The ball that made Shohei Ohtani the inaugural member of the 50-50 club and placed him firmly in the history books (again) is up for sale – and could be yours for a mere $4.5 million.
On September 19, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar went where no player has gone before, hitting his 50th homer of the season and stealing his 50th base in one of the best hitting performances ever against the Miami Marlins. The outing was the first three-homer game as well as the first 10-RBI game of Ohtani’s career.
The Dodgers dominated Miami in the game, 20-4, clinching a spot in the playoffs – Ohtani’s first appearance in the postseason after missing out in each of his six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
The ball from the game is now going up for auction, with bids starting at $500,000 – but keen collectors can purchase it privately for $4.5 million.
The auction begins September 27 at noon ET and ends October 16. Any prospective private buyer for the baseball has until October 9 at 10 p.m. ET, however, to pay the $4.5 million when it will shift solely to auction.
If the ball was to sell for the private purchase price, it would break the previous record for a baseball of $3.005 million paid for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball back in January 1999.
Described by auctioneers Goldin as “a crowning piece for any game-used memorabilia collection,” the baseball has “black scuffing and surface abrasions present throughout the white leather surface.”
Auctioneers said in the listing: “The accomplishment not only stands as a testament to Ohtani’s dominance on the domestic stage but also his unparalleled celebrity on the international stage.”
They added: “Indeed, Ohtani’s accomplishment not only belongs to him; it spans across countries and continents, time zones and language.”
Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin, told ESPN that it was “one of the easiest (consignments) ever.
“Ohtani (hits 50) on Thursday, literally Friday we heard from the guy, he contacted Goldin on his own through social media, flew a security guard down to Miami on Monday with a representative from Goldin, met him, flew back Monday,” Goldin added.
Two-time AL MVP Ohtani is the first and only member of the impressive 50-50 club – though some fans are hoping he could make it to 60-60.
This, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has said, is “very unrealistic. But with him, anything’s possible.
“But it’s certainly very unrealistic. It’s just, man, what a tremendous season,” Roberts said in a pregame press conference.
Ohtani has since extended his mark to 53 home runs and 56 stolen bases, with four games of the regular season remaining.
The closest anyone else has previously come to the 50-50 mark was the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr., who stole 73 bases and hit 41 home runs in 2023, and Alex Rodriguez, who hit 42 home runs and stole 46 bases in 1998 while with the Seattle Mariners.
