In brief
In a landmark moment for sports memorabilia, a baseball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers' phenom Shohei Ohtani during his 50th home run of the MLB season sold for an astonishing £3.39 million ($4.4 million) at auction. This sale marks the highest amount ever paid for a sports ball, eclipsing the previous record of £2.3 million ($3 million) set in 1999 for Mark McGwire's iconic baseball.
Ohtani, 30, made history on September 19 when he became the first player ever to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season, a feat that underscores his dual-threat prowess in baseball. The newly dubbed '50-50 ball' attracted worldwide interest, receiving bids from various international collectors, signaling Ohtani's significant impact on the sport and his evolving status as a global icon.Despite its monumental sale, the ownership of the '50-50 ball' remains tangled in legal disputes. Eighteen-year-old Max Matus has filed a claim asserting he initially possessed the ball before another fan, identified as Chris Belanski, forcibly took it from him. Nevertheless, all parties agreed to proceed with the auction, with Goldin Auctions assuring the buyer full ownership of the ball.Ohtani's financial prowess in the sport is equally remarkable. He signed a record 10-year, £539.5 million ($700 million) deal with the Dodgers in 2023, the largest in the history of baseball. While on-field earnings put him among the top athletes globally, his off-field revenue surpasses that of legends like Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James.As Ohtani and the Dodgers prepare to face the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series this Friday, this record-setting auction adds to the excitement surrounding one of baseball's most prominent figures.
