The New York Yankees were in Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ backyard when Aaron Judge broke the AL single-season home run record a few days ago. That No. 62 home run ball is estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands, or even millions to the lucky fan who caught it.
But what would Jones himself have done if he had somehow managed to get that now-iconic ball? Speaking to 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Jones said that he would probably give the ball back to Judge, but he also conceded that he might change his stance if he weren’t as wealthy.
“I think I’d like him to have it. Now, if I didn’t have any money… Let’s be real a little bit here. Your personality, your charitability, that will change on you when you’re broke,” Jones said.
The fan who caught the ball hasn’t publicly stated his intentions with it yet. But it seems likely that he’s going to end up with something nice in exchange for his piece of history.
Through the years there have been some very tidy sums paid for some of the biggest home run balls in MLB history. The most iconic of those is the $3 million that Spawn creator Todd McFarlane paid for Mark McGwire’s record 70th home run in 1998.
A few years later, McFarlane paid over $500,000 for Barry Bonds’ record-breaking 73rd home run ball. He also spent $175,000 for Sammy Sosa’s 66th home run ball in 1998.
It seems unlikely that anyone pays as much as McFarlane paid for the McGwire ball, but you never know.
What would you do with the Aaron Judge home run ball?