Aaron Judge Would Like 62nd HR Ball Back, Says Cory Youmans Has 'Every Right to It'
October 5, 2022
While New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge would like his American League record-breaking 62nd home run ball, he doesn't blame the fan who caught it if they want to keep it.
According to TMZ Sports, Judge told reporters the following after the game: "It'd be great to get it back, but that's a souvenir for a fan. So, they made a great catch out there, and they've got every right to it."
Cory Youmans is the name of the fan who caught the ball, which was struck by Judge in the first inning of Tuesday night's loss to the Texas Rangers off pitcher Jesus Tinoco.
The homer gave Judge 62 on the year, breaking the AL record he shared with Yankees legend Roger Maris, who clubbed 61 home runs in 1961.
After catching Judge's 62nd home run ball, Youmans was escorted from his seat to get the ball authenticated. Reporters caught up with him on the way, and he indicated he wasn't sure what he would do with the ball:
Per TMZ, David Kohler of SCP Auctions said the ball could sell for up to $2 million at auction, which is likely why Youmans hasn't given up the ball yet.
If Judge wants the ball badly enough, the Yankees could negotiate with Youmans and offer him other Judge-related memorabilia and perks in exchange for it.
When Maris' MLB record for single-season home runs was first broken by Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998, a grounds crew member caught it and gave it back to McGwire for free.
McGwire's final homer that season was his 70th, which established a new record, and that ball sold for $3.05 million.
Just three years later, Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants surpassed McGwire and ended up with 73 home runs, which still stands as the MLB record.
Judge's 62nd homer punctuated a historic season that will almost certainly end with his first American League MVP award and perhaps even a World Series win for a Yankees team that is seeded second in the AL.
Entering the final day of the regular season on Wednesday, Judge is second in the American League with a .311 batting average, first in home runs with 62 and first in RBI with 131.
If Judge plays Wednesday and surpasses Minnesota Twins infielder Luis Arraez's batting average of .315, he will become just the second player since 1967 to win the Triple Crown.