Jeffrey Maier's Infamous Baseball Glove Could Be Yours
12-year-old fan swayed the Yankees' fortunes in a 1996 playoff game.
— -- 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.
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.