Photo of Cory Youmans and Ashin Rangani. Twitter: @AshinRangani
The fan who caught New York Yankees star Aaron Judge's record-breaking home run Tuesday night isn't sure what he's doing with the ball yet.
Why it matters: The ball could sell for $1 million to $2 million in auctions.
- Judge broke the American League record set in 1961 by Roger Maris.
What happened: Cory Youmans, who hails from Dallas, caught the ball in section 31 of left field at Globe Life Field Tuesday night, AP reports.
- Security immediately approached him once he caught the ball and led him out of the stands. Nearby fans celebrated with Youmans as he was escorted away.
- When asked by reporters and spectators what he plans to do with the ball, he replied, “Good question. I haven’t thought about it."
Ashin Rangani, a Yankees fan who also lives in Dallas, captured a video with Youmans seconds after the catch, per the New York Post.
- He told Youmans to keep the ball.
- “He was real nervous,” Rangani said, according to the Post. “He was shaking and pale. I went over there and we were just jumping and celebrating together.”
The Texas Rangers had a plan for protecting the fan prior to the game, John Blake, executive vice president of communications for the Rangers, said in an email to Axios.
- "The Rangers were certainly prepared for the scenario where Judge’s 62nd home run was hit into the seating bowl," Blake said, "and the execution worked as planned."
Texas Rangers security team and Arlington Police Department officers were stationed in the outfield seating areas during each at-bat for Judge, Blake said.
- Security escorted the fan out of the seating area to the security command center once he caught the ball, Blake said.
- The ball was given to Major League Baseball officials, who authenticated it. The fan then had a conversation with the New York Yankees organization, Blake said.
- Security then brought Youmans to his car and he left the ballpark.
The bottom line: Judge, who actually hit the homer, said "it would be great to get it back, but that’s a souvenir for a fan."
- "He made a great catch out there, and they’ve got every right to it.”
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout.