Six Sam Bats belonging to former Major League Baseball player Jose Canseco were stolen from an SUV parked outside a Pittsburg hotel early Wednesday, and recovered soon after, police said.
According to the city police department’s Facebook page, officers responded to a report of a burglary in process at Hampton Inn on the 1200 block of California Avenue around 3:30 a.m.
The hotel manager was watching the burglary via surveillance cameras, police said.
Responding officers arrested a suspect, identified as Sergio Verduzco of Oakland, in the hotel’s parking lot. They found Verduzco was driving a car that had been reported stolen out of Antioch.
A second man, Richard Lewis of Pittsburg, was located inside the stolen vehicle along with some of Canseco's property, police said.
"Very grateful they were watching through the cameras and police came quickly," Canseco said. "I was able to get six bats back."
Both suspects had outstanding warrants for their arrests, and were jailed Wednesday for burglary, according to police. Verduzco was wanted for assault with a deadly weapon and Lewis for grand theft and possession of stolen property, police said.
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Officers contacted Canseco, who was at the hotel at the time of the burglary and was able to identify his belongings.
"I saw pictures of the guys," Canseco said. "Poor guys, they just look hungry. Let 'em go. Maybe they're going to sell the bats or something for food."
Canseco may be forgiving, but he's also relieved he's got his bats in hand as his team tries to score a win against the Vallejo Admirals.
"Every player has a specific model and weight and length and handle and barrel diameter they love to use, and I love to use these," Canseco said.
Tweeting about the fact that his SUV had been broken into, Canseco joked, “I still got it.”
Canseco, 52, announced last week that he was joining the Pittsburg Diamonds, part of the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs.
He is a former Major League Baseball American League Most Valuable Player for Oakland and gained infamy in his post-MLB career after writing a tell-all book about steroid use in professional baseball.
He also tweeted: “Sam bats are very popular. Best bats in the world everyone wants one and will go to any lengths to get one.”
Bay City News contributed to this report.
