"The fan in Cleveland wouldn’t give me that first HR ball" - 16 years on, Derek Jeter remains oblivious to where his first home run ball is, fans speculate on its whereabouts

The second episode of Derek Jeter’s documentary “The Captain” aired last night concurrently with the New York Yankees' 7-5 loss to the Houston Astros. With five more chapters still to go, we haven’t reached the tip of the iceberg yet, but we are getting closer.

Jeter has been live tweeting simultaneously with each broadcast. Last night, we picked up right where we left off and learned more about Jeter’s first full MLB season in 1996.

Jeter got his big break after first-choice shortstop Tony Fernandez was sidelined with a broken arm. The rest is history. Jeter hit his first home run in Cleveland, in his very first game on Opening Day of that season.

For an athlete, firsts are always special. Naturally, Jeter badly wanted his first home run ball as a piece of memorabilia to cherish and celebrate. Unfortunately, Jeter hasn’t been able to track it down to this day and is unsure where it ended up. Apparently, the fan who caught the homer in the stands refused to give it up.

"Believe it or not, the fan in Cleveland wouldn’t give me that first HR ball so I have no idea where it ended up. #TheCaptain" - Derek Jeter

Fans on Twitter are naturally speculating the whereabouts of the priceless ball, which in today’s market is a million-dollar collectible (maybe even more). Whoever is in possession of it could be due to receive a very handsome payday should they decide to cash in.

Fans are also discussing the morality of the situation. From an ethical standpoint, it’s a compelling argument that whoever did catch the ball should return it — not as an obligation, but simply as a courtesy.

But then, is there even a way to prove the validity of the ball if a fan comes forward and claims to have it?

Hundreds and thousands of baseballs were manufactured in the United States in 1996. How does one authenticate if it’s Jeter’s one?

The remaining episodes of Derek Jeter’s documentary will have more drama in store

In the second episode of Derek Jeter’s documentary, we got a glimpse of Alex Rodriguez. That sets us up nicely for chaos down the line, and we cannot wait to see it.

A-Rod and Jeter’s friendship and subsequent fallout have been well-documented. However, we can expect to discover tiny little details that we haven’t heard of before.

The next two episodes are set to air next week, one right after the other on Thursday, July 28, 9 p.m ET onward. Make yourself comfortable for two hours of incredible story-telling.

For those interested, here’s the complete schedule for the remainder of “The Captain”:

Episode 3: Thursday, July 28 at 09:00 p.m. ET

Episode 4: Thursday, July 28 at 10:00 p.m. ET

Episode 5: Thursday, August 4 at 09:00 p.m. ET

Episode 6: Thursday, August 4 at 10:00 p.m. ET

Episode 7: Thursday, August 11 at 10:00 p.m. ET