When the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hit his second home run of the night against the Miami Marlins on Thursday to become the first player to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season, it set off a mad scramble for the ball in the left-field stands at LoanDepot Park.
The man who emerged from that chaos with the ball in hand ended up leaving the stadium with it, according to the Miami Herald.
The fan who caught Shohei Ohtani’s 50th Home Run baseball has opted to walk away with it. Dodgers did not get it back.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) September 20, 2024
Ohtani’s performance Thursday night was historic in multiple ways. Not only did he reach 50/50 for the season, but he went 6-for-6 with three homers, 10 RBI and two stolen bases — the first time an MLB player has ever put together that stat line in a single game. The Dodgers won 20-4, sealing their spot in the postseason and sending Ohtani to the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Ohtani hit his 50th home run of the season in the seventh inning off Marlins reliever Mike Baumann. The ball banked off the facade in the left-field stands and dropped down, just barely out of the reach of one fan who nearly grabbed it before others could swarm in.
Oh nooooooo he missed Ohtani’s 50th HR by this much 🤏 pic.twitter.com/uIfwe53UGF
— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) September 19, 2024
He couldn’t get it, though, and the battle was on. Fans dove toward where the ball dropped down under a table. One man in a black T-shirt emerged from the dangerous scrum with the ball held triumphantly over his head.
— real person (@naptimefan) September 19, 2024
Shortly after, video emerged on social media of the man being escorted away by stadium security, likely for his own safety and so negotiations for the ball could begin.
According to cllct’s Darren Rovell, Major League Baseball used marked balls for Ohtani’s at-bat in the seventh inning after he hit his 49th home run of the season in the previous inning so his 50th home run ball could be authenticated despite leaving the sight lines of MLB’s in-stadium authenticator. So even though the man who had possession of it left the stadium with the ball, it can still be verified as the real deal.
After the game, when asked by MLB Network whether he had possession of the historic ball, Ohtani said, “Not yet.”
The question now becomes how much is the ball worth? It marks a historic feat by an incredible player with global popularity, and draw massive interest from collectors.
In 2022, Aaron Judge’s American League-record 62nd home run ball sold at auction for $1.5 million. The record price for a game-used ball is the $3.005 million paid for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run in 1998. Ohtani’s 50/50 is a unique and remarkable feat, but it doesn’t carry the same cultural significance as a home run record. Perhaps his star power can make up for that, but only time will tell whether another record is on the horizon.
(Photo: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
