Babe Ruth 'called shot' jersey up for auction, could fetch record $30M

The jersey Babe Ruth wore when he hit his famed home run in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series is expected to set a new record for the most expensive piece of sports memorabilia at auction.

The No. 3 New York Yankees jersey is up for grabs at Heritage Auctions, where bidding had already reached $14.6 million as of Friday. The auction house estimates the jersey's value at $30 million.

As legend goes, Ruth pointed toward the outfield before hitting a fifth-inning home run into center field against the Chicago Cubs. However, there are questions about whether Ruth actually called his shot or if he was instead pointing at Cubs pitcher Charlie Root or Chicago's dugout.

"Ruth's World Series jersey is the most significant piece of American sports memorabilia to be offered at auction in decades," Heritage Auctions director of sports Chris Ivy said in a statement. "Given its history, its mythology, we expect that when the final bid is placed, it will hold the record as the most expensive sports collectible ever to cross the auction block."

The current record for a sports collectible belongs to a 1952 Topps trading card of Mickey Mantle, which sold for $12.6 million in August 2022.

Bidding on the "called shot" jersey ends Aug. 25.