Sometimes a blind buy of a game-used baseball can be cool ... as long as there's some MLB Authentication data involved

On the outside, the MLB game-used baseball you see here looks much like any other ball -- whether it was a home run, a pitch in the dirt or a foul ball.

What makes this ball unique and any other like it? That little hologram and its code, which unlocks its uniqueness. If you're a veteran collector, this is nothing new -- the MLB Authentication program has been around since 2001 helping get collectors as close to game as possible with items pulled straight from the field of play (or the players' backs) to be stickered and authenticated forever.

But one recent development of the last season or two is some added information about baseballs in particular -- specific play sequences including players involved, pitch speeds, pitch types and anything else of note -- and that makes even these somewhat-typical-looking baseballs a little more interesting.

This ball? I got it from a grab bag of sorts ... keep reading for the details.

This ball was thrown in the top of the second inning during a July 29 game last season between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. The pitcher? Rookie Sean Newcomb. The batter? Outfielder Odubel Herrera.

The first pitch of this ball's MLB-Authenticated life was a 76.7-mph curveball that missed the zone. The second pitch of this ball? A 95.4-mph four-seam fastball that Herrera whiffed on. Its final pitch? An 81.9-mph slider into the dirt, which was the reason it was pulled from play and then stickered right afterward.

All these details I didn't know and didn't expect when I opted to grab a Phillies game-used baseball in a somewhat blind fashion -- a ball for $39.95 where you could pick the date from last season but nothing else via Fanatics via, of all places ... JCPenney. (I did some research and opted for the Braves given their volume of rookies in the last couple years and their hot start this season.)

Newcomb is one of those players off to a strong start this year, so I consider the ball an interesting win for this blind-buy format. It's a ball from just his ninth career start, his fourth on the road, his first against the Phillies. He didn't get a decision in the game, which went 11 innings and was won by the home team, but he allowed just two hits, only one run, had four strikeouts and three walks in the game. Solid start, solid player (even better a rookie) means solid but cheap addition to the stash.

If you cross-check the info for the ball with the MLB box score and info online (screenshots below), you get more details beyond the Authentication report for this ball -- and some very minor variations in the speed data showing that, no, it's all not a perfect system, but keep in mind they use a lot of baseballs in a game. (That's something that helps keep them affordable in general as long as they aren't documented as a hit or a key play for a superstar or future Hall of Famer.)

All that info shows I also just missed on a ball that might have had even more interest from the very same at-bat. Just two pitches later, Newcomb beaned Herrera.

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy MLB cards on BlowoutCards.com

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type="image_grid" images="109464,109463,109470"][/vc_column][/vc_row]