Angels fan who caught Albert Pujols' 600th home run gives ball back for free

The future Hall of Famer was reunited with the memento by a fan at no charge.

Only nine men have ever hit 600 or more career home runs in MLB history, and on Saturday night, Angels slugger Albert Pujols became the newest member of that club when he took Twins starter Ervin Santana deep for a grand slam in Anaheim. Ordinarily, a piece of history like the ball that Pujols hit for No. 600 makes its way back to the man who hit it, albeit for a price. Not so, however, for Pujols, who was reunited with the memento for the price of absolutely zero.

That's because the fan who caught it, a 23-year-old Angels fan named Scott Steffel, gave it back to Pujols for nothing in exchange. "It’s not my ball, it’s his," he told CBS Los Angeles. "He deserves it."

History in Anaheim with the Twins. This is Scott Steffel who caught Pujols #600. His life might a bit different for the next few day$. pic.twitter.com/w0kReSI40n

— Chris Withers (@ChrisWithersTV) June 4, 2017

Steffel, a student at Cal-State Fullerton, ended up in a scrum for the ball after snagging it with his glove in the leftfield stands. After getting pulled out of the pile, Steffel made the rounds as the man holding a piece of history, even ending up on the Angels' broadcast.

Steffel didn't go home empty-handed, though. After the game, he got a chance to meet Pujols and hand him the ball in person, earning a handshake and a long hug from one of the best hitters ever to play the game.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Albert Pujols! Cool move by fan who caught #Pujols600 to return ⚾ to @PujolsFive! @Angels @Alex_Curry @MLBonFOX pic.twitter.com/KqfHwCDubb

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) June 4, 2017

Not a lot of folks would pass up the chance to make some money off some history, but while Steffel may have lost out on a bit of cash (or at least some autographed stuff), it looks like he still came out ahead.