The Fan Who Caught Albert Pujols 703rd Home Run Ball Made A Major Mistake

I don't want to say I told you so, but I told you so.

OutKick carefully documented the story of Bryant Junco, the fan who has Aaron Judge's 59th home run ball. One of the biggest takeaways from the piece:

MLB won't authenticate memorabilia once it leaves the stadium.

We now find out that the St. Louis Cardinals fan who has Albert Pujol's 703rd home run ball -- the last of the slugger's baseball career -- is in a similar plight.

REWIND BACK TO AARON JUDGE'S 59TH BALL

Junco bought the ball on site when the person who caught it, Brewers fan Peter Sierra, refused MLB's offer of trading the ball for 4 autographed Aaron Judge hats and balls.

But because Junco didn't get the ball authenticated on the spot, he has been stuck with a baseball that MLB won't authenticate.

He shared photos with OutKick of Judge's 59th home-run ball where one can see the black light numbers on it.

Aaron Judge’s alleged 59th home-run ball is seen here under a black light. OutKick digitally added black marks to stop counterfeits. The numbers “6” or “9” are visible under a black light. (Photo by Bryant Junco)

THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO READ OUTKICK

Fast forward to a colossal failure by a Cardinals fan who has Pujols' 703rd home-run ball.

The ball is estimated to be worth $250K. But NOT if you leave the stadium without having MLB authenticate it.

This Cardinals fan now finds himself in the same spot as Junco. One can't get a ball authenticated by MLB after leaving the stadium.

Junco's journey shows us, the fan may now be stuck with a ball on the mantle, and not a nice paycheck.