Jeffrey Maier's Infamous Baseball Glove Could Be Yours

12-year-old fan swayed the Yankees' fortunes in a 1996 playoff game.

ByABC News
February 17, 2015, 7:04 AM
Baltimore Orioles' right fielder Tony Tarasco tries to catch a fly ball hit by the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter, but fan Jeffrey Maier grabs it over the outfield wall, Oct. 9, 1996.
Baltimore Orioles' right fielder Tony Tarasco tries to catch a fly ball hit by the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter, but fan Jeffrey Maier grabs it over the outfield wall, Oct. 9, 1996.
Timothy Clary/AFP/Getty Images

— -- One of baseball's most infamous artifacts -– a glove used to sway the Yankees' fortunes –- is available in an upcoming auction.

The glove worn by Jeffrey Maier on Oct. 9, 1996 is part of a sale through Heritage Auctions.

Maier, then 12, skipped school to attend Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Yankees and Orioles at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, then in his rookie season, was up to bat in the eighth inning with New York trailing 4-3 and hit a long fly ball. Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco camped on the warning track, hoping to make the catch – when Maier reached over the wall and hauled in the ball for a controversial home run.

Tarasco was furious, pointing upward and screaming at a nearby umpire about the fan interference.

But the home run stood, and the game was tied. The Yankees went on to win the game 5-4, and then the series. The Yankees went on to win the 1996 World Series, snapping an 18-year championship drought.

PHOTO: The glove worn by fan Jeffrey Maier during a 1996 playoff game between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles is part of a sale through Heritage Auctions.
The glove worn by fan Jeffrey Maier during a 1996 playoff game between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles is part of a sale through Heritage Auctions.

According to Heritage Auctions, the black leather Mizuno glove – which Maier sold to the current owner -– features “Maier” printed “in child-like block lettering on the wrist” and shows “solid sandlot use.” Bidding on the glove has reached $13,000, with three days remaining in the auction.