CNN
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It could have been a major payday for the man who snagged Aaron Judge’s record-tying home run on Wednesday, but the night ended in his wife joking about getting a “divorce.”
The light-hearted moment came after Judge tied Roger Maris’ single-season American League home run record after hitting his 61st homer against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The New York Yankees slugger sent the ball flying over the fence at the Rogers Centre where it was almost caught by two separate fans, who both looked mortified after letting it slip between their fingers.
Instead, the pricey piece of history hit the stands and fell into the bullpen where it was eventually picked up by Blue Jays’ pitching coach Matt Buschmann.
Buschmann’s eagle-eyed wife spotted her husband holding the ball while she was at home in Florida, as Hurricane Ian pummelled the State.
“Bad news is I’m down here in Florida battling a hurricane, but the good news is I can announce my retirement,” Sara Walsh, a sports broadcaster, tweeted after seeing her husband holding the highly lucrative collector’s item, which could have fetched upwards of seven figures at auction.
However, moments later, Buschmann gave the ball to Toronto closer Jordan Romano, before it was eventually returned to Judge himself.
This, according to Walsh, was grounds for divorce.
“Oh cool. He just handed that back without checking to see if our house is still here? I’d next like to announce our divorce,” Walsh tweeted.
Having received the ball, Judge fittingly gifted it to his mom, Patty, after the game.
Patty had been watching from the front row of the stands and was sitting next to Roger Maris Jr., as she had been in recent weeks.
“She’s been with me through it all,” Judge told reporters about his mom.
“From the Little League days, getting me ready for school, taking me to my first couple of practices and games, being there for my first professional game, my debut and now getting a chance to be here for this – this is something special, and we’re not done yet.”
After hitting his 394-foot home run, Judge received a standing ovation from the Toronto crowd and was greeted by teammates as he touched home plate.
He was also congratulated on social media with Yankees legends Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez celebrating the achievement.
“Yes!!!,” Jeter tweeted, while Rodriguez went with “Bam!!!! 61 for [Judge].”
Judge will have a chance to break the AL record on Friday when the Yankees host the Baltimore Orioles.
If he manages to do so, there will no doubt be a clamor for whoever manages to grab the ball.
