By Emilee White
We’ve all heard the story now, I hope, of the Yankees fan who caught Aaron Judge’s 60th home run ball. Michael Kessler was the lucky aforementioned fan, who could have made out like a bandit using that ball as a pawn.
Instead, Kessler did the unthinkable and returned the ball to Judge. Some might think the kid just blew away an opportunity to bag a huge sum of money — it’s been estimated the ball is worth anywhere between $100,000 and $150,000, as reported by TMZ — but Kessler just wanted to give Judge, who then gave signed balls and bats to the 20-year-old as well as his friends.
Here’s Michael and his friends with Judge after the game
(via @JohnstoneJD) pic.twitter.com/pzNC86MSvU
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 21, 2022
Others before Kessler have been in similar situations. Some have done what Kessler did while others did give items back, but at a cost. Here are some other moments when fans either cashed out, kept the balls, or gave them back, free of charge.
Roger Maris’ 61st home run ball
Let’s go back to 1961 when cashing in on catching balls became famous. Roger Maris held the record for home runs in a single season with 61 from 1961 to 1998 and his 61st home run ball was caught by 19-year-old Sal Durante. At the time, Durante did what Kessler did, and gave Maris the ball back. Or tried, at least.
USA Today reported that when Durante tried to Give Maris the ball, he said he told him to keep it and make as much off of it as he could. $5,000 and one photo op later, Maris was eventually given the ball by Sam Gordon, who bought it off of Durante. The ball now belongs to the Hall of Fame and has ever since Maris handed it over in 1973.
Mark McGwire’s 62nd home run ball
The game where Maris’ record got smashed was the same game where a St. Louis Cardinals grounds crew member caught the record-breaking ball hit by Mark McGwire. Just like Kessler, the crew member gave the ball back without a price and gained good publicity plus a minivan from Chrysler.
Ryan Howard’s 200th home run ball
Ryan Howard’s 200th home run ball story comes with a bit of controversy. In 2011, 12-year-old Jennifer Valdivia and her older brother — he was 15 years old at this time — were attending the Phillies vs. The Marlins game that resulted in Valdivia catching the famous home run ball. But Valdivia and her brother were at the game without an adult present. That’s where the story takes a turn.
When Valdivia caught the ball, Marlins staff escorted her to the Phillies clubhouse. There, Valdivia was talked into giving back Howard’s ball — she was given cotton candy during all of this and was promised a souvenir ball signed by Howard instead. On the outside, it seems like an innocent exchange. Then Valdivia’s parents were made aware of the situation.
Marquette Law breaks the story down and fortunately, for both entities, it never turned into a legal battle. The Valdivia hired a lawyer and formally requested to have the ball returned, and after three months of refusal and inaction from the Phillies — and the fact the family was already in the process of filing a lawsuit with the organization — the ball was finally returned to Valdivia.
Derek Jeter’s 3000-hit ball
Christian Lopez however wanted to get more bang for his buck when he caught the milestone ball.
Deker Jeter’s 3000-hit ball landed in the hands of Lopez in 2011, and even though he returned it to the Yankees, wanted something in return: Yankees memorabilia and tickets. That’s right, Lopez received $70,000 worth of stuff in exchange for a ball that was valued at $250,000. It doesn’t seem like a fair trade, but it was for Lopez, saying during a press conference right after Jeter reached the 3000-hit milestone, “Mr. Jeter deserved it. Yeah, money is cool and all, but I’m only 23 years old. I have a lot of time to make that. His accomplishment is a milestone.”
Tom Brady’s 600th touchdown ball
While it’s more likely for fans to catch baseballs than footballs, it doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
In his second year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady became the first quarterback in NFL history to score 600 career touchdown passes. During the play, Brady threw the ball to wide receiver Mike Evans for the touchdown, who then leaped into the stands and gave the ball away to a fan by accident.
The fan would be Bryon Kennedy, who had no idea, along with Evans, that he was now in possession of Brady’s milestone ball. Initially, when asked to give it back, Kennedy said on Tampa Bay 10 Eyewitness News that he said no because he wanted to keep it for himself, but he handed it over in exchange for two signed jerseys and a helmet from Brady, another signed jersey from Evans as well as game-worn cleats, two season passes that can be used through the 2022 season, and a $1,000 gift card — after the exchange, Brady said on “Manning Cast” that he also was giving Kennedy one bitcoin valued at around $62,000.
Kennedy knew the ball had some value, which was why he asked for a few things in return, but he had no idea the true value. It wouldn’t have changed anything, anyways.
"Mike and I were on the exact same page. No idea that was the 600th touchdown."
Meet the man who handed over @TomBrady's milestone 600th ball: St. Pete's Byron "Bo" Kennedy wouldn't have sold it even if he had kept it, but he does have one request: A round of golf with the GOAT. pic.twitter.com/uvFAqPFQ6o
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) October 25, 2021
Future fans have contemplated what they would do if they found themselves in Kessler’s shoes and it looks like money doesn’t have to be a motivating factor as much as it would seem.
“I’d give it back,” said fellow fan Kevin Heathwood to USA Today. “Not even a second guess. It belongs to Judge and he earned every single thing that he’s gotten. Just being a part of it, that’s enough for me.”
So what would you do if you caught a milestone ball? Keep it for the memory, give it back, or milk it for what it’s worth?
Photo Credit: Keith Allison
