Japanese baseball pitcher Shohei Ohtani made history in 2024 with a 50-50 ball, where his 50th home run was sold at auction for $4.392 million.
Shohei Ohtani became the first MLB player in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season.
Similarly, Shohei Ohtani’s recent most outstanding achievement, his 50th home run auction deal for $4.392 million, set a new record for the most expensive baseball ever sold.
Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 ball has officially sold at auction and just became the most expensive baseball in history (but you might be surprised by the shipping cost)
— JustJared.com (@JustJared) October 23, 2024
Click ⬇️https://t.co/27b8Idd1TS
According to reports, Shohei Ohtani’s current auction sale broke the previous record by Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball, which was sold for $3 million.
However, despite the higher price, the buyers still have to pay some small extra fees for shipping and insurance.
Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 Ball Achievement Received 15 Separate Bids During the Final Night of the Auction!
The action for Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 ball began on September 27 at $500,000, where there were a total of 40 bids coming in for the ball.
For the final two days, the auction price stood at $2.1 million; however, two bids increased it to $2.3 million, and another take made it to $2.3 million in the final three minutes of bidding on Tuesday.
Ohtani's historic 50-50 ball sells at auction for nearly $4.4M amid ongoing dispute over ownership https://t.co/3StekD41wm
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 23, 2024
The rising prices triggered an extended window in which 13 more bids pushed Ohtani’s 50-50 ball price to $3.2 million.
As the competition heated up, people kept raising their bids, dragging the auction out much longer than expected.
Some bidders waited until the last minute to submit their new price value; however, each bid reset the clock to 30 minutes, which excited people about the deal.
Ohtani’s 50-50 ball auction bidding finally ended at 9:26 p.m., nearly two and a half hours late its first reported time.
The final deal ended on Tuesday night at Goldin Auctions at a listed price of $3.6 million.
@KenGoldin believes that the Ohtani 50/50 HR ball will be the most valuable baseball ever sold 😳
— Mantel (@onMantel) October 22, 2024
Extended bidding starts tonight at 10 PM ET! 👀 pic.twitter.com/oUxnj7Ltrn
There were also extra fees of 22 percent of the buyers’ premium, where buyers had to pay an extra amount on top of the $3.6 million, making the total deal $4.392 million or nearly $4.4 Million.
Ohtani’s accomplishment in 2024 stands out as one of the greatest the league has seen in a single season in MLB’s century-plus history.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Born on July 5, 1994, in Oshu, Japan Shohei Ohtani is a two way player who can excel as both a pitcher and a hitter.
- Goldin Auctions hosted Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 Ball Auction, where they showcased the ball from Ohtani’s historic achievement.
- Shohei Ohtani is famous for his powerful home runs and fast pitches. He won the 2021 American League MVP.
