This section contains baseballs that are unique for various reasons.
1962 Three-I League Ball
Ken Blackman was hired as the new president of the Three-I League in December of 1961, but the league folded in early 1962, so this ball was never used in a game. It is unknown how many of these were produced.
Promotional Giveaways
Often a minor league team will use existing game balls or commission a game ball as a promotional giveaway for sponsors and fans. These were usually an official league baseball with a sponsor’s logo stamped somewhere on it.
Below is an example of one such ball from the late 1980s Indianapolis Indians.
1993 Durham Athletic Park Final Season
The Durham Bulls were scheduled to move from Durham Athletic Park (made famous in the movie Bull Durham) to a new field following the 1993 season. Construction delays forced the team to play one more season there, so the actual final season at “the DAP” was 1994.
2010s MLB-Stamped MiLB Ball
It was rather common through the 2010s for Major League teams to use MiLB balls for batting practice. They would often stamp them similarly to the one above, to discourage players and fans from taking them for personal use (to have them autographed) and to prevent other teams from grabbing newer balls for their own use.
Ghost Teams in the Pecos League
Lower-level minor leagues, particularly the independents, can see teams come and go, or not come to fruition at all. The Pecos League has two examples of baseballs produced for teams that did not play a single game.
2013 Pecos Bills
The Pecos Bills were scheduled to begin play in 2013 but the team never came together so this ball was never used. Plans are for the team to be resurrected for the 2024 season.
2020 Pittsburg Anchors
Likewise, the Pittsburg (CA) Anchors were announced for the 2020 season and balls were produced, but the team never materialized.
The Entire 2020 MiLB Season
The entire 2020 minor league season was cancelled due to COVID-19, but not before these balls were produced. It’s presumed that the Trash Pandas used their Inaugural Mission baseballs for their 2021 season.
The Midwest League ASG ball has the distinction of being the last ball produced for an MiLB All-Star Game, as MLB discontinued special event baseballs for the affiliated minor leagues following its hostile takeover prior to the 2021 season.
Misprins Misprints and Blemishes
Occasionally something happens either in the design or the factory and misprinted balls find their way into the wild. Following are a couple of examples of these, but there are many more.
1980s Appalachian League
This Appy League ball from the early 1980s is missing an “i”. This might also be why it has no president’s stamp, it may have been in a discarded lot that somehow escaped being destroyed.
1999 Blemished Minor League Ball
This is an example of a ball that came out of assembly blemished in some way. It was stamped as such as found its way to the independent Northern League’s Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks as a practice ball.
2021 MiLB Reversed Logo
MiLB introduced a new logo in 2021…wait, I mean that MLB imposed a new logo on its wholly owned subsidiary known as MiLB…that was only slightly changed. One of the four stars was moved to the other side of the batter (you can see it at the bottom of this page). Somehow, some balls were produced with the logo reversed. It’s unknown how many of these were made; it’s assumed that they were used as practice balls.