While Aaron Judge cashed in by betting on himself in MLB free agency, the fan who caught his New York Yankees home run record ball tried to do something similar and lost a bundle.
One of the biggest stories in MLB 2022 was Aaron Judge and his rise to being one of the faces of the sport. The Yankees star was already a three-time All-Star before this season, however, he elevated his game to an elite level this summer and it made him an extremely wealthy man.
Judge turned down an extension offer from the New York Yankees in the spring and instead played out the final year of his deal. It was one of the smartest moves in sports history as the 30-year-old flirted with winning the triple crown en route to becoming the American League MVP. The outstanding season earned him a massive $360 million contract from the Yankees in MLB free agency.
Related: Aaron Judge signs $360 million contract with New York Yankees
While all of that is fair and good, for purists of the sport, Aaron Judge breaking the American League, and Yankees single-season home run record was one of the biggest moments of the season. And for Cory Youmans — the man who caught the ball — it was one of the biggest moments of his life. But a poor decision by him in the days after ended up not making it the most lucrative of his life.
Aaron Judge home run record ball sells for $1.5 million in an auction
Following the night that changed the Yankees record books, Youmans was reportedly offered $3 million dollars for the one-of-a-kind piece of sports memorabilia. However, the owner of the ball declined the money with the assumption taking it to auction would fetch even more money from diehard collectors. Well, he guessed wrong.
- Aaron Judge stats (2022): .311 AVG, .425 OBP, .686 SLG, HR 62, 131 RBI, 133 R, 16 SB
The Aaron Judge home run record ball was put up for auction on Saturday, and unfortunately for Youmans No. 62 only sold for $1.5 million. A whopping half of what could have been had if the original $3 million offer was accepted.
Word to the wise, if you get offered a massive sum of money for sports merch in this current market, take the money, and avoid the auction.