ARLINGTON — In the moment, Jonah Heim understandably let it all go.
That included the World Series championship-clinching ball he caught for the final out from pitcher Josh Sborz on Nov. 1 at Chase Field in Phoenix.
Heim threw his glove, his mask, and inadvertently the ball as he and Sborz hugged in front of the mound. Just as their teammates were reaching them in the infield, Heim realized that he had accidentally thrown the ball. Immediately, Heim peeled off to retrieve the ball responsible for the Texas Rangers' first-ever World Series championship.
"You've only got one ball for the franchise's first World Series so we weren't going to let that ball get out of our sight," Heim said. "I kind of felt bad when I threw it up in the air, it kind of went flying, but good things happen when you're excited."
Heim didn't just want to make sure he found the ball for the team, but also for the fans, who had waited 52 years for a championship in Arlington.
"That ball means more than just a baseball, especially for this team and this city," he said.
It's unclear where the ball will be displayed. So far, it hasn't been announced that it will be among the items headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Some of the items already earmarked to the Hall of Fame are manager Bruce Bochy’s cap, Corey Seager's helmet, Adolis Garcia's Game 1 bat, and Sborz's glove.
Hopefully, the ball and other items will be on display in an area at Globe Life Field.
"It's just so cool how you see the city come together and to see how much you impact so many people who have been waiting for this," Bochy said.
He hopes the club's first World Series title helps build an already large fanbase.
"My hope is it just creates that much more interest and passion in baseball here," he said. "Not that they didn't have it, but when you have a lot of losing seasons it's difficult for the fans. So our job is to continue this winning. We don't want this city to go much longer without another one. It's up to us to play good baseball and continue that."
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