THE owner of the ball that Shohei Ohtani hit for his historic 50th homer of the year remains in dispute, but the souvenir will continue to be auctioned off while legal proceedings continue.
Goldin Auctions announced Monday (Tuesday in Manila) that the lawyers for the fans who are arguing over the ball’s rightful owner agreed to let the auction continue. With another two weeks to go in the auction, the latest top bid was $1.5 million, which would see the buyer owing more than $1.8 million when the auction house’s fee is included.
The ball has significant value because of its place in baseball history: When that ball cleared the fence in Miami on Sept. 19, Ohtani became the first player ever to amass 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in the same year. The Los Angeles Dodgers star ended the season with 54 homers and 59 steals.
After the ball landed in the left field stands, Chris Belanski wound up with it, and he is the one who initiated the auction. However, two other fans, Max Matus and Joseph Davidov, subsequently filed separate lawsuits alleging that they had possession of the ball before it was taken from them.
Davidov’s attorney, Devon Workman, told Front Office Sports on Monday, “Parties have agreed to let the sale proceed and then the parties will continue to litigate over ownership over the final proceeds of the sale.”
Goldin said in a statement, according to ESPN, that “all parties want the 50/50 ball to be auctioned by Goldin and have agreed to convey any and all of their ownership interests in the 50/50 ball to the winner of the auction, giving the winner full assurance that they will receive free and clear title to the 50/50 ball.”
The record price for a baseball is $3 million, which was paid for the ball Mark McGwire hit for his 70th homer in 1998.
