Shohei Ohtani 50-50 home run ball up for auction – or yours for just US$4.5 million
Japanese star’s performance against Miami Marlins set him apart from any player in the history of the game
The home run ball Shohei Ohtani hit to make baseball history is going to auction, or it could be yours outright for just US$4.5 million.
Japanese superstar Ohtani became the first MLB player to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases for the season during a never-before-seen performance against the Marlins in Miami on September 19.
And that ball is now going on the market, according to auction house Goldin. Bidding for the ball that marked the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 50th homer will start at US$500,000 on Friday, although buyers have a chance to purchase the ball outright for US$4.5 million between September 27 and October 9.
If bidding reaches US$3 million before October 9, Goldin will remove the option to purchase it privately, and interested parties must bid for the baseball.
The record price for a baseball is US$3.05 million paid for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball of 1998.
“This offered baseball is truly a one-of-a-kind specimen, a crowning piece for any game-used memorabilia collection,” the listing says, adding that the ball “exhibits excellent game use, with black scuffing and surface abrasions present throughout the white leather surface.”
