The baseball that New York Yankee superstar Aaron Judge hit to notch his record-setting 62nd home run of the 2022 season was sold for $1.5 million in an auction.
The ball was listed by Goldin Auctions, and bidding closed on Saturday night. The winning bid was $1.25 million plus a $250,000 buyer's premium, according to the auction house. The buyer’s identity has not yet been disclosed.
Judge hit the historic home run — passing Yankee Roger Maris' 61-year American League record — on Oct. 4 in Arlington, Texas, against the Rangers. The ball was caught by Cory Youmans, a vice president at a branch of Fisher Investments.
Youmans, 35, a Dallas native, reportedly turned down a private offer of $3 million last month before listing the ball for auction with Goldin.
The ball that Mark McGwire smashed into the stands for his 70th home run of the year in 1998 is the most expensive ball ever — comic book artist and writer Todd McFarlane bought it for $3 million in 1999, according to The Athletic.
Judge, who was crowned as the AL MVP in November, reached an agreement with the Yankees on a nine-year, $360 million contract earlier this month.