The lucky fan who caught Aaron Judge’s record-setting 62nd home run ball is putting it up for auction after turning down a whopping $3 million offer for it.
Judge broke Roger Maris’ single-season AL home run record by clubbing No. 62 in an Oct. 4 road game against the Texas Rangers. 35-year-old Cory Youmans came away with the ball, and now he stands to make a pretty penny off of it.
His attorney, Dave Baron, told Jeff Passan of ESPN that Youman rejected a $3 million offer for the home run ball, and that the ball will be sold through Goldin Auctions. Here’s what Youmans told ESPN:
“It seems fair in the sense it gives anyone that is interested and has the means the opportunity to own it. As a fan, I’m curious to see what it’s worth, who buys it and what they do with it.”
Per Passan, Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball for the 1998 season stands as the priciest baseball ever sold. Well-known comic book artist Todd McFarlane purchased it for $3.05 million. McGwire became the first player to hit 70 homers in a season, though Barry Bonds broke the record by smashing 73 in the 2001 season.
On Thursday, Judge was named the 2022 American League MVP. He became the first player on the Pinstripes to win the honors since Alex Rodriguez, who claimed the award in 2007 and 2005. The 30-year-old Judge finished the 2022 campaign with 62 homers, 131 RBI, a .311 batting average and a 1.111 OPS.
Judge, who rejected a lucrative extension worth over $200 million from the Yankees before the start of the season, is the top player headed towards free agency. The Yankees franchise face is widely expected to get over $300 million in free agency.
