Auction of Ohtani’s Record-Breaking 50th Home Run Ball

Shohei Ohtani’s historic 50th home run baseball is set to go up for auction on Friday, making him the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season. The fan who caught the milestone ball has chosen to remain anonymous and is working with the New Jersey-based auction house, Goldin. The opening bid for the ball is $500,000, with the option to buy it outright for $4.5 million until October 9. If bidding reaches $3 million before October 9, buyers must bid for the ball. The current record paid for a baseball is $3.05 million for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball in 1999. In 2022, Aaron Judge’s American League record-breaking 62nd home run ball sold for $1.5 million, the second-most expensive baseball ever sold at auction. The skyrocketing prices of historic sports memorabilia were evident last month when Babe Ruth’s jersey was sold for over $24 million at auction. Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin auction house, sees Ohtani’s 50-50 season as a unique piece of baseball history that will be remembered by fans and historians worldwide for decades to come.

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