Aaron Judge: Yankees Star’s 62nd Home Run Ball Could Be Worth $2 Million or More
Aaron Judge broke the American League's long-running record by hitting his 62nd homer during the New York Yankees' game against Texas Rangers Tuesday at Globe Life Field.
Babe Ruth began blasting balls over outfield fences by volume more than a hundred years ago. It has established home run as a prized individual accomplishment and the New York Yankees as the most celebrated team.
Ruth's record of 60 homers in 1927 was revered for decades. In 1961, Roger Maris hit his 61st homer for the Yankees, breaking the single-season record. Now, Yankees slugger, Aaron Judge, surpassed the legends by hitting his 62nd homer for the season.
The baseball world has been enthralled by Judge's pursuit, particularly at Yankee Stadium, where spectators have recently stood for each of Judge's at-bats and lingered in silent expectancy as the pitches were thrown, New York Times noted.
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Fans Could Risk It All for Aaron Judge's 62nd Home Run Ball
Aaron Judge's 62nd homer is a historic milestone; hence, fans will do all it takes to have that authentic memorabilia from the slugger.
When Judge hit the homer, a Yankees fan even jumped over the railing to get the ball. Unfortunately, another fan, seemingly wearing a glove, caught it.
According to USA Today, the fan in Section 31 who caught Aaron Judge's 62nd home run ball was taken by security to have the ball authenticated. The lucky fan was identified as the vice president at Fisher Investments, Cory Youmans.
Yankees' Aaron Judge 62nd Home Run Ball Worth Millions
The fan who caught Judge's 62nd homer can sell it and retire.
Brian Kathenes, the managing partner of National Appraisal Consultants, stated that Youmans could make a lot of money. He noted the ball worth at around mid-six figures.
According to the experts, the catcher can return the ball to the slugger or trade it for merchandise, such as jerseys, bats, autographs, or season tickets. However, in this case, returning or trading it is not a good idea if Youmans wants to make a good fortune from it.
"They would be insane if they didn't do this," said Mike Gutierrez, the owner of Pop Culture Appraisals.
A few certified appraisers with combined expertise of more than 100 years in determining the potential value of historical and celebrity items were surveyed by NJ Advance Media.
Even though the estimates were all over the place, it was clear that Judge's 62nd home run ball would bring in a lot of money.
This is especially true after Judge launched his 61st home run into the Blue Jays' bullpen. Team security recovered it on Wednesday, taking another precious souvenir from his pursuit for the home run record.
Les Wolf, who has done appraisals for Mickey Mantle and Muhammad Ali, said he thought the ball was worth up to $5 million.
On the other hand, Brandon Steiner, owner of CollectibleXchange, said he thought it would sell for about $2.5 million.
The hot market alone may not be enough to increase Judge's illustrious long ball. Many of the appraisers questioned mentioned factors other than No. 62 itself that could impact the ball's value.
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Written by: Bert Hoover
Watch: Aaron Judge hits his 62nd home run, passes Roger Maris for most homers in AL history (via Yankees) - From ESPN