Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball sold at auction for nearly $4.4 million. That’s a record-breaking price, not just for baseball but for any sports ball, the auction house said Wednesday.
Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, reaching the milestone on Sept. 19 when the Los Angeles Dodgers star hit his second of three home runs against the Marlins.
“We received bids from around the world and the winning bidder was a testament to the importance of this iconic collectible and Ohtani’s impact on the sport,” Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of auction house Goldin Auctions, said in a statement. “I’m glad it happened,” he said. .
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The auction began Sept. 27 with a starting bid of $500,000 and closed shortly after midnight Wednesday. The auction house said it could not disclose information about the successful bidder.
The auction was overshadowed by a lawsuit over ownership of the ball. Christian Zacek left LoanDepot Park in Miami with the ball after gaining possession in the left field stands. Max Matus and Joseph Davidov claim in separate lawsuits that they got the ball first.
All parties involved in the lawsuit agreed that the auction should continue.
Matus’ lawsuit claims the Florida resident, who was celebrating his 18th birthday, came into possession of the Ohtani ball before Zacek took it away. Davidoff claims in his lawsuit that he “was able to successfully gain possession of a 50/50 ball by firmly and completely catching the ball with his left hand while it was on the ground.”
Ohtani and the Dodgers are preparing for Game 1 of the World Series scheduled for Friday night.
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