Current Highest Bidder is a Japanese Businessman
"The Goal is to Return to Otani After Winning the Bid"
Shohei Ohtani (30, Los Angeles Dodgers), who became the first player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, has seen the auction price of his 50th home run ball exceed 1.5 billion KRW.
On the 1st, Nikkan Sports reported that the auction price for Ohtani's 50th home run ball, which started at $500,000 (approximately 660 million KRW) on the 27th of last month, has now surpassed $1.2 million (about 1.58 billion KRW). If someone offers $4.5 million (about 5.9 billion KRW), they can immediately own the ball without waiting for the auction to close on October 10.
Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) started as the No. 1 designated hitter in the visiting game against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, USA, on the 19th of last month (local time), achieving the historic 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]
The highest bidder so far is known to be Japanese businessman Yusuke Tanaka (43). He claimed on his social media that he made the highest bid. Tanaka said, "As someone working in the sports industry, I felt I had to do something," and added, "My ultimate goal is to return this ball to Ohtani." He also proposed a joint purchase method for the home run ball. "If it is sold for 300 million yen (270 million KRW), ownership can be divided into one million shares. Then, each account can purchase it for 300 yen (2,700 KRW)," he explained. "Afterwards, if the ball is returned to Ohtani, the group's ownership will be automatically relinquished."
Separately from the auction, the ball is currently the subject of an ownership dispute.
On the 27th of last month (Korean time), ESPN in the U.S. reported that a temporary injunction request was filed in a Florida court to stop the auction, claiming that although a spectator first caught Ohtani's 50th home run ball in the stands, another spectator stole it. The injunction was filed by 18-year-old teenager Max Mathers. He claims that Chris Belanski, who was nearby, used force to take the ball from him. Ohtani hit his 50th home run of the season on the 20th of last month during a game against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
Belanski refused the Dodgers' offer of a $300,000 (about 400 million KRW) reward and handed the ball over to Goldin Auctions, an auction company based in New Jersey, USA. Despite the injunction request, Goldin Auctions proceeded with the auction as planned. Goldin Auctions told ESPN, "We are aware of the lawsuit, and after analyzing the publicly available videos and photos, we plan to continue with the auction."
Meanwhile, the most expensive home run ball ever sold at auction was Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball from the 1998 season, which sold for $3,005,000 (about 3.997 billion KRW). The buyer was Todd McFarlane, a comic artist famous for the 'Spawn' series. Additionally, Aaron Judge's (New York Yankees) 62nd home run ball from the 2022 season was sold at auction for $1.5 million (about 1.99 billion KRW).
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