RUNNEMEDE, N.J. — The baseball that Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit for his 50th home run, which gave him 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in the same season, is going up for auction on Friday.
Ohtani became the first player in MLB history in the 50/50 club. The Dodgers star hit three home runs and stole two bases in the same game against the Miami Marlins last Thursday to achieve baseball history, part of a six-hit, 10-RBI outburst many already consider the greatest single offensive game for any player.
The fan who caught the milestone ball is working with Goldin, a New Jersey-based auction house specializing in trading cards, collectibles and memorabilia. To this point, the fan has chosen to remain anonymous, though pictures of him have surfaced online.
Andy Slater, who hosts a talk show on South Florida-based radio station FoxSports640, previously reported that the Dodgers originally offered the fan who caught Ohtani’s 50th home run ball $300,000. The Dodgers have never confirmed that, but Goldin told ESPN “there was an offer by the Dodgers and he turned it down.”
The opening bid for the ball is $500,000. The ball shows black scuffing and surface abrasions. The panel below the “Official Major League Baseball” stamping contains a scuffed-up MLB logo and affixed to the baseball is an MLB authenticated hologram.
Potential buyers will also have a chance to buy the ball outright for $4.5 million between Friday and Oct. 9. If bidding reaches $3 million before Oct. 9, the option to purchase the ball privately will no longer be available and buyers must bid for it. Extended bidding will begin on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. PT.
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“Ohtani is truly one-of-a-kind, and the 50-50 record may be his crowning achievement,” said Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of the auction house. “This is a piece of baseball history that fans and historians around the world will remember for decades to come.”
The current record paid for a baseball is the $3.05 million paid for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball in 1999 by comic book creator and McFarlane Toys empire magnate Todd McFarlane. McFarlane told The Athletic in 2022 that he owns Barry Bonds’ 73rd from the 2001 season as well as Sammy Sosa’s 66th from 1999.
In late 2022, also with Goldin, Aaron Judge’s American League record-breaking 62nd home run ball sold for $1.5 million. Seller Cory Youmans caught Judge’s record breaker at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, turned down a $3 million offer for the ball, and put it up for auction. The $1.5 million paid for Judge’s 62nd is still the second-most-expensive baseball ever sold at auction.
The prices of historic sports memorabilia have skyrocketed in recent years. Just last month, the jersey worn by New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth sold for more than $24 million at auction.
News services contributed to this story.