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The owner of a sports memorabilia auction house said he offered $2 million to the fan who caught New York Yankees star Aaron Judge‘s American League-record 62nd home run.

JP Cohen, president of Memory Lane Inc. in Tustin, California, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he has texted and emailed Cory Youmans, the man who caught Judge’s milestone shot Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Cohen said Youmans has not yet replied.

“I feel the offer is way above fair, if he is inclined to sell it,” Cohen said in a telephone interview with the AP on Wednesday.

Youmans grabbed the historic souvenir on the fly as it sailed into the front row of section 31 in left field during the Yankees’ game against the Texas Rangers. The homer pushed Judge past Roger Maris for the AL season record — a mark many consider baseball’s “clean” standard because the only National League players who hit more have been tarnished by ties to steroids.

Youmans, who is from Dallas, works in the financial world. He was asked Tuesday what he planned to do with the prize while security personnel whisked him away to have it authenticated.

“Good question. I haven’t thought about it,” he said.

Soon after a local TV station posted the brief interview with Youmans in a walkway, Bri Amaranthus tweeted: “THIS IS MY HUSBAND.” Amaranthus works in local media and is an alum of ABC’s “The Bachelor.”

The record price for a home run ball is $3 million, paid for Mark McGwire’s record 70th from the 1998 season.

Cohen had previously pledged to offer $2 million for Judge’s 62nd homer. He said his company has a good relationship with the Yankees and it would be willing to loan the ball to the team for an exhibit. He added the team has frequently exhibited items owned by Memory Lane at Yankee Stadium.

“We did make an offer of $2 million, and that offer is still valid,” Cohen said.

After the Yankees lost 3-2, Judge said he didn’t have possession of the home run ball.

“I don’t know where it’s at,” he said. “We’ll see what happens with that. It would be great to get it back, but that’s a souvenir for a fan. He made a great catch out there, and they’ve got every right to it.”

Youmans was among the crowd of 38,832, the largest to watch a baseball game at the 3-year-old ballpark.

Judge was given the day off by manager Aaron Boone on Wednesday as the Yankees prepared to close the regular season against the Rangers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ex-Buffs RB McCaskill headed to Arizona State

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Ex-Buffs RB McCaskill headed to Arizona State

Former Colorado tailback Alton McCaskill has committed to transfer to Arizona State, he told ESPN. McCaskill expects to have three years of eligibility remaining for the Sun Devils, as he has taken a medical redshirt and a traditional one the past two years.

After playing just four games for Colorado last season, McCaskill will emerge as an option at tailback for Arizona State as he tries to recapture the form from his breakout 2021 freshman season at the University of Houston.

McCaskill had 14 carries for 59 yards at Colorado in those four games last season before asking coach Deion Sanders to be redshirted. Sanders granted that wish. McCaskill missed the 2022 season after tearing his ACL in the spring of 2022.

That came in the wake of a promising opening season at Houston in 2021, when he earned AAC Rookie of the Year honors. He ran for 961 yards and hauled in 113 receiving yards. His 16 rushing touchdowns that season led all true freshmen and set Houston’s true freshman record for rushing touchdowns. He accounted for 18 total touchdowns for the Cougars.

McCaskill came to UH as a four-star recruit in the class of 2021. His scholarship offer sheet lists USC, Oklahoma State and many of the top programs in the country.

He’ll join a talented running back room at Arizona State, which is headlined by senior Cam Skattebo, who rushed for 783 yards and nine touchdowns last season for the Sun Devils after transferring from Sacramento State.

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D-lineman Lole flips pick from Oklahoma to Texas

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D-lineman Lole flips pick from Oklahoma to Texas

Texas has landed a transfer at a key position of need, with former Louisville defensive lineman Jermayne Lole announcing on social media Thursday that he has flipped his commitment from Oklahoma to the Longhorns.

Lole, who is entering his seventh season of college football, began his career in 2018 at Arizona State and played in 23 games in his first two seasons there. He missed the 2021 season with a triceps injury, then transferred to Louisville. After appearing in one game in 2022, Lole made 12 appearances last year with 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks. His best season came in 2019 at Arizona State, where he had 71 tackles (10 for loss) with 6.5 sacks.

The 6-foot-2, 305-pound Lole will join Arizona transfers Bill Norton and Tiaoalii Savea as Texas tries to buffer the losses of first-round pick Byron Murphy II and second-rounder T’Vondre Sweat. After Texas’ spring game April 20, coach Steve Sarkisian highlighted defensive line as a spot where he still wasn’t happy with the team’s numbers.

“I think obviously the depth on the defensive line is not where we need it to be, and so hopefully we can address that,” Sarkisian said. “We don’t have enough bodies. There’s not enough big humans. It’s simple math, so we’ve got to address it.”

Texas added UTSA star defensive end Trey Moore earlier in the spring along with five-star recruit Colin Simmons. The Longhorns also have a key returning player in defensive tackle Alfred Collins, who came back for his final season after appearing in 48 career games with six starts.

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Giants place OF Soler on the 10-day injured list

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Giants place OF Soler on the 10-day injured list

DENVER — The San Francisco Giants on Wednesday placed outfielder-designated hitter Jorge Soler on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder strain and filled his roster spot by recalling outfielder Heliot Ramos from their Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento.

Soler, whose placement on the IL was made retroactive to Sunday, had missed the last three games. He was hitting .202 with five home runs and 8 RBI. Soler joined the Giants in the offseason, signing a three-year, $42 million deal as a free agent. “Every time he’s been in the cage and tried to swing, it has bothered him so there’s no way it’s a couple days away,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “We’ll try to let him rest and get past this thing.”

Ramos was the Giants’ first-round draft pick in 2017. In 30 games with Sacramento this season, he was batting .296 with eight home runs.

He appeared in 34 games with the Giants over the past two seasons, hitting .158.

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