tarasco went to grab the ball, he was beat to it by 12-year old New York Yankees fan Jeffrey Maier. The play was ruled a home run, and it allowed the Yankees to tie the game and they would eventually go on to win it. This would help the Yankees set the tone of the series.

Pete Rose Betting Slip

Pete Rose may be one of the best hitters in baseball history, but his gambling has prevented him from reaching the Hall of Fame. While Rose initially denied betting on baseball, he has since come clean and admitted to betting on the Cincinnati Reds when he was managing them (h/t ESPN).

Adding one of Rose's betting slips would be an interesting addition to any collection. It would certainly serve as an attention grabber.

Barry Bonds Jars of "The Cream" and "The Clear"

There is one player that stands out as the face of the steroid era. It seemed as if Barry Bonds was public enemy number one when it came to steroids in baseball. Bonds was the most dominant player in the majors during the early 2000s, and he was also tied to the BALCO situation.

Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Bonds told a grand jury that he had used both "the cream" and "the clear" when he was tearing the cover off the ball in 2003.

While these are certainly odd items to have in a collection, they are an important part of baseball history; and there are people that would certainly want to display them.

Records from Disco Demolition Night

Disco Demolition Night was both one of the best and one of the worst promotions in baseball history. More than 90,000 fans had attempted to come to the Chicago White Sox games when the promotion was being held on July 12, 1979 (h/t Real Clear History).

In between games of the doubleheader, the team had a local DJ blow up a box of records. Shortly after this, the crowd rushed the field and caused a riot.

While it would be hard to find any records and verify that they were actually from that night, being able to purchase one would allow someone to own an infamous piece of White Sox history.

White Sox Shorts

Professional baseball players should not wear shorts. They are fine for a men's softball league, but they do not belong on a major league diamond.

The Chicago White Sox tried wearing a uniform with shorts in 1976 and they were not well received. These uniforms were only worn twice by the White Sox before being retired.

Bill Buckner Baseball

There are many New York Mets fans who would seemingly do almost anything for the opportunity to own the baseball that got through Billy Buckner's legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. This was one of the biggest moments in team history, and it is certainly one of the most memorable.

When the ball got past Buckner, it not only gave the Mets the win, but it also gave them the momentum that would carry them to a victory in Game 7.

Steve Bartman's Walkman

No one can get their hands on the Steve Bartman ball since it was destroyed in 2004 (h/t Associated Press via ESPN). There are other pieces of memorabilia from this infamous moment that would be interesting to own.

When Bartman grabbed the ball, he was wearing a set of headphones and listening to a Walkman. The Walkman is likely the most memorable piece of memorabilia left from the event.

The Flag Saved by Rick Monday

Rick Monday may have been an outfielder, but he had one of the best saves in baseball history when two hooligans decided that they wanted to burn a flag on the field at Dodger Stadium in 1976.

When the man and his son went to light the flag on fire, Monday swooped in and grabbed it away from them. It seems unlikely that a baseball fan would be able to buy the flag since Monday has turned down a number of big offers for it in the past (h/t Joe Resnick of the Washington Post).

The Bat Roger Clemens Threw at Mike Piazza

Tensions were higher than usual when the New York Mets and New York Yankees met in the 2000 World Series. Roger Clemens had drilled Mike Piazza with a pitcher earlier in the season, and that moment certainly created some additional friction between the teams.

Clemens took the mound for Game 2 of the World Series that year, and fans waited for his inevitable matchup with Piazza. During his first at-bat, Piazza made contact with a Clemens' fastball and broke his bat.

The shard went towards Clemens who then picked it up and threw it towards Piazza as he was running to first base.

Juan Marichal's Bat

Throwing pitches up and in is part of the game, and it often leads to retaliation from the opposing team. For teams in the National League, it could mean that pitchers deal with some chin music when it is their turn to come to the plate.

This is exactly what happened in 1965 in a matchup between the rival San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers. Juan Marichal had been pitching inside, and Dodgers catcher Johnny Roseboro decided to throw balls back right near the side of Marichal's head.

Marichal then turned around and started jawing at Roseboro. When Roseboro took off his helmet, Marichal hit him in the head with his bat.

Jose Canseco's Cap

Jose Canseco has certainly had an interesting baseball career, and one its most memorable moments came when he was playing for the Texas Rangers.

As Canseco was ranging back to catch a fly ball, he jumped to try and catch it. He famously missed the ball with his glove and saw it bounce off his head and over the fence for a home run.

The cap has already been put on sale, so it is conceivable that it could come up on the auction block again (h/t Anthony Andro of FS Southwest).

A Charlie Finley Orange Baseball

Former Oakland Athletics owner Charlie Finley was known for begin a bit eccentric, and he came up with a few ideas of how he thought he could improve the game of baseball.

One of these ideas was by having an orange baseball. It was only used in one exhibition game before it was banned (h/t KeyMan Collectibles).

This may be one of the easiest collectibles on this list to get a hand on, and these balls have been valued at $100-$200 (h/t KeyMan Collectibles).

