Major League Baseball recently auctioned off an item from the World Series that ruffled some feather in New York — the ball Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge dropped in Game 5 in the fifth inning.
The ball fetched $43,510 with the proceeds donated to charity.
While some Yankees fans remember Judge failing to read the line drive, others also didn’t read the fine print because the seller wasn’t the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was Major League Baseball.
Regardless of who sold it, WFAN Sports Radio host Evan Roberts sounded off on the Dodgers.
“I think the Dodgers showed who they are. They’re a bunch of classless pigs,”Roberts said.
The auction garnered 101 bids during its 10-day run and was among several World Series-related items up for sale. But, the title “Dropped Fly Ball by Aaron Judge” definitely rubbed some salt in the wound for Yankees fans.
In that game, the Yankees led the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0 going into the fifth inning, but a costly error by Judge contributed to a five-run rally by the visiting Dodgers. The Dodgers went on to secure a 7-6 victory, clinching the World Series title.
“You could feel the energy shift in the stadium,” Dodgers Max Muncy said of the fateful fifth inning. “It was almost like those fans were waiting for something bad to happen … When all that started unfolding, I could just feel it. We’re about to take over this game.”
Regarding World Series errors, this ball isn’t the most expensive item. It doesn’t even come close to being the most valuable World Series error ball.
That honor goes to the ball that rolled through Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner’s legs during Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Mets.
Signed by Mets star Mookie Wilson and given to the team’s traveling secretary, it was eventually sold for $418,250 in 2012. The buyer was none other than Mets owner Steve Cohen.
Judge ended up winning the American League MVP unanimously after crushing 58 home runs and drove in a career-high 144 RBIs during the regular season.
However, he struggled in the postseason, batting just .184 with 20 strikeouts in 49 at-bats as the Yankees made their first World Series appearance since 2009.
“I think falling short in the World Series will stay with me until I die,” Judge said after Game 5.
The imfamous dropped ball will live on, too.
