As the auction proceeded into an extended bidding period Tuesday night, the final sale price of the baseball Shohei Ohtani hit for his 50th home run of the season grew larger.
By the time the bidding ended, Goldin Auctions announced the final price as a record for any baseball ever sold at auction: $3.6 million, or $4,392,000 including the buyer’s premium.
🚨 BREAKING: NEW RECORD $$$ FOR A BALL 🚨
Final Sale Price on the Shohei Ohtani 50th Home Run Baseball: $4,392,000
The Highest Sale Price for Any Ball of Any Sport!
Email us at [email protected] to Consign your Collectibles! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GXs2TK3iFn
— Goldin (@GoldinCo) October 23, 2024
The bidding was scheduled to end at 7 p.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday. Bidding had pushed the sale price to $2.3 million at the time, before a series of 30-minute extended bidding periods were announced.
Thirteen more bids trickled in, each pushing the sale price higher by $100,000, until the winning bid of $3.6 million was submitted at 8:56 p.m.
More news: Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Joins 50/50 Club With Three Home Runs, Two Stolen Bases
On Sept. 19, Ohtani hit three home runs to become the first member of baseball’s 50-50 club — 50 home runs and 50 stole bases in the same season. He stole his 50th base earlier in the same game, part of a 6 for 6, 10-RBI performance against the Miami Marlins.
Megan Briggs/Getty Images
Ohtani’s history-making home run, in the seventh inning home run against Marlins pitcher Michael Baumann, landed just beyond the left-field wall at Miami’s loanDepot Park. When the fan who emerged with the ball declined to sell it back to the Dodgers, a dispute over the historic ball’s ownership kicked off, with millions of dollars at stake.
On Oct. 7, auctioneer Ken Goldin announced the parties involved in the court cases disputing the ownership of Ohtani’s history-making “50/50 ball” reached an agreement to continue the auction as planned, without any interference.
“The agreement conveys all ownership rights and title to the ball to Goldin Auctions and allows us to pass clear title to the winning bidder,” Goldin said. “We’re very grateful for the trust and support of all parties regarding the auction of the ball.”
More news: Auctioneer Makes Major Announcement About $1.8M Baseball
Ohtani finished the season with 54 home runs and 59 steals for the Dodgers. He also led the National League in runs (134), RBIs (130), on-base percentage (.390), and slugging (.646), making him the runaway favorite for the league’s MVP award.
The Dodgers clinched the National League West in the same game, sending Ohtani to his first postseason ever in MLB. The Los Angeles Angels never reached the playoffs during Ohtani’s six years with the team (2018-23). He became a free agent after last season and signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in Dec. 2023.
The Dodgers host the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday
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