The Queens man who managed to snag Barry Bonds’ record-breaking home-run ball plans to auction the precious cowhide on the Internet.
At a news conference yesterday in a restaurant opposite AT&T Park in San Francisco, Matt Murphy, 21, announced he’s going to sell Bonds’ 756th home run ball in an online auction running from Aug. 28 to Sept. 15.
The auction will be run by Sotheby’s/SCP auctions, a memorabilia house that sold Bonds’ 700th and 715th home run balls.
The 700th homer ball sold for $102,000 in June 2005. The 715th ball, which put the San Francisco Giants slugger past Babe Ruth, brought in $220,100 in August 2006.
“We think this is a half-million-dollar baseball,” said SCP president David Kohler, pointing to the 756th homer ball.
Murphy, a college grad from Elmhurst, managed to grab the ball, which broke Hank Aaron’s record, at AT&T Park Aug. 7 during a layover for a trip to Australia.
He said he couldn’t afford to donate the ball to the Hall of Fame.
“I’m not in the position to do that,” he said, adding, “I hope whoever does buy the ball lends it or gives it to the Hall, because that’s where it belongs.
“It was simple math, but I was upset by the decision I had to make.”