It may not have been the priciest ball hit by the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, but it was definitely one of the most memorable.
The auction for the ball that ricocheted off the glove of New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge in Game 5 of the World Series concluded on Thursday, with an anonymous buyer securing the memorabilia with a bid of $43,510.00. The proceeds from the auction, managed by the Dodgers, will be donated to the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.
This ball symbolizes the pivotal moment in the game that clinched the Dodgers their eighth Fall Classic earlier this year, as well as the beginning of one of the most embarrassing innings in Yankees history.
With a runner on first base and trailing 5-0 in the fifth inning, Dodgers shortstop Tommy Edman hit what should have been a routine fly ball to Judge in center field. However, Judge appeared to be distracted by baserunner Kiké Hernández taking a significant lead from first base, causing the ball to bounce off his glove.
This error was just the first of three significant defensive blunders for the Yankees in that inning. Shortstop Anthony Volpe made a wild throw to third on the following play, loading the bases with no outs. Then, after securing two outs, pitcher Gerrit Cole failed to cover first base on a ground ball hit by Mookie Betts.
The misplay involving Betts, which was not classified as an error, resulted in one run. Two more runs crossed the plate on a single by World Series MVP Freddie Freeman, followed by Teoscar Hernández tying the game with a double. The Dodgers eventually triumphed in the game with a score of 7-6, and they went on to win the series 3-1.
The ball hit by Judge will likely rank as the third most expensive ball hit by the Dodgers this season. Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 ball was auctioned for a record-breaking $4.4 million in October, and the ball from the walk-off grand slam that Freeman hit in Game 1 of the World Series currently has a leading bid of $600,000. This auction is set to conclude on Saturday.
On a related note, dirt from various stages of the Dodgers’ playoff journey remains available for purchase.