Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run ball saga ends in hilarious twist of irony

The fan who caught Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run ball made significantly less at auction than an initial offer they received.

One of the big stories out of MLB this past season was New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge’s chase for the American League’s single-season home run record. He was able to do so at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, hitting home run No. 62. That baseball was caught by Corey Youmans, a vice president at Fisher Investments in Dallas.

After catching the baseball, Youmans reportedly declined a $3 million offer to send it to auction. Well, according to Goldin Auctions, the baseball sold for $1.5 million on Saturday. Specifically, it was for $1.25 million with a $250,000 buyer’s premium.

So after turning down $3 million, the baseball sold for half.

Aaron Judge home run ball sells for less on auction than what was initially offered for fan who caught it

Here’s what Youmans told ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan when he decided to put the baseball up for auction back in November:

“It seems fair in the sense it gives anyone that is interested and has the means the opportunity to own it,” Youmans said, h/t ESPN. “As a fan, I’m curious to see what it’s worth, who buys it and what they do with it.”

Judge’s home run ball has officially sold for less on auction that Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball of the 1998 season. The McGwire baseball was sold to comic book artist Todd McFarlane for $3 million.

After breaking the AL’s single-season home run record, Judge won the 2022 AL MVP award by a wide margin over Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani. This all happened in a contract year, and he explored his options in free agency.

Judge received numerous offers from teams, such as the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres, the latter of whom sent him a 10-year, $400 million deal. Ultimately, after speaking with Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, Judge decided to stay in New York on a nine-year, $360 million contract.

For those wondering what happened to Judge’s historic home run baseball, it has officially sold on auction for $1.5 million.