How much is Shohei Ohtani's historic 50th home run ball actually worth?
By Joe Lago
The pursuit for 50-50 had been all consuming for Shohei Ohtani, so much so that the baseball unicorn just wanted to "get it over (with)." The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar reached 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases for the season Thursday in an offensive explosion for the ages.
The Ohtani 50-50 drama is not over, though. There's intrigue over how much hia 50th home run ball will actually fetch if it is put up for auction.
RELATED: Shohei Ohtani becomes first 50-50 player in MLB history
Darren Rovell's sports memorabilia site clict is already calling it a $1 million ball. SCP Auctions claims it will go for $500,000. Other auction experts have a more modest projection of $300,000.
The lucky fan who got his hands on the historic baseball remains a mystery, too. Social media videos showed a man in a black T-shirt emerging from a scrum in the left-field bleachers at LoanDepot Park and holding up his new prized possession to the cheers of fans around him.
In the best video of the struggle for the Ohtani 50th home run ball, it looks like the roughly 30-year age difference won out.
— cllct (@cllctMedia) September 20, 2024
(Credit: Justin Walka) pic.twitter.com/mFl0GuXh08
The fan was whisked away by stadium security to negotiate a reward. He reportedly turned down offers and kept the ball. Talk about a walk-off win.
The fan who caught Shohei Ohtani’s 50th Home Run baseball has opted to walk away with it. Dodgers did not get it back.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) September 20, 2024
Not everyone was a winner in the madness over Ohtani's 50th homer ball. There were clear losers, starting with the fan in a green shirt who failed to lay out for at least a six-figure payday.
Oh nooooooo he missed Ohtani's 50th HR by this much 🤏 pic.twitter.com/uIfwe53UGF
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) September 19, 2024
And then there's the high school senior who was celebrating his 18th birthday and had his hand on the best possible present, only to have the ball ripped away. On Friday morning, Max Matus told his tale of misfortune to clict.
"The ball bounced off the table, and it went under, and I grabbed it," Matus said. "Then the other guy had my hand between his legs holding my arm and took the ball from my hand."
Oh, the agony of defeat.
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