Panda's Home Run Bat Headed to Hall of Fame

Pablo Sandoval made history on Wednesday during Game 1 of the World Series, smashing a trio of home runs -- two off of Tigers ace Justin Verlander -- to help the Giants win 8-3 and take a 1-0 series lead.

Sandoval joined some elite company, as only Babe Ruth (twice), Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols have gone yard three times in a single World Series game. And now his bat will join some elite company as well, as the one he used in the first two at-bats is headed to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Brad Horn, a HOF rep attending Wednesday's game, told CBSSports.com's Scott Miller that the Hall snatched up the bat Panda used to hit the first two home runs after it broke during his fifth-inning at bat.

"It gives us a way to commemorate the three-homer game," Horn, the Hall's senior director of communications, said.

And here's the cool thing: the bat will join another one of Sandoval's bats in Cooperstown, as the bat he used during the 2012 All-Star Game when the Giants sluggerhit a bases-loaded triple -- also against Verlander! -- is already in place at the Hall of Fame.

The bat Sandoval used to hit his third homer on Wednesday night is, of course, still in the Panda's possession. He smacked a single in his fourth at bat and it hasn't broken, so Sandoval's going to keep using it.

But if it results in more heroics, it's possible that Horn could work his way into grabbing it as well.

The Giants would have no problem with that, of course. But thus far, Sandoval's success against Verlander have resulted in a pair of trips to Cooperstown for the Sluggers -- "a pretty unique occurrence" said Horn -- and some big-time momentum for the Giants in their quest to win the 2012 World Series.

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