Justin Morgan and his father arrived early at Rogers Centre on Monday to stake out a spot in the 200-level outfield standing-room section, hoping to catch a piece of baseball history.
Sporting a white Blue Jays jersey and with leather glove at the ready, all Morgan needed was Yankees slugger Aaron Judge to co-operate and hit his 61st home run of the season.
鈥淲e were watching all weekend hoping maybe he鈥檇 hit one more so we could have the record-breaker here,鈥� Morgan said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 just as good to have the one that could tie Roger Maris.鈥�
Good thing Morgan planned to return on Tuesday night. Judge was held to a single in three at-bats as the Yankees dropped a 3-2 decision to Toronto in the opener of the three-game series.
Judge has been on the cusp of tying the American League single-season home run record for a week. He鈥檚 aiming to pull even with Maris, who hit 61 homers in 1961.
鈥淎ny time the Jays are in the race through September, it鈥檚 a great atmosphere to be in,鈥� said Pete Devcich, a longtime Yankees fan from Toronto. 鈥淲hen you add the Aaron Judge 61-62 chase, it just adds that extra bit of flair. It鈥檚 a treat to be here.鈥�
Judge lashed a single to right field to open the game and came around to score on a sacrifice fly. He drew a walk in the third inning and struck out in the sixth and again in the eighth.
With two runners on in the 10th inning, Tim Mayza intentionally walked Judge to a chorus of boos from fans eager to see Judge take a few more cuts at the plate.
A hot topic of discussion among fans who took in batting practice was what they鈥檇 do if they caught the historic home run ball. Trading it with the team/player in exchange for memorabilia is a common practice but with some collectors willing to pay big bucks, it may be tempting to sell it.
Joseph Moltschanow of Mississauga, Ont., said if he were to catch it, a signed baseball and a meet-and-greet session with the baseball star would be enough.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not for me to keep,鈥� he said from the sixth row of the 200 level. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something he deserves. He鈥檚 worked hard for it.鈥�
Morgan, from Burlington, Ont., would take some time before making a decision.
鈥淲e would hold off 24 hours and let the dust settle,鈥� he said. 鈥淭ake the best offer that came and then my Dad and I would split it 50-50.鈥�
Specially marked baseballs were used when Judge was at the plate on Monday night. The balls were identifiable and could be easily authenticated.
If the ball is caught by a spectator, Yankees security officials would contact stadium security for discussions on the possibility and interest in having the fan return it, a team spokesman said.
Judge is also in the running for the Triple Crown, a rare feat where a player leads the league in homers, RBIs and batting average.
鈥淭he baseball fan in me respects the hell out of Aaron Judge and the year that he鈥檚 put together and how he is as a person too,鈥� Blue Jays manager John Schneider said before the game. 鈥淚t would be nice to keep him on ice for a couple days. I hope we鈥檙e winning by 12 if he hits a home run.鈥�
Some sports networks have done cut-ins to their programming in recent days whenever Judge has gone to bat. In addition to coverage on Sportsnet and the YES Network, the game was available on the MLB Network and for free on MLB.TV.
Announced attendance was 34,307 for the series opener, well short of a sellout. However, the press box and photographer bays were packed with many American media members coming north for the series.
鈥淚 think he鈥檚 a great face of the game, a representative of the game, he does so many things that you wish your best players would do,鈥� Yankees manager Aaron Boone. 鈥淪o I think it鈥檚 great. I think it鈥檚 more attention on our sport, more eyeballs on our sport and it鈥檚 documenting something that almost never happens.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important for me as I say this right now, to try to appreciate that. Really appreciate what a magical season he has put forth to this point.鈥�
Barry Bonds set the all-time single-season record with 73 home runs in 2001.
鈥擥regory Strong, The Canadian Press
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