If you have eight figures to spare, you might be able to get yourself an outfit to wear to the next New York Yankees game.
Heritage Auctions, a Dallas-based auction house, announced that a Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series has sold for a record $24.12 million, becoming the most expensive sports merchandise sold at auction anywhere in the world. That's nearly double the previous record set by another Yankees item, a 1952 Mickey Mantle card, also sold by Heritage, which sold for $12.6 million in 2022.
“The large turnout at the auction and the record-breaking bid make it clear that astute collectors have no doubt about what this Ruth jersey is and what it represents,” Heritage's sports director Chris Ivey said in a statement. “The legend of Babe Ruth and the myth and mystery surrounding his 'Called Shot' are all blended together in this special artifact.”
Not only was this jersey worn in Ruth's penultimate World Series game, but it was also used in one of the most iconic and controversial moments in baseball history: the jersey was featured prominently in Ruth's long-debated “called shot” home run against the Chicago Cubs, which the Yankees won 7-5 and claimed their fourth World Series championship.
Facing a hostile Chicago crowd and dugout at Wrigley Field, Ruth stopped during his fifth inning at bat and made a pointing gesture. Two pitches later, the King of Swat smashed a game-tying solo home run into center field, and the legend was born that Ruth “took his turn at bat.” Other versions claim that Ruth was simply pointing at the Cubs dugout or pitcher Charlie Root.
With the home run having stood the test of time more than 90 years ago, it's no surprise that the jersey Ruth wore at the time is such a sought-after item. The jersey is one of many items up for auction at Heritage's Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction, which also included other Yankees treasures such as the jerseys Mantle wore in the 1952 and 1953 World Series and the ball Joe DiMaggio used when he hit his 2,000th hit in 1950.
The modern-day Yankees will return to Ruth's legendary homeland next month to face the Cubs from Sept. 6-8.
