The baseball that left loanDepot Park in Miami last Thursday for Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run of the season will be auctioned off Friday.
Last Thursday, Ohtani became the first known player in the history of Major League Baseball to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season. He achieved both milestones during the Dodgers’ 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins. Ohtani’s 6-for-6, 10-RBI performance is considered one of the greatest individual games in the history of the sport.
Now, the fan who retrieved the baseball after a prolonged struggled in the left field seats is looking to cash in on his piece of history.
“This was one of the easiest [consignments] ever,” Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin, told ESPN’s Dan Hajducky. “Ohtani [hits 50] on Thursday, literally Friday we heard from the guy, he contacted Goldin on his own through social media, flew a security guard down to Miami on Monday with a representative from Goldin, met him, flew back Monday.”
According to Goldin, the opening bid for this 1-of-1 piece of sports memorabilia is $500,000, but potential buyers will have a chance to purchase the baseball outright for $4,500,000 exclusively between Sept. 27 to Oct. 9.
If bidding reaches $3,000,000 prior to Oct. 9, the option to purchase privately will no longer be available, and interested parties must compete and bid for the baseball. Extended bidding will begin at 7 p.m. PT on Oct. 16. Interested bidders who want to purchase the ball privately can email [email protected].
Fox Sports 640’s Andy Slater reported that the Dodgers originally offered the fan who caught Ohtani’s 50th home run ball $300,000. Goldin confirmed to ESPN that “there was an offer by the Dodgers and (the fan) turned it down.”
“Ohtani is truly one-of-a-kind, and the 50-50 record may be his crowning achievement. We’re honored to bring this iconic item to collectors. This is a piece of baseball history that fans and historians around the world will remember for decades to come,” said Ken Goldin, Founder and CEO of Goldin.
