The ball from Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run, setting an American League mark that had stood for over 60 years, will be sold at auction November 29th with bids beginning at $1 million. Cory Yousmans, a financial advisor at Fisher Investments, caught the record blast October 4th at Globe Life Park, where he was whisked away by security and later ushered out of the stadium after getting his ball authenticated.
At the time, Yousmans was noncommittal about whether he’d keep the ball or return it to Judge, but after conferring with his lawyer over a period of several weeks, the 35-year-old Dallas native ultimately decided to put it up for auction through Goldins, which touts itself as the internet’s "leading marketplace for collectables and memorabilia."
“It seems fair in the sense it gives anyone that is interested and has the means the opportunity to own it," said Yousmans, who has multiple seven-figure offers for the ball including one as high as $3 million. "As a fan, I'm curious to see what it's worth, who buys it and what they do with it."
The significance of Judge’s milestone has been fiercely debated. Some would dismiss the accomplishment as relatively meaningless—and certainly not worth interrupting college football for—while others view Judge as the legitimate record holder, disqualifying Barry Bonds for his use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Despite mild disappointment the ball never made its way back to him, Judge insists he harbors no ill will toward Yousmans for making a business decision. "It'd be great to get it back, but that's a souvenir for a fan,” said the American League MVP. “They made a great catch out there, and they've got every right to it."
If Judge wants the ball for his personal collection, he can certainly afford it, with the free-agent slugger expected to be the subject of a high-stakes bidding war this offseason that could net him as much as $40 million annually.
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