Freddie Freeman's walk-off grand slam ball sells for $1.56 million at auction

[December 16, 2024]  LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (AP) — Freddie Freeman’s historic walk-off grand slam ball from Game 1 of the World Series has sold for $1.56 million at auction.
 
The bidding at SCP Auctions went into the late hours of Saturday night, according to a statement from the auction house on Sunday. It didn't say who bought the ball. 

New York Yankees relief pitcher Nestor Cortes, right, watches as Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman, left, hits a walk-off grand slam home run during the 10th inning in Game 1 of the baseball World Series, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Freeman, the Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman, came to the plate on a sprained right ankle with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning against the New York Yankees. He hit the first pitch from Nestor Cortes 413 feet for the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.

The Dodgers won the game 6-3 and went on to claim the franchise’s eighth World Series championship in five games. Freeman was named World Series MVP.

The ball landed in the right-field pavilion, where it was corralled by 10-year-old Zachary Ruderman, who lives in Los Angeles. The ball rolled from the seat in front of him to his feet and he batted it to his father, Nico, who jumped on it.

The fifth-grader had been told he was leaving school early that day to get his braces removed. Instead, his parents took him to Dodger Stadium.

It’s the second ball connected to the Dodgers to be auctioned this season. The ball hit by Shohei Ohtani that made him the first player in major league history with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season sold for nearly $4.4 million. It set a record for the sale of any sports ball.

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