The baseball Shohei Ohtani hit for his 50th home run, marking the achievement of 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season, will be up for auction starting Friday.
Ohtani made history as the first player to join the 50-50 club, accomplishing this milestone last week in Miami.
The fan who caught the ball is collaborating with Goldin, an auction house from New Jersey that specializes in trading cards, collectibles, and memorabilia.
The starting bid for the ball is set at $500,000. The ball shows some black scuff marks and abrasions, and it has been authenticated by Major League Baseball.
Buyers can also choose to buy the ball outright for $4.5 million between Friday and October 9. If bids reach $3 million before that date, the private purchase option will no longer be available, and all bids will have to go through the auction. Extended bidding is scheduled to start on October 16.
“Ohtani is truly one-of-a-kind, and the 50-50 record may be his crowning achievement,” said Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of the auction house. “This is a piece of baseball history that fans and historians around the world will remember for decades to come.”
