After a failed negotiation, the fate of Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani’s historic 50th home run ball has been determined. Almost.
Goldin Auctions announced on Wednesday that it will be auctioning the ball that made Ohtani the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
Bidding will open Friday, September 27, at noon Eastern time and close on October 16. The starting bid for the ball is $500,000.
Prospective buyers can purchase the ball outright for $4.5 million between September 27 and October 9 unless bidding reaches $3 million before October 9.
"This was one of the easiest [consignments] ever," Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin, said. "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."
The consignor of the ball has chosen to remain anonymous, though his picture has appeared online. Goldin said that no other auction houses were considered.
It was reported that representatives for the Dodgers offered $300,000 for the ball on September 20, when Ohtani hit the ball into the stands at Miami’s LoanDepot Park. Goldin confirmed that “there was an offer by the Dodgers, and he turned it down.”
The current record for a baseball is the $3.05 million paid for Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball in 1999 by comic book creator and McFarlane Toys empire magnate Todd McFarlane.
Goldin previously auctioned Aaron Judge’s American League record-breaking 62nd home run ball for $1.5 million. Seller Cory Youmans reportedly turned down a $3 million offer for the ball, though the $1.5 million paid is still the second-most-expensive ball sold at auction.
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