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The historic home run ball that sealed Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s 50-home run, 50-steal season sold at a record price on Tuesday.
The ball, which was retrieved by a fan at LoanDepot Park during the Dodgers’ win over the Miami Marlins in September, sold at Goldin Auctions for $3.6 million with a buyer’s premium of 22 percent that brought that total price to $4.392 million.
The price of Ohtani’s ball shattered the previous record for a sold ball, which was Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball that sold for $3.005 in 1999.
Goldin @GoldinCo
🚨 BREAKING: NEW RECORD $$$ FOR A BALL 🚨
Final Sale Price on the Shohei Ohtani 50th Home Run Baseball: $4,392,000
The Highest Sale Price for Any Ball of Any Sport!
Email us at [email protected] to Consign your Collectibles! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GXs2TK3iFn
Bidding for Ohtani’s ball began on Sept. 27 at $500,000 and had 40 total bids. The final night of the auction saw a plethora of buyers trying to get their hands on the ball as 15 bids were made, per Yahoo Sports’ Jack Baer.
Ohtani’s 50th home run came during a dominant 20-4 win over Miami that saw the Dodgers’ star go 6-for-6 with three home runs and 10 RBI. He finished the regular season with 54 home runs, 130 RBI, 59 stolen bases and a .310 batting average.
With something with as much value as the ball, there was bound to be controversy. Several fans filed lawsuits claiming rightful possession of the expensive souvenir, causing a delay in the auction, though an agreement was eventually made to allow Goldin to proceed with the auction.
Those lawsuits are still ongoing, per the Associated Press’ David Brandt.
While Ohtani made history during the regular season leading to the record sale of his home run ball, he’s still chasing something greater: his first championship. The Dodgers will face the New York Yankees in the World Series starting Friday in Los Angeles.
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