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Ohtani became the first player in baseball
history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season,
reaching the milestone on Sept. 19 when the Los Angeles Dodgers
star hit his second of three homers against the Marlins.
“We received bids from around the world, a testament to the
significance of this iconic collectible and Ohtani’s impact on
sports, and I’m thrilled for the winning bidder,” Ken Goldin,
the founder and CEO of auctioneer Goldin Auctions said in a
statement.
The auction opened on Sept. 27 with a starting bid of $500,000
and closed just after midnight on Wednesday. The auctioneer said
it could not disclose any information about the winning bidder.
The auction has been overshadowed by the litigation over
ownership of the ball. Christian Zacek walked out of Miami's
LoanDepot Park with the ball after gaining possession in the
left-field stands. Max Matus and Joseph Davidov each claim in
separate lawsuits that they grabbed the ball first.
All the parties involved in the litigation agreed that the
auction should continue.
Matus’ lawsuit claims that the Florida resident — who was
celebrating his 18th birthday — gained possession of the Ohtani
ball before Zacek took it away. Davidov claims in his suit that
he was able to “firmly and completely grab the ball in his left
hand while it was on the ground, successfully obtaining
possession of the 50/50 ball.”
Ohtani and the Dodgers are preparing for Game 1 of the World
Series scheduled for Friday night.
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