Charlie Finley's Mechanical Rabbit

The orange baseball was not the only innovation that Charlie Finley tried to bring to the MLB. Finley used a mechanical rabbit which would pop up behind home to deliver new baseballs to an umpire (h/t Rex Lardner of Sports Illustrated).

It is certainly one of the more unique pieces of baseball memorabilia out there, and it is certainly a reminder of how much fun baseball can be.

Eddie Gaedel's Uniform

Baseball owners are always looking for ways to put fans in the seats as well as ways to help the team win. Bill Veeck of the St. Louis Browns was able to accomplish both of these things by signing Eddie Gaedel.

Gaedel stood 3'7" tall and came to the plate wearing a jersey with the No. 1/8 for one appearance. He watched four pitches go by and then proceeded to first base with a walk. Gaedel ended his career with a perfect 1.000 on-base percentage.

This uniform is arguably one of the cooler pieces of memorabilia from baseball history.

Placards from Grandstand Manager’s Day

Shortly after Bill Veeck signed Eddie Gaedel to play in a game for the St. Louis Browns, he pulled off another stunt. This time he decided that he was going to let the fans get involved.

During Grandstand Manager's Day, fans were given placards with the words yes or no and were told to hold them up to make a number of decisions for the team (h/t Nick Acocella of ESPN). Surprisingly, the Browns won this game.

A Sign from Ten-Cent Beer Night

The Cleveland Indians were expecting to draw a big crowd when they hosted ten-cent beer night, and that is exactly what they got. Fans filled the stadium and purchased a lot of the cheap beer.

As the game went on and the Indians fell behind to the Texas Rangers, the crowd got very rowdy. In the ninth inning, there was a riot.

A great souvenir from this infamous event is a piece of signage. It would go perfectly in almost any man cave.

Shoeless Joe Jackson's 1919 World Series Uniform

There is likely no event in baseball history that is more infamous than the 1919 World Series. Eight players from the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the World Series.

Shoeless Joe Jackson was the biggest star on the White Sox, and he put up a .375/.394/.563 line during the World Series. However, Jackson was accused of being in on the fix, and he was eventually banned from the MLB.

A jersey that Jackson wore during the 1919 World Series would be almost invaluable, and only a very serious collector would be able to afford to purchase it.

Sales Agreement from Babe Ruth Trade

The Babe Ruth trade is remembered as one of the most one-sided trades in baseball history, and it helped the New York Yankees create a dynasty. Ruth was sold for $100,000, and he was one of he best players ever to step on a baseball diamond.

The documentation of that trade was sold for just under $1 million in a 2005 auction (h/t Shadi Rahimi of The New York Times). This amazing piece of baseball history may not be available again for a long time, but it would be the pièce de résistance of any collection.

Gaylord Perry's Vaseline

During his 22-year career in the major leagues, Gaylord Perry was known for throwing a spitball even though the pitch had been outlawed. The Hall of Famer was not caught doing this until the end of his career.

Perry was known for putting a number of different substances on the ball, but he often used Vaseline (h/t Jack Curry of The New York Times). In fact, Perry even tried to get an endorsement with Vaseline, but they rebuffed his offer (h/t Daniel Orkent and Harris Lewine of The Ultimate Baseball Book via Baseball's Greatest Quotations).

Joe Niekro Nail File

If a pitcher can get a nick in the baseball, they can get the ball to have additional movement. For a knuckleball pitcher, this can make a huge difference.

In 1987, umpire Steve Palermo went to check to see if Joe Niekro had been doctoring the ball. When Palermo asked Niekro to show him what was in his pockets, Niekro put both hands in them and then put them up in the air showing that there was nothing there. What Niekro really did was throw a nail file away and hope that Palermo didn't see it.

This small piece of memorabilia would be a great conversation starter in a serious baseball collection.

Albert Belle's Corked Bat

Albert Belle had been using a corked bat during his career to make his bat lighter. During a game in 1994, Belle had his bat taken away to be investigated to see if it had been corked (h/t Robert Thomas Jr. of The New York Times). 

During the game, Jason Grimsley tried to sneak into the umpire's locker room to steal the bat and replace it with an uncorked one. While he was successful, the umpires noticed the bat was not the same, and a former FBI agent was brought in to lead the investigation (h/t Jerome Holtzman of the Chicago Tribune).

Sammy Sosa's Corked Bat

During a game in 2003, Sammy Sosa swung at a pitch and broke his bat. The umpires looked at the bat, and they determined that there had indeed been a cork in it.

Sosa claimed that it was a bat that he only used during batting practice and that he mistakenly grabbed it when he went to the plate (h/t Associated Press via Sports Illustrated). As a result of the incident, Sosa was suspended for eight games (h/t Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune).

A Super Ball from Graig Nettles' Bat

Imagine a scene where a player breaks a bat and then all of a sudden Super Balls are bouncing all over the place. That is exactly what happened with Graig Nettles in 1974.

When his bat broke against the Detroit Tigers and the Super Balls came out, Tigers catcher Bill Freehan went to collect the evidence (h/t ESPN). Nettles claimed that a fan had given him the bat and that he did not know it was corked (h/t ESPN).