Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Shohei Ohtani had a historic 2024 season with his new team and became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
He did so in iconic fashion on Sept. 19 against the Miami Marlins, hitting his 50th homer in a 6-for-6 performance that included three home runs, two doubles, two stolen bases and 10 RBI.
Ohtani’s 50th home run ball recently made headlines for selling for a whopping $4,392,000, making it the most expensive ball ever sold in any sport, according to Bleacher Report’s X .
Shohei Ohtani’s 50th HR ball sold for $4,392,000, making it the most expensive ball ever sold in any sport. @BRWalkoff pic.twitter.com/Nj7yWsF1oz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 23, 2024
The ball sold at auction and surpassed the previous record of $3 million paid for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run from the 1998 season.
The auction house did not disclose who bought Ohtani’s ball, but acknowledged that bids have come from around the world and that litigation over the ball is ongoing in Florida.
The fact that this ball broke the previous record by over a million dollars is impressive, and it’s only fitting that the game’s most unique player holds another such record.
Ohtani is preparing for his first World Series appearance with his Dodgers set to face the New York Yankees in Game 1.
We will never see another 50-50 season, and it will be interesting to see if any baseball ever eclipses this price point.
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