When Shohei Ohtani made history in Miami back in September — becoming the first player ever to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season — the Dodgers made an attempt to purchase the ball back with a six-figure offer. The fan who came up with the ball declined that offer, and the auction results proved he made the right decision.
On Tuesday night, Ohtani’s 50-50 home run baseball officially sold at auction for nearly $4.4 million through the auction house Goldin. That figure broke the record that previously belonged to Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball from 1998’s home run chase with Sammy Sosa at $3 million.
Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 home run ball sold for a record-breaking $4.39 million, per @GoldinCo.
It's now the most expensive ball of all time. 💰 pic.twitter.com/90aeLV4qVP
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 23, 2024
But the drama around that baseball is only just beginning.
About a week after the home run, 18-year-old Max Matus filed a lawsuit to stop the auction, claiming that he had the baseball before it was forcibly taken from him in a scrum. The lawsuit was later revised to allow the auction to go on, and instead, the focus would be on the payout. Video did show that the lawsuit’s defendant Chris Belanski wrapped his legs around Matus’ hand before coming up with the ball.
And since then, a third fan, Joseph Davidov, sued both Matus and Belanski to claim that he had the ball first.
As we pointed out when the initial lawsuit was filed, there is precedent behind the fans being ordered to split the payout evenly. It happened with Barry Bonds’ 73rd home run ball. In a just world, everyone involved should be happy about walking away with over $1 million apiece, but we’ll have to see what the court decides.
