The ball from New York Yankees star Aaron Judge's American League record-setting 62nd home run of the 2022 season sold for $1.5 million with a buyer's premium on Saturday night. According to ESPN, the ball is the second most expensive baseball ever to be sold at auction.
The ball was sold through collectibles marketplace Goldin by Cory Youmans, who caught the record-setting ball during the Yankees' Oct. 4 game against the Texas Rangers. While the ball ended up selling for a lucrative price, the ball's selling price fell short of the $3.05 million record set by Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball in 1998.
Youmans, a vice president at Fisher Investments, had hoped that the ball would either end up with Judge, with the Yankees, or at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. The ball was ultimately purchased by an anonymous buyer.
"Multiple players have hit more home runs in a season, but in many people's eyes, Aaron Judge is the true record-holder," read a statement by Goldin executive chairman and founder Ken Goldin to ESPN. "The fact that this is the second-highest total ever paid for a baseball speaks to the respect that fans and collectors have for Aaron.
"That's the magic of sports -- this ball didn't only change Aaron's life, it changed the life of the fan who was in the stadium that night, too. We're so proud to have been trusted by Cory to present this piece of history for public auction."
Despite the fact that Judge's historic season helped earn him a nine-year, $360 million contract extension, the Yankees slugger was allegedly not among those who put a bid in for the ball that put his 2022 season into the record books. Prior to signing his contract extension, Judge had told reporters in November that he did not plan to bid on the ball at auction.
