Congratulations!
You just caught Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run, breaking the American League and Yankees record that Roger Maris set in 1961. You battled dozens of fans who swarmed the area where the ball landed, twisting arms, shoving people out of the way and probably trying to pry the ball from a lucky fan’s hands in a violent scrum to retrieve history — and a lottery ticket.
“You probably got beaten up badly,” said Mike Gutierrez, owner of Pop Culture Appraisals. “You got scratched. You might have have some broken bones from all the people trying to beat you up to get that ball.”
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The Yankees slugger drove a 1-1 slider from Texas right-hander Jesús Tinoco into the first couple of rows of seats in left field when leading off the second game of New York’s day-night doubleheader at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas — and, well, the ball was caught cleanly by a man with a glove in the first row. The fan, standing in Section 31, was then taken with security to have the ball authenticated.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports: “The man who caught the historic Aaron Judge baseball, Corey Youmans, doesn’t exactly need the money. He is a vice president at Fisher Investments, which manages $197 billion worldwide. It may be the price of Judge’s next contract.”
And while Youmans won’t need a personal injury lawyer, we still have some advice for him: According to memorabilia experts, he has four options for the ball some consider the true home run record because not a single steroid allegation has been injected into Judge’s lore. (He should pick the last one if you want to pay off your mortgage immediately.)
He could give it to Judge for nothing in return
After all, it is the crowning achievement of the 30-year-old slugger’s spectacular career so far, and you wouldn’t be the first fan to return a milestone ball. Christian Lopez caught Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit — a home run — in 2011 and handed it over, telling The Captain he didn’t want anything.
As baseball fans called him crazy and sports talk radio debated whether Lopez had done the right thing, the Yankees showered him with appreciation, memorabilia and season tickets in a Yankee Stadium suite.
He could negotiate with Judge
Actually, you’ll deal with middle man Eddie Fastook, the Yankees’ security chief who will authenticate the ball — Major League Baseball is using special baseballs for Judge’s at-bats — and listen to your demands. When ballhawk Zack Hample caught Alex Rodriguez’s 3,000th hit in 2015, he negotiated for a $150,000 donation to the Pitch In For Baseball charity, two signed black bats, a jersey autographed by A-Rod and early access to seats in the outfield during batting practice for home games.
Chances are, you could name your price — within reason. The Yankees, who likely will have to spend roughly $400 million to keep Judge from leaving as a free agent in the offseason, will want to make sure he gets the ball if he wants it.
He could keep it
While staring at the ball on your fireplace mantel might give you satisfaction — like looking at a van Gogh on your wall — it isn’t going to make you rich, and it probably would make you a target for a break-in. So, you’ll install a security system, you won’t sleep, and you’ll be suspicious of everyone who walks past your house. In the end, the ball will end up in a safe deposit box just to preserve your sanity. Where’s the joy in that?
He could sell it
And make a boatload of cash. NJ Advance Media spoke with several certified sports memorabilia appraisers with more than 100 years of combined experience and while their estimated values for the ball varied from $5 million to $200,000, there’s little doubt that the baseball would generate a huge payday.
Brian Kathenes, the managing partner of National Appraisal Consultants, said to expect stadium security to immediately whisk you to the executive offices, where you’ll be met by Yankees officials.
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Les Wolf, who appraised items for Mickey Mantle and Muhammad Ali, said the specially marked ball first would be authenticated. For example, there could be a “J” for Judge and the date stamped on the ball.
If you decide to keep the ball, an American League authenticator will certify that the ball is legit and likely slap a hologram sticker on it — a seal of approval — and hand over accompanying documentation.
The rest is up to you.
“Disconnect your phone and hire a good lawyer because everybody is going to be trying to chase you down,” Kathenes said. “Auction houses are going to call to help you sell it. Someone is going to want to make a side deal with you. Maybe you want to donate it?”
Next, buy a UV protected display case for the baseball and keep it out of direct sunlight and in a cool, climate-controlled setting, advised Matt Powers of Powers Sports Memorabilia. “Sun can fade items within just a year,” he said.
Gutierrez suggests that when auction houses come asking for the opportunity to sell it, don’t give them the standard 20% seller’s fee they want. In fact, Gutierrez said, tell the auctioneer that it will get no fee and that it should actually pay you for the chance to sell it.
Gutierrez added that you should demand that the auction house promote and publicize the sale in the months leading up to the selling date. Kathenes said that the auction house should get the ball insured, too.
Brandon Steiner, who ran Steiner Sports and now owns CollectibleXchange, had a novel idea. He said he’d consider making a deal with Judge to get 1,000 signed baseballs. Fans would each buy a lottery ticket, giving them a one in 1,000 chance at nabbing Judge’s 62nd home run ball. If they lost, they would still walk away with a signed Judge ball, and the payday for both Judge and the fan who caught the ball could be astronomical.
“And why would I do all that?” Gutierrez said. “Not to be greedy. Not to be nasty. But because I can.”
It’s all but certain to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don’t forget about Uncle Sam, though. Gutierrez said to expect a tax of about 28% on any sale, though you may be able to deduct the cost of the ticket and any stadium extras such as parking.
“It’s like as if you found a Picasso or something,” Gutierrez said.
After all, the home run that broke the record was Judge’s finest work of art yet.
MORE JUDGE:
History! Aaron Judge passes Roger Maris with 62nd home run
Fan who caught HR is identified: ‘He doesn’t exactly need the money’
How much is Aaron Judge’s No. 62 worth? Nobody’s sure but it’s a lot!
Listen to John Sterling’s radio call of Judge’s record home run
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Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com.
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