College Student Catches Aaron Judge Home Run

Quote of the Week:

“I fear no one, but respect everyone.” –Roger Federer

Fact of the Week:

In South Korea, you might be two years older than a person born in the United States on the same exact day. Here’s why:

In the U.S., we don’t consider someone to be one until he or she has been out of the womb for a full year, while the Koreans call an infant one the second he or she exits the womb.

Then, on January first, everyone in Korea turns another year older. So if you are born, say, October 1st, you are one year old the second you enter this world. Then, just two months later, you will turn two. From then on, you will add a year each time the calendar reaches January first. So while a child in Korea might be considered ten years old, the same child would be considered eight years old in the United States.

However, sometimes Koreans choose not to follow their own rules, either using the method we use, or counting a child as one when they are born but not using New Year’s Day rule. Because of the chaos this causes (especially in reference to rules like military eligibility and drinking age) the new South Korean president plans to do away with this tradition.

90 Day Korean contributed to this article.

News Update: College Student Catches Judge’s 60th Home Run

Michael Kessler (center) and his three friends with Aaron Judge. Via The New York Post, courtesy of Michael Kessler.

Twenty-year-old Michael Kessler was going to enjoy a Yankees game with a few friends, hoping for the chance to see Aaron Judge hit a home run. Never did he expect to catch the home run ball and end up hanging out in the Yankees dugout—but that’s exactly what happened.

Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees superstar, is hoping to break Roger Maris’ American League record of 61 home runs. Entering the night, Judge had hit 59 long balls with sixteen games remaining. The game was not going well for the Yankees as they entered the bottom of the ninth down 8-4, but when Aaron Judge stepped to the plate, everything changed.

Judge smashed his 60th home run (which sparked a Yankees rally, culminating in a Stanton walk-off grand slam), sending the crowd into a frenzy as he trotted around the bases. Meanwhile, the baseball landed in the left-center bleachers and bounced up a few rows, where Kessler snared it. According to the MLB, Kessler, a pitcher and outfielder for The City College of New York, was accompanied by his three teammates. He agreed to exchange the ball for a clubhouse meet-and-greet with Judge, four autographed baseballs, and a signed game bat (not the one used for the home run). The value of the ball, however, could end up being $50,000 to $500,000, according to Darren Rovell of The Action Network as reported by the New York Post.

Kessler said he never thought of keeping the ball. “Judge means so much to the organization, especially this year,” he said to MLB reporters. “He’s just unbelievable. Just the way he is, he deserved to have the ball back. I have no second thoughts.”

The Yankees have recovered Judge’s 56th, 57th, and 58th home run balls, but were unable to acquire the 59th.

As for thinking Kessler could have made off with more than he did, his friend at least put in a request worth millions of dollars: he asked Judge to re-sign with the Yankees.

“Yeah, my roommate was like, ‘Please re-sign,’” Kessler laughed. “But It really means a lot to me to give [the ball] back to [Judge].”

The MLB and The New York Post contributed to this article.

Sports Update:

Texas Women's Volleyball. Via The University of Texas.

The Texas Longhorns continue to cruise atop the NCAA Women’s Volleyball rankings. The Longhorns (8-0) are one of just three undefeated teams in the top 25, the other two being #9 Penn State (11-0) and #25 UCF (8-0). Texas opened their season with two wins against #7 Ohio State, a victory over #4 Minnesota, and a win at #12 Stanford. Their conference play begins today against Kansas at 9:00 pm.

Louisville (9-1) comes in at the number two spot, receiving one first place vote (Texas received 63). Nebraska (8-1), San Diego (9-1), and Stanford (5-3) round out the top five. Wisconsin, last year’s national champions, dropped from four to six after a five-set loss to Florida at home in front of 17,000 fans.

A few games to watch for this week are #4 San Diego against #17 Pepperdine tomorrow, #8 Minnesota versus #11 Purdue on Friday, #7 Ohio State against #3 Nebraska on Saturday, and #6 Wisconsin at #8 Minnesota on Sunday.

NCAA contributed to this article.

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