Aaron Judge New York Yankees 2017 Signed Game Used Third Base From Historic 2017 Rookie Season | AL Rookie Home Run Record

On September 30, 2017, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Yankees power-hitting rookie outfielder Aaron Judge launched a 2-0 pitch from Toronto Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman into the left-center bleachers at Yankee Stadium — marking his 52nd home run of the season. It was also his 33rd home run at Yankee Stadium, breaking Babe Ruth’s 1921 record for the most home runs by a Yankees player at their home ballpark.

Sotheby’s is proud to present the game-used third base from that game, which was on the field from the top of the third inning through the bottom of the fifth. This base serves as a historic relic from one of the greatest rookie seasons in Major League Baseball history.

This lot includes a Yankees-Steiner Collectibles Letter of Authenticity from Steiner Sports with regards to the base. The base is under the MLB Authentication Hologram Number: JD465161. The signature has been authenticated by JSA.

Going Deeper - All Rise

With the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft, the New York Yankees selected Aaron Judge out of California State University, Fresno. Over the next three years, Judge progressed through the Yankees minor league system.

On August 13, 2016, Judge made his MLB debut at Yankee Stadium against the Tampa Bay Rays. He made an immediate impact, launching a home run to dead center field in his first big league at-bat. 

The following year, Judge impressed Yankees staff during Spring Training and was named the teams Opening Day right fielder. Judge didn’t skip a beat as he moved into regular season play by winning the American League Rookie of the Month for April as he batted .303 with 10 home runs. Judge’s success continued into May as he was again named the AL Rookie of the Month. 

As the summer months approached, Judge continued to scorch the baseball. On June 10, 2017, he launched a home run that left his bat with an exit velocity of 121.1 miles per hour, at the time a record for hardest-hit ball ever recorded by Statcast. Just a day later, he followed it up with a tape-measure blast that traveled 495 feet, the longest home run of the 2017 MLB season. For the third consecutive month, Judge was named AL Rookie of the Month. He also took home AL Player of the Month honors as well. 

Just a few days into July, Judge was voted into the 2017 All-Star Game as a starting outfielder for the American League. On July 7, 2017 he hit his 30th home run of the season, surpassing Joe DiMaggio for most home runs by a Yankees rookie. Judge also became just the second rookie in MLB history to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break, joining Mark McGwire. Could he break McGwire’s rookie record of 49, set back in 1987?

If you weren’t already following Judge’s historical season, you certainly were after the night of July 10, 2017. Judge put on a show in the 2017 Home Run Derby at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. Showcased nationally on ESPN, he powered his way to the final round against Minnesota Twins slugger Miguel Sanó. Judge edged out Sanó 11-10 to become the first rookie in MLB history to win the Home Run Derby.

While Judge cooled off slightly down the stretch, he remained feared across the league. On September 10, 2017, he recorded his 107th walk of the season, breaking the rookie season walk record held since 1939 by Red Sox legend Ted Williams. Just a couple of weeks later, on September 25, 2017, Judge hit his 49th and 50th home runs, with the 50th breaking Mark McGwire’s rookie single-season home run record. September also marked Judge’s second AL Player of the Month award and his fourth AL Rookie of the Month honor.

Judge helped the Yankees finish the regular season with a record of 91-71. While that was enough to secure a Wild Card berth, the Yankees ultimately fell to the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series.

Despite leading all of MLB in strikeouts, Judge finished the season by leading the AL in home runs (52), runs scored (128), and walks (127). Judge was awarded for his historic year by being named the Players Choice Award for Outstanding AL Rookie, a Silver Slugger Award, a unanimous AL Rookie of the Year Award, and a second place finish for AL Most Valuable Player Award behind only Jose Altuve.