Shohei Ohtani’s historic 50th home run ball sold at auction for a record-breaking $4.39 million Tuesday, Oct. 22, despite being at the center of ongoing legal battles. The record-breaking auction comes days before Ohtani is set to play in the first game of the World Series.
The auction for the LA Dodger’s baseball, which made history as the first 50-homer, 50-stolen base player in MLB history, shattered the record for most expensive baseball ever auctioned – beating Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball. That ball sold for just over $3 million in 1999.
The sale also came despite ongoing litigation playing out in Florida, where two different people have filed lawsuits claiming they caught the ball first. However, it ultimately ended up in the hands of the fan who put it up for auction.
Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 home run ball sold for a record-breaking $4.39 million, per @GoldinCo.
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 23, 2024
It's now the most expensive ball of all time. 💰 pic.twitter.com/90aeLV4qVP
It doesn’t matter who ends up hitting a home run in the lawsuits, though. The ball will still be pitched to the anonymous person who won Tuesday’s bidding war because the auction house said “all parties” claiming ownership of the baseball agreed on the sale.
Meanwhile, Ohtani and the Dodgers are gearing up for Game 1 of the World Series against the New York Yankees on Friday, Oct. 25.
