Back on September 19, MLB history was made as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to join the 50 home run/50 stolen bases club. Remarkably, he accomplished this in a game in which he stole two bases and hit three home runs, finishing 6-for-6 at the plate with 10 RBI's vs. the Miami Marlins.
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That is to say, the ball in which Ohtani hit his 50th home run of the year became highly coveted, as the fans at Loan Depot Park aggressively battled to be the rightful owner as soon as the ball went over the wall.
SHOHEI OHTANI HAS DONE IT
50 HOME RUNS | 50 STOLEN BASES
HISTORY pic.twitter.com/GRVJUCbpja
— MLB (@MLB) September 19, 2024
To point out, they might have fought for the ball even harder, if only one knew this baseball would end up selling for $4.39 million at live auction (per TMZ).
All in all, this makes Ohtani's baseball the most valuable ball in sports history.
Shohei Ohtani’s 50/50 home run ball sold for a record $4.39 million yesterday, per @GoldinCo pic.twitter.com/bZ6CrFSsQp
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) October 23, 2024
In view of the seller, this ball was grabbed by Chris Belanski (black shirt in the video), however, there was some controversy on how he got the ball, as 18-year-old Max Mateus (red shirt) thought he had it taken from him during the skirmish and filed a lawsuit.
Nevertheless, the bidding went on as planned, as Goldin Auctions previously announced a 'Buy Now' price tag of $4.5 million.
To note, the winning bid was $3.6 million, but with the 22% buyer's premium fees, the final sale ended up being $4,392,000. And although the identity of the buyer has not been revealed, one could guess it is a big Shohei Ohtani fan that undoubtedly has some money to blow.
🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨
There's a new record for the MOST EXPENSIVE baseball of ALL-TIME.
Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball from his record-setting season officially sold this morning for $4.39M!
This SMASHES the previous record for the most expensive baseball of all-time set by… pic.twitter.com/aCctLeXoci
— The Collectibles Guru (@ericwhiteback) October 23, 2024
The previous record for a ball sold at auction was held since 1998, Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball ($3 million).
Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 home run ball sold for $4.39 million at auction last night.
That makes it the most expensive baseball ever (by a mile). pic.twitter.com/iF3GdubmSQ
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) October 23, 2024
Ohtani finished the year with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases. With this in mind, the original owner of the baseball was lucky he didn't make it into the 60/60 club, as the value of the 50/50 ball would have dropped.
Ultimately, the 30-year-old superstar's historical season is not finished, as he and the Dodgers are set to take on the New York Yankees, Friday, October 25 at 8:08 pm ET, for Game 1 of the World Series.
