The baseball that marked Shohei Ohtani's entry into the exclusive 50 home run/50 stolen base club is about to go up for auction. Starting Friday at noon ET, fans and collectors will have the opportunity to bid on this piece of baseball history via Goldin Auctions. The opening bid is set at a whopping $500,000, and there's also a $4.5 million “buy it now” option available between September 27 and October 9. However, if bids exceed $3 million before the “buy it now” deadline, the option will be removed, forcing interested parties to compete in a bidding war.
A final selling price of $4.5 million or more would shatter the current record for a baseball, set in 1998, when Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball sold for more than $3 million. Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin Auctions, recognizes the significance of Ohtani's achievement, calling the 50/50 feat a potential “crowning” in the player's unique career. The auction house is understandably excited to offer this historic object to collectors, anticipating that it will be remembered for generations to come.
Ohtani achieved this milestone on September 19 during an overtime game against the Miami Marlins. He hit three home runs that day, Nos. 49, 50, and 51 of the season, while also leading a Dodgers record 10 RBI in a perfect 6-for-6 performance. The 50th home run itself came off a Mike Baumann curveball in the seventh inning, landing in the left-field slash at LoanDepot Park. This accomplishment solidified Ohtani's place as the first MLB player to reach both 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
The fan who originally picked up the historic ball at LoanDepot Park delivered it to Goldin Auctions.