Aaron Judge’s record-breaking 62nd home run fetches just $1.25 million at an online auction

The fan who caught Aaron Judge’s record-breaking 62nd home run seems out of luck after getting far less than expected for his prized possession at an online auction.

Cory Youmans, a 35-year-old from Dallas, Texas, struggled to catch Judge’s home run ball against the Texas Rangers on Oct. 4, but surprisingly turned down a $3 million offer for the prize to get him to put up for auction.

Youmans made the decision to sell the ball with auction house Goldin “after weeks of intense discussions” with his wife and lawyer, but it ended on Saturday night with a final bid of just $1.25 million – with fees that it took exactly half of what he could have earned earlier.

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

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

The bidding closed at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, and the ball raised just $1.5 million with buyer’s premium

In fact, the ball hasn’t received any significant bids in the last four days of the auction and Youmans may now regret his decision to keep the ball after receiving the initial post-game bid of $3 million.

The auction started with an opening bid of $1M on November 29th and quickly rose to $1.15M in the first few days, but then received no further bids until December 7th when it reached $1.2M attracted.

Since the auction lasted less than half an hour, one bidder raised the price by $50,000, but the regular auction ended at just $1.25 million.

From then on, previous bidders were given an extra 30 minutes to improve their bids, but no one chose to do so and the auction ended with a disappointing result.

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

Judge broke the AL home run record for a season on Oct. 4 with his 62nd of 2022

Youmans is married to Dallas sportscaster and Bachelor Nation grad Bri Amaranthus (right).

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

Not long after picking up the historic memento, Youmans had already received — and turned down — offers of $2 million and turned down another offer of $3 million just before auctioning it off.

While Youmans currently regrets that decision, it was expected to have been 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 Action Network in October.

“With that in mind, we can assume that Judge’s 60th is worth over $500,000, the 61st is over $2 million, and the 62nd is between $5 million and $10 million.”

Judge hit the record-breaking home run by Rangers’ Jesus Tinoco away

The Yankees dugout rushed onto the field to celebrate with Judge as he circled the bases

As the ball left infield, Youmans realized it was coming his way from left field

Youmans revealed to ESPN that he wanted to loan the ball to the Yankees to display in the postseason, “but unfortunately it didn’t come to pass.”

He said ideally the ball would end up with Judge, the Yankees or the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but the line has 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 Oct. 4, beating Roger Maris’ AL record with just one game remaining in the regular season .

After hitting his legendary home run, Judge said, “It would be great to get him back, but that’s a souvenir for a fan. They made a great catch out there and they have every right to it.”

After leveling Maris with his 61st on September 28 in Toronto, Judge faltered slightly and ran out of games to break the record.

Almost as soon as Judge struck in a 1-1 slider from Texas right-hander Jesus Tinoco, it was clear he was going wide, and his Yankees teammates flocked from the dugout to celebrate with him.

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

The couple is already leading a glamorous life judging by their Instagram photos

As the ball passed infield, Youmans realized it was coming his way and kept telling himself not to drop it.

“I have this fear of not being in the SportsCenter top 10,” Youmans said, “so my initial feeling was pure relief that I wasn’t the guy who dropped to No. 62 or carried my beer.”

To his great relief, he avoided embarrassment as he fired his glove in front of a man named Todd Smith of Grand Prairie, Texas and caught the coveted ball.

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

Two security guards took him to a golf cart and weaved through the inside of the stadium so Youmans could avoid trouble. He stopped to meet Rangers owner Ray Davis and President Neil Leibman before walking through the players’ entrance.

It was reported on the night that Youmans was a millionaire banker, but he refuted that theory, telling ESPN, “We’re not millionaires and we enjoy Trader Joe’s $3 red mix as much as we do anything else.”

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

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

He added that he moved in with his grandparents when he was 13 and that his grandfather postponed retirement to send him to private school, after which Youmans became the first college graduate in his family.

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

“Meeting people from different cultures is a top priority for us at this stage of life,” Youmans said, and selling the ball would make such adventures possible.

Amaranthus covers the Dallas Mavericks and Cowboys for Sports Illustrated. She was previously a host and reporter for NBC Sports Northwest and took part in season 22 of The Bachelor in 2018.

Following Amaranthus’ brief appearance on the reality TV show, she married Youmans in June 2021. The couple were wed after more than a year of engagement when Youmans popped the question at a Hawaii resort in February 2020.

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

The lovebirds now live in a luxury high-rise apartment in Dallas, Texas, where rents range from $2,300 to $8,250 a month, according to Apartment List.

Most units offer spectacular city views in the living room, bathroom and bedroom.

Residents can enjoy a fully equipped gym and a resort-style outdoor pool, where Amaranthus seems to spend a lot of time.

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

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

Amaranthus celebrated her husband’s mega fundraiser on social media when she tweeted a video of Youmans being kidnapped by security and wrote: ‘THIS IS MY HUSBAND’.