20 year old Port Chester resident Michael Kessler was lucky enough to be at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 20 when Aaron Judge hit his 60th Home Run of the season. Kessler was seated in the left field bleachers with his friends when Judge hit the homer, which tied Babe Ruth for the 2nd most home runs ever hit by a Yankee and any American Leager.
And guess who came out of the scramble in his section to come up with the ball! Kessler, who decided at the last minute to go to the game, decided to return the ball to Judge. While it was a nice gesture for Kessler to return the ball to Judge, and he was given some signed balls and bats from Judge and tickets to some upcoming games in exchange for the ball, some are wondering if Kessler should have held onto the ball and auctioned it off to the highest bidder.
And more important, what about Home Run #61 or 62 if they come? Would he give those balls back to Judge and the Yankees. And what about all of us?
“I knew the importance of it, the significance of the moment. Diehard Yankee fan. I was like, ‘God forbid if I caught it.’ I knew I wanted to give it to Judge,” Kessler said.
It’s been a whirlwind,” Kessler said. “We were standing on top of the bleachers and then went down for his at-bat. We were jumping up and down because I knew it was a home run. It hit the top of the bleachers and then bounced toward our section. I just went to grab it and bear hugged it.”
“Judge means so much to the organization, especially this year,” Kessler said. “He’s just unbelievable. Just the way he is, he deserved to have the ball back. I have no second thoughts.”
Kessler played baseball at Port Chester High School and attend City College where he plays on the baseball team. It is estimated that the 60th Home Run would have sold at auction for $100,000.
Now if Judge hits #61 which would tie Roger Maris for the Yankee HR record, that ball will be worth around $1 Million. And #62 if it comes, would make Judge the #1 Yankee Home Run King, and could be worth $2 Million.
The queston that most of us are asking, and the sports talk shows in NYC are asking, is would you sell the ball or give it back? As a 45 year Yankee fan, I would have to admit that I would sell the ball.
The bottom line is that all Yankee fans are hoping that there will be a 61st Home Run, and a 62nd Home Run for fans to fight for. The last few games have become more difficult for Judge to hit a HR, because pitchers are no longer throwing him many strikes, and maybe some of it is stress.
The other angle to all of this is that if Judge can get to 62 homers, he would become, in the eyes of many, the true home run king in major league baseball history.
Six MLB players have hit 60 or more; Judge, Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire and Barry Bonds. Sosa, McGuire and Bonds have been accused of taking steroids during the home run year, and most baseball purists invalidate their records.
Which makes Judge’s “All Natural” home run chase even more exciting.
