John Lackey gave up signed Babe Ruth ball for jersey number

When John Lackey was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals during the deadline, he immediately noticed a major problem. Fellow pitcher Pat Neshek wore No. 41, an issue for the superstitious Lackey.

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A twelve year veteran, Lackey has won the number for his entire career outside of small window when he wore No. 40 for the Boston Red Sox. Needless to say, he wanted the number but how was he going to get it? Normally when a player seeks a particular number, they offer up money, a vacation or even a luxury item such as a car or Rolex. But not Lackey.

It’s not known if Neshek asked for the item or if John Lackey simply offered it up via trade, but the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher decided to bribe his teammate with an autographed Babe Ruth baseball.

Such an offer was too good for Neshek to pass up and he ended up exchanging the ball for the jersey number and posted evidence of such on social media.

I have to say, that’s a pretty sweet deal. Sure, maybe a Rolex or fancy car would have been a bit more valuable than a signed Babe Ruth baseball, but there aren’t a lot of those to go around. Even as a relief pitcher, at Pat Neeshek is, you can easily afford to buy yourself a fancy watch, send your family on vacation or purchase a luxury car. Granted, you could buy yourself a signed Babe Ruth ball as well though the stock of such is far less limited than a watch or vehicle.