derek jeter

Christian Lopez, the 23-year-old fan who scooped up the home run ball after Derek Jeter notched his 3,000th hit and graciously returned it, was expected to be hit with a nasty tax bill for all the Yankees swag he got in exchange for his good deed. Now companies are stepping up to help.

When Christian Lopez caught the home run that was Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit last week, he gave the historic ball to the Yankee's shortstop without asking for any money, even though it may have fetched over $100,000 on the open market. The taxman isn't being so generous with Lopez.

Playing in front of a sold-out hometown crowd on Saturday, Derek Jeter sent his record-setting 3,000th hit deep into left-field, making him the 28th major leaguer and first New York Yankees player to reach the hitting milestone. And who caught the potentially money-making ball? Christian Lopez, a 23-year-old fan whose girlfriend gave him tickets to the game as a birthday present.