A young Yankees fan Mike Kessler succeded to get hold of Aaron Judge’s 60th home-run ball emerging the luckiest from the mad rush to acquire this piece of history. However, the Yankees were able to entice him to surrender the ball for a signed bat and four auto-graphed balls.
The 60th home-run ball could have fetched millions in the sports memorabilia market. In August, an auction of a 1952 card signed by Yankee great Mickey Mantle fetched $12.6 million. Previously, the record was $7.5 million for a card signed by Pirates’ Honus Wagner.
Considering the millions the record ball can fetch, did the young fan get a raw deal? Did the Yankees organization rip Mike Kessler off?
Aaron Judge made history for the first time this season with the New York Yankees. He drove the No. 60 home-run ball 430 feet to the left bleachers. Once landed, it resulted in a frantic dash by fans to get the ball.
Videos posted on social media showed fans in the left-field stands of Yankee Stadium jumping on one another to have a piece of history.
Judge achieved this historic milestone on Tuesday’s game against the Pirates.
It was his 60th home run of the season and tied him with Babe Ruth for the second-most home runs in an American League season. He also did it faster than any other player in the AL.
Yankees fan gets robbed in exchange for Aaron Judge’s 60th home-run ball
In the end, 20-year-old Mike Kessler got the home-run ball, and he was seen being led behind the scenes, probably so the Yankees could talk to him. And Marly Rivera of ESPN said that in exchange for the 60th home-run ball, he was robbed.
Okay, so Rivera stated that the fan received a signed ball and bat, as well as signed balls for his friends.
But that is a total rip-off when you think about how much Judge’s 60th home-run ball is worth.
Mike Kessler, a 20-year-old student at City College of New York and who plays baseball for the school’s team, was the one who got the 60th home-run ball.
A poll of several people from different auction houses showed that Judge’s baseball No. 60 won’t be as valuable as Nos. 61 or 62, but that the 60th home-run ball could still be worth anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000. That’s a lot more than what the young Yankees fan got back in exchange.
While some “baseball purists” will argue that fans are too stingy when it comes to negotiating for milestone home run balls, the truth is that there are times when fans need to know the worth of the piece of history they own. The Yankees took advantage of the fact that this young fan should have been among them.
Sal Durante, who caught Maris’ 60th home run ball got $5,000 later. According to his son Tom Durante, Maris himself told his father to have the ball. “’Hold on to the ball. Somebody is going to offer you some kind of money for that ball,” the Yankee great advised Sal. Both developed friendships and Maris had sent him gifts on his wedding too.
What would you have done if you had the 60th home-run ball? Do you think Mike Kessler got a raw deal?
