It has been a busy day for the 28-year-old man on the other end of the phone, an afternoon largely spent picking pumpkins and apples with his wife and burgeoning family in the New Hampshire countryside.

Jeff Maier — he doesn’t go by Jeffrey anymore — also spent his Saturday hearing from old friends, being bombarded by media requests and bracing for the countless replays of himself from 16 years earlier he doubtlessly will see on television in the coming days.

Such is life, still, when you become a part of baseball lore, Yankees history and Baltimore infamy as a 12-year-old boy — as Maier did when he aided Derek Jeter’s home run into the right-field stands on Oct. 9,
1996 in the Bronx — perhaps helping to shape the fortunes of two diverging franchises for years to come.

“I’ve definitely heard from more people this week than I have in quite some time,” Maier told the Daily News on Saturday, one day before the Yankees were to open their 2012 AL division series against the Orioles. “It’s fun and I embrace it and try to have fun with it.

“I realize it is an exciting story and one that people still remember and it’s a part of baseball history. At this point in my life, I always try to share the story with folks that have a similar passion for the game that I still have to this day.”