Los Angeles Celebrates a Historic Moment in Baseball
Los Angeles is buzzing with excitement after a jaw-dropping event in the world of baseball. In 2024, Shohei Ohtani pulled off something nobody expected – a stunning 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. This incredible feat not only made him a household name but also sent ripples through the sports world, especially when the ball that clinched this milestone went up for auction!
The Auction that Shattered Records
So, here’s the scoop: the famous ball that sealed Ohtani’s 50-homer, 50-stolen base season sold at auction for a whopping $3.6 million! With the buyer’s premium included, this means the final price tag came to $4.392 million. Yikes! That shatters the previous record for the most expensive baseball ever sold at auction. Can you believe it? The past record was held by Mark McGwire‘s 70th home run ball, which sold for $3.005 million, and that includes the buyer’s premium too!
The entire bidding process kicked off on September 27, starting with a minimum of $500,000. Over the course of the auction, a whopping 40 bids came in! For the last couple of days, the price was stuck at around $2.1 million. But as bidding came to a close, things got intensely competitive. In the final three minutes, two bids came in rapidly – first $2.2 million, then quickly followed by $2.3 million. This threw the auction into an extended bidding window!
The Bidding War
Can you picture it? All the bidders wanted to jump in at the last minute to secure this prized possession, much like fans trying to grab the last concert ticket. Every time someone placed a new bid, the clock reset to 30 more minutes! The bidding didn’t stop until **9:26 PM PT**, nearly two and a half hours past the original end time. Talk about suspense!
This lucrative auction beat out the price paid for Aaron Judge‘s 62nd home run ball in 2022, which was $1.5 million. In just a century of MLB history, Ohtani’s achievement this year is soaring high and becoming a significant milestone, especially as this ball became the star of the show during the auction.
The Journey of the Historic Ball
Now, let’s rewind a bit to how the ball made its way from Ohtani’s bat to the auction block. Initially, a fan at Marlins Park got close to snagging it, but it ended up in the hands of Chris Belanski. Once he got his hands on that ball, he wasn’t letting go! Fans estimated its worth in the six figures instantly, knowing a golden opportunity was at play.
In MLB, when a fan catches a ball, it legally becomes their property. The Dodgers, of course, wanted that historical ball, but Belanski decided to keep it and see just how much he could score through auction. However, the situation took a messy turn when an 18-year-old fan named Max Matus claimed that Belanski took the ball from him. He filed a lawsuit, wanting to stop the auction and secure the ball as part of the ongoing legal drama.
More Legal Drama
And that’s not all! Another lawsuit popped up from a guy named Joseph Davidov, who claimed someone jumped over a railing and elbowed him, causing the ball to slip from his hands. So yeah, there are at least **three different people** claiming they own that famous ball! Despite the lawsuits, the auction house decided to proceed with the bidding. Now, it’s anyone’s guess how much of that record-breaking cash Belanski will actually walk away with when everything shakes out.
As Ohtani’s postseason journey continues with the World Series kicking off soon, fans are left with plenty to discuss. A historic season, a record-breaking auction, and some wild legal twists all wrapped up in one story. How incredible is that?
