Ohtani’s 50/50 Ball Breaks Record Amid Ownership Dispute

Shohei Ohtani’s historic 50th home run ball set a record at auction. Now it goes to court. 

The ball, which cemented the Dodgers star as the lone player to hit 50 home runs in the regular season and steal as many bases sold for nearly $4.4 million at auction, which includes the buyer’s premium, making it the most expensive ball of any sport ever sold. The ball was consigned by Goldin.

In its final two days at auction, which opened on Sept. 27, the ball more than doubled in price. The bidding stalled at $2.1 million with two days left, and two bids that raised the price by $100,000 in the final three minutes triggered an extended window. An additional 13 bids came in that span, with each one adding 30 minutes to the auction’s clock. The bidding ended two-and-a-half hours after its scheduled time. 

The previous record for a home run ball belonged to Mark McGwire’s 70th from the 1998 season, which sold for $3 million in early 1999 to comic book artist Todd McFarlane. Goldin did not immediately identify the buyer of the Ohtani ball. 

Now comes the tricky part—figuring out who gets a cut of the sale. 

The ball has multiple individuals claiming to be the rightful owner and they’re suing one another over it in Florida courts. Christian Zacek emerged with the ball from the left field stands of Miami’s LoanDepot park on Sept. 19. But at least three other people have claimed ownership, including 18-year-old Max Matus, who alleges Zacek took the ball out of his hands, and Joseph Davidov. 

Zacek was previously misidentified in the lawsuits as Chris Belanski. Goldin, which was originally named as a defendant in both lawsuits, was dropped from both cases, a spokesperson confirmed. 

On Oct. 7, the parties agreed to let Goldin proceed with the auction and let it end separately from the ongoing litigation. 

The lawsuits have some precedent. Barry Bonds’s 73rd home run ball in 2001 and his 700th career long ball three years later both went off his bat and into court. The $450,000 paid for the 73rd home run ball was ultimately split between the two owners who claimed they got the ball, which has made the case a go-to when it comes to home run ball ownership.

The money used to pay for the Ohtani ball will go into an account until the lawsuits are settled. 

Ohtani and the Dodgers are scheduled to play Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees on Friday.