The 15,548 fans in attendance at loanDepot Park on Thursday night got a chance to witness baseball history, as Shohei Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to notch at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
Only one of those 15,548 fans walked out of the ballpark with a piece of history, however.
A video posted to social media Thursday night depicted the frantic scene in left field after Ohtani smacked his record-breaking 50th home run. One fan barely missed catching the ball over the railing, and once it fell down to the ground, a swarm of fans all battled for it.
A man wearing a black T-shirt appeared to be the winner of the Ohtani pursuit.
This up close angle of the scrum for Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball 😳 pic.twitter.com/WmSLzVlezy
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 20, 2024
According to MLB Network's Craig Mish, that fan met with Dodgers officials in an attempt to work out an exchange, but he opted to keep the ball and walked out of loanDepot Park with it.
There's no knowing for sure what the ball is worth, but other historic baseballs have gone for lucrative prices in recent years. Aaron Judge's 62nd home run ball that broke the American League's single-season record in 2022 was sold for $1.5 million to an anonymous bidder.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Video Shows Fans' Mad Scramble to Grab Shohei Ohtani's Historic 50-50 Home Run Ball.
