Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run of the 2024 regular season added another milestone to his already historic MLB career. The ball he hit to achieve that feat has become a coveted and valuable piece of sports memorabilia that has sparked multiple ongoing lawsuits and confusion. Here is everything you need to know about the ball and the litigation around it.
On Sept. 19, Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter, notched his 50th home run of the season against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park in Miami. Although more than 30 players have hit 50-plus home runs in a single season throughout MLB history, Ohtani became the first to do it while also stealing 50 bases in the same season. Big-time home run hitters aren't usually known for their speed on the basepaths, so doing both to such a degree is seen as a remarkable feat.
Only six players (including Ohtani this year) have ever hit 40 home runs and stolen 40 bases in the same season, the first being Jose Canseco in 1988.
Since Ohtani already had 50 stolen bases at the time that he hit his 50th home run, that home run ball sealed his place in history as the first to ever reach 50/50. Adding to the significance of the moment, Ohtani went on to have arguably one of the best single-game performances ever as the Dodgers won 20-4. Ohtani went six-for-six with three home runs, 10 RBI and two stolen bases in the game.
Knowing the significance of the home run, fans in the general area of where it landed engaged in a chaotic scrum for control of the ball. People in attendance at MLB games are under no obligation to return baseballs hit into the stands, so everyone involved knew that whoever got the ball would be able to keep it -- and profit from it.
Fan videos from the night showed that a man in a black T-shirt and jeans was able to come away from the scene with the ball in hand.
It's also worth noting that, anticipating the historic moment, Major League Baseball had begun using marked balls for Ohtani's at bats before he hit his 50th home run, so authenticity could be determined once it left the field of play. The ball he ended up hitting for that home run was stamped with the letter "U" above the standard MLB logo printed on the ball and the number "3" below it. An MLB Authenticated hologram sticker was later affixed to the ball.
Original estimates from sports memorabilia industry experts placed the value in the $200,000 to $1 million range, but since the ball was put up for sale at Goldin Auctions on Sept. 27, the market has determined the value to be much higher. Bidding started at $500,000, but at the time of writing this, currently sits at $2.074 million.
That's more than the $1.5 million that the American League record 62nd home run ball hit by New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge sold for. The only game-used baseball to ever sell for more was the 70th home run ball hit by then St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire in 1998. That ball sold for $3.005 million.
With one week remaining on the auction, which is set to end on Oct. 22, there is still plenty of time for the record to be broken.
Two (so far).
Given the high value and widespread interest in the ball, as well as the chaotic way in which ownership of it was determined, legal claims over it have emerged in the weeks since it landed. On Sept. 25, 18-year-old Max Matus (who can be seen in the red Marlins jersey in the video above) filed a suit against Chris Belanski, who emerged from the scrum with possession of the ball and put it up for auction, claiming Belanski assaulted him in order to get the ball out of his hand.
Days later, another fan, Joseph Davidov, filed a separate lawsuit against both Matus and Belanski, claiming that he had possession of the ball before it reached either of them and only lost control of the ball when "an unknown fan" jumped on Davidov and "attacked (him) causing the 50/50 Ball to come loose and roll into the hands of Defendant Chris Belanski."
Both lawsuits remain open, however, all parties involved in both cases have agreed to allow the Goldin auction to continue as scheduled, according to eBay, which owns Goldin.
"Under the binding agreement, all parties want the 50/50 ball to be auctioned by Goldin, and have agreed to convey any and all of their ownership interests in the 50/50 ball to the winner of the auction, giving the winner full assurance that they will receive free and clear title to the 50/50 ball," eBay said in a press release on Oct. 8. "While the other parties will continue their litigation to determine who owned the 50/50 ball and thus entitlement to the auction proceeds, this litigation will not impact the auction itself."
It has. In 2001, when then San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds hit his MLB single-season record 73rd home run, a similar situation played out. The ball first hit the glove of a fan named Alex Popov, but he was attacked by others around him, causing the ball to fall to the ground, allowing another fan, Patrick Hayashi, to pick it up.
The California Superior Court ruled that Popov became the owner of intentionally abandoned property when he caught it and only lost possession through wrongdoing. However, since Hayashi did nothing wrong in how he acquired and retained possession, both parties were determined to be equal owners of the ball and get even shares of whatever it was sold for, setting a new legal precedent. The ball ended up selling for $450,000 in 2003.
The litigation needs to be resolved, determining which parties will get a share of the auction proceeds. The auction then needs to play out, determining who the next owner of the ball will be and whether a record value is reached.
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