Talk about being in the right place at the right time. That was the case for New York, and Yankees fan, Michael Kessler, who made the last-minute decision to head out to the stadium for Tuesday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and caught a piece of history.
Kessler snagged Aaron Judge’s historic 60th home run ball after the Yankees slugger hit a blast to left field in the bottom of the ninth inning in New York’s 9-8 win over the Pirates.
“It hit the top of the bullpen, hit off someone’s hand, and I just reached and grabbed it and bear-hugged it,” Kessler told reporters in a video posted by ESPN’s Marly Rivera. “It wasn’t so much of a pile, I tried to get off to the side and get out of there as quick as possible.”
Michael Kessler, a 20-year-old #Yankees fan who decided to come to the game last-minute, on catching Judge’s 60th HR ball. pic.twitter.com/ORvZWqZSiR
— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) September 21, 2022
Security quickly descended onto Kessler and his three friends that were in the Bronx to take in the game, and Kessler was more than happy to give the ball up to the man who had hit it. The Yankees in return rewarded Kessler with signed baseballs for all four in the group and Kessler also got a signed bat and a short meet and greet with Judge himself in the Yankees clubhouse.
“Just wanted to give it back. That’s history,” Kessler said. “Any way I could give back to Judge, who has given so much to the organization. Just do my part.”
Kessler, a ball player himself, passed up on what could have been a small fortune for the milestone ball. Judge’s 60th home run could have been worth anywhere from $50,000 to half a million dollars, according to Action Network’s Darren Rovell.
The 61st home run ball could fetch an even higher asking price for whoever snags that piece of history. Local memorabilia proprietors told amNewYork this week that the pay could be anywhere in the six-figure range to “north of $5 million.”
Judge’s pursuit of Roger Maris’ record has drawn an even bigger spotlight on the superstar and the Yankees. Over 40,000 fans packed into Yankee Stadium for Tuesday night’s game and ticket prices have surged on the secondary market.
Judge will become a free agent this offseason and could leave the Bronx if a deal isn’t worked out. Kessler said his message to Judge would be to try to get him to stay.
“Try anything to come back next year. You’re the heart and soul of the ball club,” Kessler said.