On Thursday, Shohei Ohtani sent the MLB into a frenzy after hitting his 50th home run of the season at LoanDepot Park, becoming the first player to register 50 home runs and as many stolen bases in a season. That home run ball is up for grabs through auction but not without controversy.
New Jersey-based auction house Goldin said on Wednesday that they have acquired the memorabilia from the anonymous fan who got the home run ball amid the frenzy. Goldin is auctioning off the ball in a special “Shohei Ohtani 50/50 Auction,” starting Friday, September 27, at 12 p.m. ET. The opening bid is $500,000.
However, a few hours after the announcement came from Goldin, the fan, 18-year-old Max Matus, had his attorney Chris Belanski and Max’s friend Kelvin Ramirez, file a lawsuit against Goldin. As per Matus, it’s his ball first before it was taken away. The lawsuit is filed in the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Dade County, Florida, according to Cllct.
The 18-year-old seeks an injunction to stop the sale of the ball while alleging potential civil battering during the gathering of the ball in the stadium. He wants the court to deem him the rightful owner.
Here’s the video of the scrum for Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball:
As for the auction set up by Goldin, interested individuals can buy it outright for $4.5 million until Oct. 9. However, if the bid surpasses the $3 million mark before the deadline, the option to buy it outright will not be available, and buyers will only be able to get their hands on it by being the last bidder. The extended bidding will take place from Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. PT.
Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball has a chance to break $3.05 million Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball
While Shohei Ohtani has regularly got his name in the history books for his on-field exploits, he could also get there off the field.
The previous highest record payment made for a baseball was for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball in 1999. It was purchased by McFarlane Toys founder Todd McFarlane, who also claims to have Barry Bonds’ 73rd from the 2001 season and Sammy Sosa’s 66th from 1999.
Goldin has previously auctioned off Aaron Judge’s AL record-breaking 62nd home run ball sold for $1.5 million, as per Whittier Daily News.
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