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Mets owner Steve Cohen reveals he owns the infamous Bill Buckner ball

Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen is now majority owner of the New York Mets, and that’s apparently not the only thing related to the team he has spent big money on.

In an interview with SNY on Wednesday, Cohen revealed that he owns the baseball that infamously bounced through Bill Buckner’s legs in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The error kept the Mets alive against the Boston Red Sox and allowed them to take the title in Game 7.

The moment might be more notable as a piece of Red Sox history, but Cohen, a fan of the Mets well before he bought it, was the one who shelled out for the memento.

Cohen added that he purchased the ball years ago and plans to put it in the Mets’ museum at City Field.

“Sometimes I throw curveballs with it. I’m still working on the splitter,” Cohen said. “Given what this might be worth, I probably shouldn’t be doing that.”

Back in 2012, the ball was reported to have sold at auction for $418,250. At the time, the buyer reportedly wished to remain anonymous. The auction took place months after Cohen bought a minority stake in the team itself.

The ball bears the signature of Mookie Wilson, the Mets outfielder who hit the ball that led to the error. The autograph is addressed to Mets executive Arthur Richman, reading “To Arthur, the ball won it for us, Mookie Wilson, 10/25/86.”

Among the other past owners of the ball: actor Charlie Sheen.

New York, N.Y.: The :"Mookie Ball," the baseball that went through the legs of Boston's Bill Buckner in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, signed by Wilson and valued at $8,000 to $10,000 on August 4, 1992. The ball was to be auctioned off in a few days by Leland's Sports Auction House in Manhattan. (Photo by Stan Honda/ Newsday RM via Getty Images)
The Bill Buckner ball is in the hands of the Mets. (Photo by Stan Honda/ Newsday RM via Getty Images)

Cohen was apparently not averse to having a little fun with his secret ownership of the ball. Via his Twitter account, which remains quite entertaining, Cohen openly wondered who might own the ball in a reply to one fan.

Cohen noticed another fan seemingly purporting to own the ball, congratulating them on the literally unbelievable purchase.

Cohen’s Mets ownership has the potential to be plenty of things, but one thing we clearly know it will not be is boring.

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