A former New York Yankees star hitter has sued the National Baseball Hall of Fame, claiming they owe him a bat, a million dollars, and an apology. Joe Pepitone claims he loaned Mickey Mantle a bat just before Mantle thwacked a ball out of the park for his 500th home run in 1967, the first MLB hitter to do so. He said he intended to take the bat back from Mantle in an interview after the original game, according to the New York Daily News. Pepitone wants the Hall of Fame to give him the bat back and pay him $1 million in damages. He alleges a Yankees executive took the bat from his locker in the suit, filed in upstate New York: “After Mantle’s home run, Mantle returned the Bat to Pepitone. Pepitone brought the Bat into the Yankees locker room and secured it within his personal locker. Thereafter, however, the Bat was removed from Pepitone’s locker... without [his] knowledge, approval or consent.” The Hall of Fame responded: “The Hall of Fame owns this historical bat and for more than fifty years, the Hall of Fame has preserved it and proudly put it on display for millions of fans to see as they tour the Museum.”