CINCINNATI – The Florida Marlins fan who says he caught the baseball that Ken Griffey Jr. hit for his 600th career home run plans to sell it in an auction.

Joe Scherer said Thursday he decided to put the ball in the Aug. 1 auction after consulting with other people, including family and friends, in the aftermath of the June 9 game in Miami.

Doug Allen, president of Mastro Auctions in suburban Chicago, expects the ball to attract substantial bidding interest. He said the Cincinnati Reds star has remained untainted by the steroid era that has hurt the value of memorabilia from milestone hits by Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and other recent stars.

“I think people are looking for somebody to kind of come out of the smoke, someone they can hold up as a pure player,” Allen said. “It’s going to be exciting. Here’s a guy who’s a really loved player.”

Allen said he wouldn’t be surprised to see bidding reach $100,000.

The Griffey ball will be part of a live auction in Chicago that also includes items from early 20th Century stars Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Honus Wagner, Allen said.