If you were lucky enough to hit it, what would you do? It’s a question every fan aiming to catch an Aaron Judge home run must ponder before taking a seat. Once this home game is over, the decisions will come fast and full of pressure. Judge hit his 60th home run of his historic season on Tuesday. The tally tied him for Babe Ruth’s career home run and left him one shy of fellow Yankee Roger Maris’ AL record. Judge’s next ball – assuming he hits it – will tie Maris and fetch a small fortune on the collector’s market. As would record-breaking No. 62. Each Judges home run from there will also have collectible value with his final log of the season officially establishing the new mark — and possibly commanding the highest honor. Fans securing these balls will be faced with a number of options: 1. Keep it. 2. Sell it. 3. Give it away. 4. Give it back to the judge and the Yankees. 5. Negotiate with Judge and the Yankees. The pressure right now will be intense and lean heavily toward the Nos. 4 and 5 picks — especially for Yankees fans at Yankee Stadium. Security will likely be there to provide an escort — as they were for Michael Kessler, the fan who caught No. 60 on Tuesday. At this point, it’s decision time. Kessler is a 20-year-old Yankees fan who put on a Yankees jersey on Tuesday. After meeting with security, he and his friends met with Judge after the game. They took pictures with Judge and everyone left with autographed baseballs. Kessler also took home an autographed bat. But he didn’t leave with baseball’s No. 60. Which he gave to the judge. He explained his decision to reporters before meeting with the Yankees slugger. “This is history,” Kessler explained to reporters. “Any way I could give back to Judge, he’s given so much to the organization – just make it mine.” The story continues For Kessler, it was obviously a great night — one he’ll tell stories about and certainly exceeded his Tuesday expectations. Meanwhile, the ball he gave back is estimated by many industry experts to be worth six figures. Ken Goldin of Goldin auctions told Action Network’s Darren Rovell that he expected it to fetch $150,000 on the open market. Brahm Wachter of Sotheby’s valued it at $100,000. David Kohler of SCP Auctions placed a value of $50,000 to $70,000 on the ball. Is it fair trade? Is there really a moral imperative for a fan in Kessler’s position to “just do my part?” The ball’s high estimated value is life-changing money for many 20-year-olds. The low estimate of $50,000 is nothing to sneeze at. Meanwhile, the Yankees are not a charity. Their value is 6 billion dollars. Judge has $36 million plus in career earnings and was able to reject a $213 million contract offer from the Yankees last offseason. He will do much more as a free agent after posting one of the best seasons in baseball history. September 20, 2022? Bronx, New York, USA Fans watch as New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during Game 6 at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports The Yankees and Judge are in a good position to offer a fair value for a ball — if they choose. But that’s not how these scenarios play out. Teams tend to offer packages that include memorabilia and season tickets when high-stakes balls are involved. Tom Brady gave the fan who returned his 600th touchdown a bitcoin worth $63,000 back then — and much less now. He also recognized that the fan had to keep the ball. “Byron realized he lost all his leverage as soon as he gave the ball away,” Brady said during a “Monday Night Football” broadcast. “He had to hold onto it to have as much leverage as possible.” That doesn’t mean the Yankees and Judge are obligated to give fans fair market value. If they don’t want to, that’s fine. At the same time, fans aren’t obligated to just give them the ball in exchange for some autographed gear and a meet-and-greet. In no other case is an American who legitimately and rightfully stumbles upon a six-figure payday expected to simply give it up. But that’s the dynamic that will play out in conversations among fans, on the airwaves and on social media surrounding Judge’s home run balls. Meanwhile, the stakes going forward will only rise. The same industry experts who put a price on No. 60 estimated Nos. 61 and 62 and Judge’s final home run of the season to fetch anywhere from $150,000 to $1 million. If you’re lucky enough to get one, it’s best to already have a plan.
