The 62nd home run hit by Aaron Judge will be sold

Late in the summer, as Aaron Judge was hitting balls over the fences and nearing his historic 62nd home run of the season, a parallel Magic was focusing on the potential value of a record-setting ball.

You’ll soon know that value because the Texas fan who caught the ball is putting it up for auction, and he wants to set a record, too. Ken Goldin, the auctioneer responsible for selling the ball on behalf of lucky spectator Corey Yeomans, believes the ball will fetch more than $3 million. Depending on the additional amount, the sale could set a new standard for baseball used in the game.

“The ball has the potential to become the highest-priced baseball of all time,” Goldin said in a telephone interview. Three million plus would be my estimate.

The current record was set with the auction of a ball from Mark McGuire’s 70th game in the 1998 season, which amounted to 3.05 million dollars In 1999. McGuire, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League, later admitted to using steroids.

Judge, a Yankees quarterback, is currently testing free agency for the first time in his career and He won the MLS Player of the Year award Thursday. He set the AL record in a single season when he hit his 62nd homer of the year against Jesus Tinoco of the Texas Rangers on October 4 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, moving him past Roger Maris, who hit 61 with the Yankees. in 1961.

The ball sailed over the left field wall and was caught on the fly by Youmans, who is from Dallas and is said to work for Fisher Investments. Yeoman, who stood in the front row, caught the ball in his baseball glove and was then escorted into the bowels of the field by security guards, where he was checked for the ball. Secret and certified marks by MLB officials.

Yeoman later contacted Goldin to handle the sale. The ball, which had been lying in a safety deposit box, was taken to Goldin’s residence outside Philadelphia this week by an armed guard, and Online preauction process It started on Thursday.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the winning bidder either purchased it on behalf of Aaron Judge or potentially donated it to the Hall of Fame,” Goldin said. “I definitely think it’s one of those items that will get that kind of attention.”

A buyer’s premium of 20% will be paid to the auction house, which will be added to the highest bid. Bidding is due to end on December 17. According to Golden, Yeoman’s contract with his employer forbade him from speaking publicly.

judges 60th ball at home It was recovered at Yankee Stadium by Michael Kessler, 20, a Yankees fan from New York. He gave it to Judge after that game, on September 20, in exchange for an autographed bat and balls, and photographs with Judge and fellow fans. A ball that enters the stands becomes the catcher’s, and Kessler said he caught it in the midst of a frenzied mob.

eight days later, Judge hit number 61 Off Tim Maeza of the Blue Jays at Rogers Center in Toronto. The ball was nearly caught by a fan, who identified himself to reporters as Frankie Lasagna. But the ball bounced off the lasagna glove and fell into the home team’s fold, where it was recovered by Blue Jays head coach Matt Bushman. Bushman gave it to Zack Britton, a Yankees relief pitcher, who introduced him to Judge in an arranged series of custody.

So No. 62 will be the only one of the three judge-run balls after No. 59 to be put up for sale.

Before the judge reached 62, some auctioneers and memorabilia experts speculated that the ball might sell for $2 million. Goldin was initially more cautious, speculating that he would raise about $500,000, later increasing that to Just over $1 million as the chase progresses Interest rose. He also offered $250,000 to whoever caught him.

After examining collectors when the season ended, Goldin now believes he has neglected the factor of general inflationary pressures of the booming memorabilia market over the past several years, the lure of the Yankees as an iconic franchise and the allure of a judge.

In addition, Judge’s AL record is considered by some to be more legitimate than the totals reached during the height of the so-called doping era because he is the only player to have bested Maris without any known flaws in his performance. Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs with the San Francisco Giants in the NLL in 2001 (that ball It was auctioned off for $450,000), McGuire followed up his 70-hit season with a home run of 65 in 1999, and Sammy Sosa hit 63 or more home runs three times for the Chicago Cubs. But all three markers were tainted, to potential collectors, by their connections to performance enhancers.

“There are definitely people who will make this argument and some people who will say this is the all-time record,” Goldin said. “If that’s what they want to believe and get them to bid, I’m all for it.”

To illustrate how the market has lifted in recent years, Goldin pointed to a uniform jersey worn by Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls in the 1998 NBA Finals that sold for $50,000 two decades ago, and recently sold for $10 million. A bat that Babe Ruth used that sold around the same time would have fetched less than $100,000, Goldin said, is now worth more than $1 million.

“There are now many more collectors, and the value of sports collectibles is much higher than there were in 1998,” he said.

As of Thursday afternoon, people can view more photos of the ball at The company’s website. Within a week to 10 days, pre-bid is set to start, once interested buyers pass a credit check. In the coming weeks, Goldin will be showing the ball to a select group of interested buyers.

“These kind of items are like baseball’s version of a powerball,” he said. “We don’t know when it will strike. But we do know that when it does strike, whoever gets it will get rich.”