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Aaron Judge returned the ball to AL-record-tying Roger Maris after hitting No. 61 in Toronto on Wednesday night and gave the ball to his mother.
TORONTO, ON — When Aaron Judge’s American League record 61st home run landed in Toronto’s bullpen, manager Matt Bushman picked it up, a souvenir potentially worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“The bad news is that I’m here in Florida fighting a hurricane, but the good news is that I can announce my retirement.” Bushman’s wife Sarah Walsh tweetedFox Sports reporter and former ESPN anchor.
Bushman and Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano then pitched it to Yankees reliever Zach Britton, who made sure it got to Judge.
Walsh then added: “Oh, cool. He just returned it without checking if our house was still here? Next, I would like to announce our divorce.”
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And just to make it clear she’s just kidding, she continued chirping: “Just a reporter working here … according to my sources … Matt Bushman was not made to return the ball, but he passed it to Zach Britton,” adding that he told her, “The Judge family and Maris were flying all over the country. They deserve to have that ball.”
Judge entered the Yankees’ series in Toronto this week one shy of the AL record 61 home runs set by Roger Morris in 1961. The only players to surpass Maris — Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa — all did so with suspected or confirmed steroid users, leading some to believe that Judge’s quest pushed the season to a legitimate record.
When Judge took a 3-2 pitch from Blue Jays left-hander Tim Maze toward the lower deck in left field in the seventh inning Wednesday night, glove-clad fans prepared to try and catch a piece of baseball history. Instead, the ball went past two outstretched gloves, bounced off the wall and into the Toronto bullpen.
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“You’re in disbelief and just in shock and amazement,” said Frankie Lasagna, one of two fans closest to the ball. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I almost had it.'”
Lasagna, a Toronto restaurant owner, knew what was at stake when he bought a front-row ticket. He said he doesn’t usually bring a glove to a game.
“In the front row, I felt like you had the best chance,” he said. “Lo and behold, I was just a few feet away from me.”
Next to Lasagna, a Blue Jays fan wearing a Beau Bichette jersey was even closer to catching Judge’s drive. He was clearly embarrassed when it slipped out of his hands and declined an interview.
