Aaron Judge’s record-breaking 62nd home run ball fetches just $1.25m in online auction

The fan who caught Aaron Judge’s record-breaking 62nd home run ball appears to have run out of luck, after picking up significantly less than expected for his prized possession in an online auction. 

Cory Youmans, a 35-year-old from Dallas, Texas scrambled to catch Judge’s home run ball against the Texas Rangers on October 4 but surprisingly turned down a $3million offer for the prize in favor of putting it up for auction.

Youmans made the decision to sell the ball with the Goldin Auctions house ‘after weeks of a lot of deep conversations’ with his wife and lawyer, but it ended Saturday night with a final bid of just $1.25m – with fees taking it up to exactly HALF of what he could previously have earned.

Yankees star Aaron Judge’s historic 62nd home run ball was sold at an online auction Saturday

Cory Youmans (pictured at the game, left) caught Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run ball

Bidding closed at 10:30pm on Saturday, and the ball fetched just $1.5m with buyer’s premium

In fact, the ball failed to pick up any significant bids in the final four days of the auction, and Youmans may now be regretting his decision to keep hold of the ball after the initial $3m offer he received in the aftermath of the game. 

The auction began with an opening bid of $1m on November 29 and quickly rose to $1.15m in the first few days, but then did not receive another bid until December 7, when it attracted $1.2m.

With less than half an hour remaining on the auction, a bidder added $50,000 to the price, but the regular auction ended at just $1.25m.

From there, previous bidders were given an extra 30 minutes to up their offers, but nobody opted to do so and the auction ended with an underwhelming result. 

Overall, the as-yet unknown winning bidder will actually pay $1.5m with buyer’s premium, but that will still be seen as a disappointing sale for Youmans. 

Judge broke the single-season AL home run record on October 4 with his 62nd of 2022

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Youmans is married to Dallas sports reporter and Bachelor Nation alum Bri Amaranthus (right)

The Judge ball fell well short of the record for the most expensive ball ever sold – Mark McGwire’s record-setting 70th home run ball from the 1998 season currently holds that title after fetching $3.05m in 1999.

Not long after grabbing the historic memento, Youmans had already received – and turned down – offers of $2m and rejected another offer of $3m just before putting it up for auction.

While Youmans may be currently regretting that decision, it was expected to be a smart move at the time.

‘Perhaps some collectors believe that Bonds, McGwire and Sosa are the real home run champions. But we discredit that notion for obvious reasons,’ Chris Brigandi, owner of Brigandi Coins & Collectibles, told the Action Network back in October.

‘With that said, we can expect Judge’s 60th to be valued at $500,000-plus, 61st at $2million-plus, 62 and record-setting at $5 to $10million.’

Judge hit the record-breaking home run off of the Rangers’ Jesus Tinoco away from home

The Yankees dugout spilled out onto the field to celebrate with Judge as he rounded the bases

As the ball cleared the infield, Youmans realized it was coming in his direction left field  

Youmans revealed to ESPN he had wanted to lend the ball to the Yankees to display during the postseason, ‘but unfortunately it didn’t materialize.’ 

He said ideally the ball would wind up with Judge, the Yankees or the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but the conduit will need to run through the auction. 

Judge, who was named American League MVP after his historic season, finally hit his 62nd home run against the Texas Rangers on October 4, surpassing Roger Maris’s AL record with just one game to go of the regular season.

After hitting his iconic home run, Judge said: ‘It’d be great to get it back, but that’s a souvenir for a fan. They made a great catch out there, and they’ve got every right to it.’

After equaling Maris with his 61st in Toronto on September 28, Judge had stalled slightly and was running out of games to break the record in.

Almost as soon as Judge connected on a 1-1 slider from Texas right-hander Jesus Tinoco, it was clear he was going long and his Yankees teammates streamed out of the dugout to celebrate with him. 

Amaranthus covers the Dallas Mavericks and Cowboys for Sports Illustrated. She was a contestant on the 22nd season of ‘The Bachelor,’ in 2018

The pair already lead a glamorous life, if their Instagram pictures are anything to go by

As the ball cleared the infield, Youmans realized it was coming in his direction and he kept telling himself not to drop it.

‘I have this fear of ending up on SportsCenter Not Top 10,’ Youmans said, ‘so my initial feeling was pure relief that I wasn’t the guy that dropped No. 62 or ended up wearing my beer.’

Much to his relief he avoided any embarrassment as he darted his glove out in front of a Grand Prairie, Texas, man named Todd Smith, and caught the coveted ball.

After being whisked away by security and authenticating the ball, he asked if he could leave the stadium.

Two security personnel spirited him to a golf cart and snaked through the interior of the stadium so Youmans could avoid any hassle. He stopped to meet Rangers owner Ray Davis and president Neil Leibman before departing through the players’ entrance. 

It had been reported on the night that Youmans was a millionaire banker but he dispelled this theory, telling ESPN: ‘We are not millionaires, and we enjoy the $3 red blend from Trader Joe’s as much as anything.’

They are often seen on yachts in Mexico, on a boat in Lake Travis, on the beaches of Hawaii, or on a private jet

He said he and wife Bri Amaranthus have been saving to buy their first house, and Youmans hopes to build a shop for his grandfather, a retired welder who works on classic cars, recently celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary and had been planning to move.

He added that he moved in with his grandparents at 13, he said, and his grandfather delayed retirement to send him to private school, following which Youmans became the first college graduate in his family.

After being diagnosed with melanoma earlier this year, Youmans said he and Amaranthus refocused their priorities, vowing to travel the world.

‘Meeting people from different cultures is a major priority for us at this stage of life,’ Youmans said, and selling the ball would allow for such adventures.

Amaranthus covers the Dallas Mavericks and Cowboys for Sports Illustrated. She was previously a host and reporter for NBC Sports Northwest, and was a contestant on the 22nd season of ‘The Bachelor,’ in 2018. 

After Amaranthus’ short run on the reality television show, she went on to marry Youmans in June 2021. The pair married after more than a year of engagement when Youmans popped the question while at a resort in Hawaii in February 2020.

Amaranthus celebrated her husband’s mega-money catch on Instagram and Twitter

The love birds now live in a high-rise luxury apartment in Dallas, Texas where rent ranges from $2,300 to $8,250 per month, according to Apartment List.

Most of the units showcase a spectacular view of the city in the living room, bathroom and bedroom.

Residents can enjoy a fully equipped gym and an outdoor resort-style pool that Amaranthus appears to spend a good amount of time at.

The duo’s luxury life seems to extend outside their home as they are often seen on yachts in Mexico, on a boat in Lake Travis, on the beaches of Hawaii, or on a private jet.

One of their reoccurring vacation spots appears to be in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico where they tied the knot.

Amaranthus celebrated her husband’s mega-money catch on social media as she quote tweeted a video of Youmans being whisked away by security, writing: ‘THIS IS MY HUSBAND’.