Aaron Judge bet on himself and won – the guy who caught his record home run ball, not so much.
The auction for Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run ball ended late Saturday night, the final price ending up at $1.25 million – less than half the $3 million that was reportedly offered privately to the ball’s owner after he snagged it in early October.
According to Sportico, the auction also had $250K worth of closing costs, bringing the final tally for Goldin Auctions to half of what Cory Youmans, who caught Judge’s record HR ball at Globe Life Field and then declined to give it back to Judge or take that $3 million offer, was offered way back when.
Ken Goldin, the head appraiser of Goldin Auctions, told Sportico two months ago that the 62nd HR ball, combined with the bat that it was hit with and the jersey Judge wore in that game, would collectively go for $3 million – still collective less than the $3.05 million Todd McFarlane paid for Mark McGwire’s then record 70th home run ball hit in 1998.
Judge had joked earlier this offseason that “I haven’t signed my free agent deal yet, so ($3 million) is out of my price range.” Out of Youmans’ as well, now, as he’ll net less than half that.
The slugger has since signed a nine-year, $360 million deal to remain a Yankee, where he will make approximately $247K per game…meaning had Youmans just waited another few months, Judge could’ve bought the ball back for $3 million, and then some, after his first in-season check cleared.
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