"Got Ohtani's ball but it was taken away"... US teenager files lawsuit ahead of auction

Despite Lawsuit, Auction Company Says "Proceeding as Planned"
Auction Starts on 27th, Minimum Bid $500,000

Shohei Ohtani, who set the historic record of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season for the first time in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, is set to have his 50th home run ball auctioned, but a teenage boy has filed a civil lawsuit over the ownership of the home run ball. On the 27th (local time), Yahoo Sports reported that 18-year-old Max Mathus from Florida claimed he is the rightful owner of the home run ball and filed a civil lawsuit against the auction company Goldin, Chris Belansky who caught the ball at the stadium, and Belansky’s friend Kelvin Ramirez.

Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) started as the No. 1 designated hitter on the 19th (local time) in the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) visiting game against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, USA, achieving the remarkable milestone of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. This is the first time in MLB history that a player has recorded a 50-50 season.
[Photo by AP·Yonhap News]

Mathus claims that he successfully caught Ohtani’s home run ball at the game on the 19th when the record was set, but Belansky put his arm between Mathus’s legs and took the ball from his hand. Maintaining his position that the ball was forcibly taken from him, Mathus demanded that the auction of the home run ball be halted and that it be kept in a mutually agreed safe place until the lawsuit is resolved. Regardless of Mathus’s claim of theft, the auction company plans to proceed with the auction as scheduled. Goldin told the multinational sports media ESPN, “We reviewed the photos, allegations, and publicly available videos included in the complaint,” and said, “We plan to participate in the auction.”

On the 27th (local time), Yahoo Sports reported that 18-year-old Max Matus from Florida claimed to be the rightful owner of a home run ball and filed a civil lawsuit against auction company Goldin, Chris Velazski who caught the ball at the stadium, and Velazski's friend Kelvin Ramirez.
[Photo by X @naptimefan]

Ohtani’s home run ball auction is scheduled to begin on the 27th. The minimum bid is $500,000 (approximately 670 million KRW), and an immediate purchase is possible at $4.5 million (600 million KRW). The most expensive home run ball ever sold at auction was the 70th home run ball hit by Mark McGwire in the 1998 season. This ball was sold in 1999 for $3,054,000 (4.08 billion KRW).

Meanwhile, Ohtani, who signed with the MLB LA Dodgers this season, set the MLB’s first-ever single-season 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases record as a designated hitter on the 19th. The home run ball went over the left field fence, and about 10 spectators dove to catch the ball. Among them, Belansky is known to have caught the ball that fell under a table. ESPN reported, “The Dodgers offered a $300,000 (400 million KRW) reward to get the ball back, but the spectator refused.”