ARLINGTON, Texas — Two weeks ago, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge sat on 60 homers for the season - one shy of Roger Maris' American League record - and we noticed something down New York's schedule: Tickets to their season-ending series at the Rangers were spiking.
The high tickets were already being listed in left field, where the right-handed Judge would be likely to hit a homer.
But at the time, the odds of seeing Judge tie or break Maris' record in Arlington seemed unlikely. He would most likely reach 62 homers soon before making the trip to Texas.
Well, he didn't.
Nearly two weeks later - and after several live cut-ins to the frustration of college football fans - Judge sits at 61 home runs ahead of the Yankees' four-game set against the Rangers.
Left-field ticket prices reflect that, if you can find one for sale.
Only a handful were still listed on Stubhub on Monday morning, going for as high as $795 in the left-field corner.
Even right-field seats were spiking; you never know, Judge could go opposite field with the record-breaker, and for about $150, you can get a chance to catch it.
It wasn't just the home-run seats that were pricy Monday night. Most everything below the top level was going for above $100. You could find a decent deal on an upper deck seat, with the cheapest going for around $30.
What's the payoff here?
It's two-fold, even if you can't stand the Yankees (and who can?). For one, what Judge is doing is historic, though he won't break Barry Bonds' single-season record of 73 homers.
The baseball purist will point to Judge not being associated with steroids, as Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were in their prime.
The steroid debate aside, Judge hitting a 62nd home run would break the American League record -- McGwire, Sosa and Bonds were in the National League -- and it would break the mark set by Maris, who broke the record set by Ruth. That's a rarefied air of sluggers.
Another payoff - maybe the payoff - to getting an expensive seat at Globe Life Field: The record-breaking homer will be equivalent to a million-dollar gold bar flying into the stands. Judge's 62nd homer ball is likely to be worth that much, if not more.
And who knows...for $795 it could yours.