Aaron Judge's Record-Breaking Home Run Ball Being Auctioned
Cory Youmans, the fan who caught Aaron Judge's 62nd American League home-run-record ball at Globe Life Field in October, will auction off the ball at the end of the month, according to ESPN.
Youmans and his attorney, Dave Baron, told ESPN that they turned down a $3 million offer for the ball. The auction will start on Nov. 29 and will be conducted by Goldin Auctions.
Youmans hired Baron and his firm, SBEMP Attorneys, to represent him as he attempted to determine if he would keep the ball, auction it off or return it to Judge.
The highest price paid for a baseball at auction is the $3.05 million that Todd McFarlane paid for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run hit in 1998, which at the time set a new Major League record for most home runs in a single season.
Baron told ESPN that because the ball was hit by a Yankee, it’s possible it could fetch a higher price than McGwire’s.
JP Cohen initially offered $2 million for the ball in an attempt to loan the ball for display at Yankee Stadium.
Darren Rovell, a sports business analyst who currently works for The Action Network, suggests the ball is worth closer to $4 million.
Youmans, 35, caught the ball in left field on Oct. 4 in the first inning of the Rangers’ game against the Yankees. Judge hit the ball off Rangers starter Jesus Tinoco in the first inning to set the American League record for home runs in a season with 62. He broke the record held by former Yankees slugger Roger Maris.
Judge is on record as saying, “It would be great to get (the ball) back, but it’s a souvenir for a fan. He made a great catch out there and they have every right to it.”
Youmans has worked for Fisher Investments for nearly 10 years. In his current role, he introduces high-net worth investors to the firm's Private Client Group. Cory was the first person in his family to graduate from college, earning a degree from Washington State University in 2010.
Cory and his wife, Bri Amaranthus, were married in 2021 and live in the DFW area. Amaranthus happens to be a reporter for Sports Illustrated/Fan Nation, primarily covering the Dallas Cowboys and Mavericks. Before that, she was a reporter and TV Host for NBC Sports Northwest, where she won an Emmy Award. Bri graduated from the University of Oregon in 2014 and grew up in the southern Oregon area.
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