MLB fan bid $2 million for Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run ball


The owner of a sports memorabilia auction house said he told the fan Aaron Judges 62.

JP Cohen, president of Memory Lane Inc. in Tustin, Calif., told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he texted Cory Youmans, the man who took Judge’s milestone shot Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, and sent an email. Cohen says Youmans hasn’t responded yet.

“I think the offer is way over fair if he’s willing to sell it,” Cohen said in a phone interview with the AP on Wednesday.

Youmans snapped up the historic souvenir in a snap as it sailed into the front row of Section 31 in left field. The homer pushed Judge past Roger Maris for the AL season record — a mark many consider baseball’s “clean” standard since the only National League players to hit more hits were marred by ties to steroids.

Youmans, who is from Dallas, works in the financial world. He was asked Tuesday what he intends to do with the prize while security personnel took him away to be authenticated.

“Good question. I didn’t think about it,” he said.

The record price for a home run ball is $3 million, paid for Mark McGwire’s 70th record from the 1998 season.

Cohen previously pledged to offer $2 million for the judge’s 62nd homer. He said his company has a good relationship with the Yankees and would be willing to loan the team the ball for an exhibition. He added that the team frequently displayed Memory Lane-owned items at Yankee Stadium.

“We made an offer of $2 million and that offer is still valid,” Cohen said.

After the Yankees lost 3-2, Judge said he no longer had the home run ball.

“I don’t know where it is,” he said. “We’ll see what happens with that. It would be great to get it back, but it’s a souvenir for a fan. He made a great catch out there and they have every right to it.”

Youmans was among the 38,832 spectators, the largest, to watch a baseball game at the three-year-old ballpark.