Blue Jays fans just miss catching Aaron Judge’s historic home run ball

A couple of Toronto Blue Jays fans came within inches of taking home a piece of baseball history, and a potentially massive payday, on Wednesday night.

Fans have crowded the outfield bleachers at the Rogers Centre over the past three nights anticipating a record home run blast from New York Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge.

Judge delivered on Wednesday sending a line drive over the left field wall off of reliever Tim Mayza in the top of the 7th inning — breaking Roger Maris’ 61-year-old American League single-season home run record.

The ball ended up in the Blue Jays bullpen but not before it grazed the glove of two men in Blue Jays jerseys, who reached over the front rail of the outfield seats in hopes of coming away with the prize.

Welp… pic.twitter.com/ycVW6xEynd

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One of the fans, 37-year-old Toronto restaurant owner Frankie Lasagna who was sporting a baby-blue Jays jersey, said he grabbed his glove from his garage before coming to the game in preparation of the exact scenario that played out.

“I would never ever bring a glove other than this situation,” he lamented. “I needed a bigger one.”

“Two more feet and I would have had it. I needed a fishing net and I would have got it.”

Blue Jays broadcasters Dan Shulman and Buck Martinez dissected the agonizingly close call during the television broadcast, with Shulman noting that if the other fan who got is glove on the ball was slightly taller he probably would have made the catch.

“Look how close he came,” Shulman said. “He got a glove on it, Buck”

“He can’t believe it, he threw is glove back, he is sick,” Martinez responded.

“You come to a ball game and out of all the seats you could possibly sit in, he was sitting in the right seat. What a heartbreak.”

It’s estimated the ball could have been worth up to $2 million on the collector’s market and much was made about what would happen if a fan caught the ball. Luckily for Judge and the Yankees’ it landed in Toronto’s bullpen and in the hands of Blue Jays reliever Jordan Romano.

Romano said after the game it was a collective effort from Toronto relievers to retrieve Judge’s home run ball and return it to the Yankees.

“It’s a very important ball,” Romano said. “There was a lot of people there. We just didn’t want to give it to the wrong people.”

Security guards, police officers and stadium employees were hovering in the area at the time. Blue Jays bullpen coach Matt Buschmann handed it over to Yankees reliever Zach Britton, who walked over from the opposing bullpen.

New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) celebrates after hitting his 61st home run of the season, a two-run shot, against the Toronto Blue Jays during seventh inning American League MLB baseball action in Toronto on Sept. 28, 2022. The home run ties Roger Maris’ American League single-season home run record. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alex Lupul

The home run was Judge’s 61st of the season, tying the American League (AL) record set by fellow Yankee Roger Maris in 1961.

Judge is just the 6th Major League Baseball player ever to hit 60 home runs in a season, joining Maris, Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

Babe Ruth hit 60 in 1927, which had stood as the major league mark until Maris broke it in 1961.

McGwire broke the record in 1998, hitting 70, and Bonds broke that record three years later when he hit 73. The two sluggers, along with Sosa, all played in the National League, meaning Maris’ 61 has stood as the AL record for 61-years. Bonds, McGwire and Sosa have all faced allegations of steroid use, meaning some fans have considered Maris, and now Judge, the “clean” MLB record-holders.

The Yankees have six games left in the season with Judge now looking to hit number 62 and break the record.

With files from The Canadian Press and Lucas Casaletto