“The home run ball was taken away.”
Shohei Ohtani (30) of the Los Angeles Dodgers has made his 50th home run for the first time in the major leagues. The minimum bid was set at $500,000 (about W658 million). If $4.5 million (about W5.9 billion) is paid by the 10th of next month, the purchase will be made immediately. Initially, the Dodgers offered $300,000 (about W400 million) to the home run ball acquirer, but it was rejected. And the value of Ohtani’s 50th home run at the auction is increasing.
However, a fan who claimed to be the joint owner of Ohtani’s 50th home run ball appeared. Max Matus, who is 18 years old, claimed that the home run ball was lost to Chris Bellanski. The U.S. media “ESPN” reported on the 27th (Korea time) that “Matus claimed to be the legitimate owner of Ohtani’s 50th home run ball and filed a lawsuit for provisional injunction to stop the auction.”
ESPN said, “Matus, who filed the lawsuit, claims that he was illegal in the stands and that he was forced to take Ohtani’s 50th home run by Velanski.” He claims that Ohtani hit his 50th home run while recording the game between the Dodgers and the Miami Marlins at Rondipo Park in Miami, Florida on the 20th. He said he saw the home run ball coming to him and caught the ball with his left hand,” adding that Matus originally caught Ohtani’s home run ball. 메이저놀이터
“But Matus claims that a muscular old man put his arm between his legs and forcibly took Ohtani’s 50th home run ball from his left hand,” Matus said, adding that Matus claims substantial ownership of Ohtani’s 50th home run ball. Matus reportedly asked for the ball to be kept in a safe place under mutual agreement pending the outcome of the lawsuit.
If the auction goes ahead, Ohtani’s 50th home run ball will be taken by paying a high price, as it is the first home run to hit the record in the Major League. “Those who want to buy a historical work will have to take it out of their pockets. The minimum auction price is $500,000, and if you want to buy it immediately, you have to pay $4.5 million,” the U.S. media Fox Sports reported. “If the bid price reaches $3 million before October 10, the option to buy immediately disappears.”
The most expensive home run ever was Mark McGwire’s 70th home run in 1998. At that time, the auction was auctioned off at 3.054 million dollars. Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run in 2022 was traded at 1.5 million dollars. Some predict that the price of his 50th home run, which will set Ohtani’s milestone of “50 homers – 50 steals,” could be higher.
Meanwhile, Ohtani is running for 55 homers and 55 steals. With two more homers, he can set another milestone.
