Judge's 62nd home run ball! Ohtani 50-50 Home Run Ball Approaches $1.5 Million...Extend to 23 days of auction closing
Oct 02, 2024
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According to U.S. auction house Goldin Auctions, Ohtani's 50th home run ball of the season soared to $1.464 million (about 1.93 billion won) as of the 2nd (Korea time). It is close to $1.5 million five days after the auction began on the 28th of last month.
However, as a court battle is underway over ownership of the ball, the debate over who will be the beneficiary when the auction ends in the future is expected to heat up.
Ohtani hit a two-run homer to left-center in the top of the seventh inning against Miami Marlins right-hander Mike Baumann at Rondipo Park on the 20th of last month, achieving a historic 50 home runs and 50 steals.
Chris Bellanski, who was known to have caught the ball at the time, had one contact with the Dodgers and was offered to sell it for $300,000, but he refused and auctioned it. However, a person who claimed that the ball was his appeared. An 18-year-old fan named Max Matters filed a lawsuit in Florida's 11th Judicial Circuit Court on the 27th seeking a temporary order suspending the home run ball's auction.
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However, the court rejected it, and the auction began at $500,000 on September 28 as scheduled, surpassing $1 million on the 29th.
However, another person who claimed ownership of this home run ball appeared. A man named Joseph Davidoff filed a lawsuit with the court against the auction house Goldin as well as Chris Bellasky, who had auctioned with Matters.
According to local media The Athletic, Davidoff held the ball perfectly with his left hand when it bounced off the stand and fell to the floor, and an unknown man hit him and the ball escaped his hand. He claimed ownership with the same purpose as Matter's. The court will hold a hearing on the 11th to check their claims and videos of the situation at the time of the home run.
Ohtani's 50th home run ball is attracting such hot attention for various reasons. This is due to the fact that Ohtani, who wrote the myth of 'Both-base hitters, is certain to be MVP by playing only as a batter this season and making a career high, that Ohtani is about to play in his first postseason, and above all, it contains the meaning of his first 50-50 major league, which is hard to see again.
The auction price of this home run ball, which is an issue as it is now, is likely to rise steeply when Ohtani plays in the Division Series, which begins on the 6th. That it could exceed $1.5 million. If that happens, it will surpass the value of the 62nd home run ball, the most in an AL season by Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees in 2022. Judge's 62nd home run ball was sold for $1.5 million.
The highest-priced home run ball in the Major League was Mark Maguire's 70th home run ball of the season in 1998 and sold for $3.05 million.
Meanwhile, Goldin said the auction deadline was extended from 17 to 23 days as interest in the 50-50 home run ball heated up.
jhno@sportschosun.com
