MLB star Shohei Ohtani’s fiftieth home run ball of the season has been auctioned off for a record-breaking amount — higher than any amount paid for a game ball of any kind, according to ESPN.
The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger, who is the only baseball player to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season according to the outlet, caused ball-crazy chaos when he reached the milestone during a September 19 game against the Miami Marlins:
After 27 bids were placed, Goldin closed the online auction for the ball on Tuesday night at a staggering $4.4 million sale, without identifying the buyer.
The second-highest amount ever paid for a game ball was $3 million for Mark McGwire’s record seventieth home run ball, bought by comic book creator Todd McFarlane in 1999.
“Shohei Ohtani made history with this baseball, and now, with the highest sale price for any ball ever sold, this legendary piece of sports memorabilia has made history again,” Goldin founder and CEO Ken Goldin said in a statement obtained by ESPN. “We received bids from around the world, a testament to the significance of this iconic collectible and Ohtani’s impact on sports, and I’m thrilled for the winning bidder.”
There are lawsuits surrounding who actually grabbed the ball first when it launched into the crowd, however.
While Christian Zacek was the fan who ultimately left the Miami stadium with the ball after tussling for it in the left-field stands, Max Matus and Joseph Davidov have each launched separate lawsuits claiming that they had their hands on it first, the Daily Mail and Associated Press reported.
Matus, who was celebrating his eighteenth birthday at the game, claimed in his lawsuit that Zacek took the ball away after he had already grabbed it. Davidov also claims that he managed to “firmly and completely grab the ball in his left hand while it was on the ground, successfully obtaining possession of the 50/50 ball.”
Davidov is seeking more than $50,000 in damages, the outlet stated.
Despite the ongoing litigation, all parties claiming original ownership of the iconic ball agreed to allow it to be sold at the Goldin auction.
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