The only thing worth diving into trash for is a posteason home run ball
I remember once digging through the dumpster out back of a local pizza joint searching for a retainer that I folded up in a napkin and left behind. This is when I was 13 and my parents were standing over my shoulder, supervising my work. They probably derived some pleasure from seeing me pay for my mistake by getting covered in pizza grease and crusty cheese.
I'm not sure that retainer was worth an evening of sorting through refuse, but I'm sure there exist objects that would be. A postseason home run ball may be such an object. I still have my doubts, but a fan at Dodger Stadium Thursday night presumably did not. In the eighth inning, Gavin Lux hit a solo home run to right field that landed in a trash can behind the outfield wall and a fan didn't think twice -- he dove in after it.
These Dodgers fans came up with Gavin Lux’s first career postseason homer. They delivered the baseball in person and swapped it for some autographs. pic.twitter.com/nHURd08iHY
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) October 4, 2019
It turned out that Lux was also desirous of a baseball covered in garbage, as he gladly traded some non-trash-covered autographed balls. I'd call that a good trade. Maybe it even made diving in food waste worth it. Maybe.
As for Lux, if his trophy case develops a bit of an odor over the coming weeks, I think we can pretty safely pinpoint the offending item.
Eric Chesterton is a writer for MLB.com. He is an appreciator of the stolen base, the bunt against the shift and nearly every unconventional uniform design. He eagerly awaits Jamie Moyer's inevitable comeback.
