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Permalink Reply by Mike Kaminski on October 8, 2018 at 11:09am

I'm not sure of the signature but based on the ball, it was not a MLB game unfortunately. The Southern League is the league for AA baseball.

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Permalink Reply by Jay on October 8, 2018 at 7:25pm

Maybe that is why they were using 2 different types of balls... this is a foul ball I caught in the exact same game, prior to the homer.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Kaminski on October 8, 2018 at 8:00pm

Hi, yes - that is a not a ball used in Major League Baseball games to my knowledge. Could it have been a minor league game that you attended? I'm not sure about Atlanta's home park back then, but hitting a ball out of a stadium is pretty uncommon.

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Permalink Reply by Jay on October 9, 2018 at 12:02am

Yea it was a long one! On the way back from retrieving it, several others were just heading back there to find it... no parking lot, was grassy behind the wall. The 'dirt' there is actually clay, so there's a red stain on the ball from where it landed.

I guess it could have been a minor league game... it was at the braves home field and people were into it, I learned to do the 'chop' there :)
Definitely wasn't a park, it was in a stadium.

So in 1990 they used a standard ball for all MLB games?

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Permalink Reply by TradeGeek on October 9, 2018 at 2:29pm

Any ball used by the Braves at the time would have been a Rawlings William White National League ball. The Southern league ball would have only been used at a Southern League game or during minor league spring training (Florida). There was a Southern League team in Columbus GA at the time (the Mudcats, previously the Astros). They played in Golden Park in Columbus up until 1991. I would guess that was where the ball originated. Either way, it wouldn't have been used in a major league game. 

The second ball is a Diamond D1. They were, and still are, used in various amateur baseball leagues. But they are very common in Pony, Babe Ruth league and American Legion organizations. But a D1 ball also wouldn't have been used in either a MLB or minor league game. 

Are you sure you were in Fulton County Stadium? The way it was constructed I don't believe there was ever a ball hit completely out. It would have to clear the shade structure, which would be nearly impossible. The closest minor league park at the time was Golden field in Columbus. That more closely matches your description. 

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Permalink Reply by Jay on October 9, 2018 at 10:32pm

Thanks!
That is some great info! I for some reason have always had Astros in my mind along with Blue Jays. Columbus GA is alot farther south than I think we were, but I really have no idea where in GA it was.

The signature looks to me like a first name of Miles, possibly last of Gill.
I searched through all MLB rosters of Braves & Blue Jays between 1988-1995 but found nobody with the initials M.G.
I'll see what I can find for minor league mudcats/astros.

I remember we were about 10 rows up off of 3rd base, cement stepping style with plastic seats, there were no stands behind outfield, just a wall.
Was a night game. I know we were close to the entrance/exit cause I was on that homer like a bloodhound.... of course there could have been many exits.
Boy its hard trying to remember details from 28ish years ago!

Thanks for the help! I think we're getting close!
:D

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