The jersey worn by Aaron Judge when he homered in his major league debut is estimated to fetch $3 million to $5 million when it is sold at auction in July, The Athletic reported.
The New York Yankees jersey from 2016 as well as former Yankees superstar Derek Jeter’s jersey when he made an iconic dive play in 2004 will be featured in Sotheby’s Summer Sports Marquee auction. Bidding runs from July 1-20.
Judge, 34, made his major league debut on Aug. 13, 2016, in an 8-4 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Batting eighth and playing right field, Judge went 2-for-4, including a homer off right-hander Matt Andriese with two outs in the second inning.
The shot immediately followed a homer from teammate Tyler Austin, who also was in his first big league game. They became the first teammates to homer in the first at-bats of their major league debuts in the same game.
First baseman Austin last played in the majors in 2019. Judge has gone on to be selected the American League Most Valuable Player in 2022, 2024 and 2025, and the AL Rookie of the Year in 2017.
Judge, a seven-time All-Star, is a lifetime .291 hitter with 385 homers, 868 RBIs, 213 doubles and 70 stolen bases in 1,204 games with the Yankees.
“Obviously, he became an iconic Bronx Bomber and passed (Roger) Maris’ (single-season AL home run) record (with 62), he’s kind of known for being a home run hitter,” Brahm Wachter, head of modern collectibles at Sotheby’s, told The Athletic. “So we have a rookie debut jersey where he hits a home run, not just wore it for his first game. He actually did something important in it.”
Judge has not played since May 31 because of a stress fracture in his right rib. He is batting .248 with 17 home runs and 38 RBIs in 59 games.
The most paid at public auction for any piece of Judge memorabilia is $1.5 million for his 62nd home run baseball from the 2022 season. A private transaction resulted in a Judge trading card selling for $5.2 million, auction house Fanatics Collect announced in March. The card was his 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Pick Autographs one-of-one Superfractor, the most expensive publicly sold modern era card.
Jeter, who turns 52 on Friday, had a Hall of Fame career (Class of 2020), all with the Yankees from 1995 to 2014.
Among his many famous moments was catching a foul ball in the 12th inning of a 5-4 win in 13 innings over the visiting Boston Red Sox on July 1, 2004. The shortstop crashed into the seats beyond the third base line and was helped out of the crowd with his face visibly bruised.
Pre-sale estimates for the Jeter jersey run between $500,000 and $700,000, per the report. His big league debut jersey sold for $369,000 in 2020 — then a record for a modern era jersey, per The Athletic.
The highest price for a Jeter card sold at public auction is $600,000 for a 1993 Upper Deck SP Foil Premier Prospects in a PSA 10 grade, per the report.
–Field Level Media
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