Pirates bullpen makes deal, hands over signed bat in swap for rookie outfielder's first HR ball

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TORONTO (AP) — What's the cost of a milestone home run ball? In this case, one signed bat from the rookie who hit the blast, and one official cap.

After Pittsburgh Pirates rookie outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez hit his first career home run in Sunday's 4-1 win at Toronto, his teammates in the bullpen went to work to get the ball back for him.

Valdez was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday and had gone 0 for 7 with five strikeouts before his two-run blast off Chase Lee in the sixth inning. The 345-foot drive landed in a standing-room section beyond the right field wall, where a fence separates fans from the visitor's bullpen.

The ball ended up in the hands of a young fan, who was soon in negotiations with Pirates reliever Justin Lawrence. As talks progressed, the Pirates righty used hand signals to request a signed bat from the dugout.

Valdez signed a bat and reliever Dennis Santana brought it out to the bullpen, then leaned around the fence to make the exchange.

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