An HR ball that can fetch seven figures is something that is unusual to get. But on Wednesday, Blue Jays bullpen coach Matt Buschmann had it when he caught the historic 61st HR ball of Aaron Judge after he hit it for his record-tying home run of this season. However, he handed it back to the Yankees. In return, his reporter wife, in a lighter vein, tweeted to divorce him for this big mistake.
The 61st HR ball that Aaron Judge hit for 394 feet was sure to be a very valuable collector’s item. It is estimated to fetch up to $2 million to anyone who has it. His 62nd HR ball could be as valuable as $5 million. But to the bad luck of fans, collectors, and auctioneers seeking to catch it at Rogers Centre, the 61st HR ball ended up in the Toronto bullpen.
When Judge hit the home run to tie with Roger Maris’ record in the seventh inning against left-handed pitcher Tim Mayza, the 61st HR ball came agonizingly close to a Blue Jays fan, who was sitting in the outfield but was unable to catch it from his seat. The fan just missed it and wasn’t so lucky on this cold night in Toronto. Take a look at this moment in time that he won’t be able to forget anytime soon:
The fact that the fan was seen sulking with frustration after missing the ball. The camera shows him slamming his cap after he realized of missing a bounty. It demonstrates that witnessing Judge make history did not hold the same level of significance for him as having Aaron Judge’s 61st HR ball in his possession.
At that time, only a few people had access to the 61st HR ball that was likely to sell at auction for seven figures, and they were all Blue Jays employees.
Blue Jays bullpen coach Matt Buschmann was the one who finally got his hands on the ball. Then, Buschmann and the rest of the Jays bullpen, especially closer Jordan Romano, made sure the ball got to the Yankees.
Buschmann’s reporter wife Sara Walsh was one of the many baseball fans experiencing a lot of excitement over Aaron Judge’s homer record. Despite being in Florida and withering Hurricane Ian, Sara took to Twitter and jokingly tweeted that she was going to retire, as her husband had Aaron Judge’s 61st HR ball.
After Buschmann returned the ball to the Yankees, she again tweeted in a playful note that she was to divorce her husband for the mistake.
Buschmann might not have had much choice but to throw the ball back. Legal precedent says that home run balls are officially abandoned by MLB and can be taken by fans. However, since Buschmann was part of a Major League team, it was his responsibility to return Aaron Judge’s 61st HR ball to the Yankees.
Walsh says that it turned out that he was happy to give it up.
Aaron Judge admired the Blue Jays coach for his action. He told”
“From what I heard from our bullpen guys, Romano was the guy that kind of handed it over. Getting that type of support and a classy move from him, who’s one of the best in the game, definitely means a lot. I’ve got to try to find him here and thank him for that, that’s for sure.”
Judge gifted the 61st HR ball to his mother Patty Judge and both had a picture with the record-setting ball after the game.
Now that Judge has hit home run number 61, he only needs one more in his team’s last seven games to create new Yankees and AL single-season records. Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs for the Giants in 2001, which is the MLB record. It’s unlikely that he will match or beat that number this season
Will Aaron Judge hit home run no. 62 in Yankee Stadium?
