When New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge belted his 62nd homer of the 2022 season back on October 4 against the Rangers in Texas, he made some MLB history.
Judge had been chasing fellow Yankees great Roger Maris for the American League home run record. That shot off Jesus Tinoco in Arlington put him over the top and made one lucky fan happy.
The individual who caught the ball, Corey Youmans, initially received $2 million offers the same night that Judge broke the record. Said offers have now come in at $3 million.
Despite this, Youmans has made the decision to turn down those offers and put the ball up for auction.
“It seems fair in the sense it gives anyone that is interested and has the means the opportunity to own it,” Youmans told ESPN. “As a fan, I’m curious to see what it’s worth, who buys it and what they do with it.”
The ball will be auctioned off by Goldin Auctions and will likely net more than the $3 million that Youmans has been offered. Right now, the most-expensive player ball ever sold at auction was Mark McGwire’s then-record 70th homer run back in 1998. It ultimately went to comic book artist Todd McFarlane for $3.05 million.
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Aaron Judge talks about record-setting home run ball
Judge indicated the night that he hit this record-breaking home run that he’d like to have the ball. Though, he understands why the fan wouldn’t want to hand it over to him.
“It’d be great to get it back, but that’s a souvenir for a fan. They made a great catch out there, and they’ve got every right to it,” Aaron Judge on home run ball.
As for Youmans, he did have “pleasant” discussions with the Yankees’ organization, but it did not lead to a deal that would send the ball back to the franchise for safe keeping.
Widely expected to win the American League MVP award, Judge currently finds himself as a free agent. He has interest from the Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, among other teams.