Shohei Ohtani 50-50 baseball sells for a record $5.8 million

LOS ANGELES – The ball that Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani hit for his 50th home run of the season sold for a record US$4.39 million (S$5.8 million), auction house Goldin said on Oct 23.

The home run made Ohtani the first player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.

“Shohei Ohtani made history with this baseball and now, with the highest sale price for any ball ever sold, this legendary piece of sports memorabilia has made history again,” Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of the auction house, said in a statement to ESPN.

“We received bids from around the world, a testament to the significance of this iconic collectible and Ohtani’s impact on the sport, and I am thrilled with the winning bidder.”

The record price for a baseball was previously the $3.05 million paid for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball of 1998.

Ohtani’s 50th home run of the season came during a spectacular offensive performance for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Marlins in Miami on September 19. He had six hits in six at-bats, including two doubles, for a total of five extra-base hits. .

He drove in 10 runs, scored four of his own and stole two bases to help the Dodgers clinch a postseason berth that will mark Ohtani’s first trip to the MLB playoffs.

Ohtani had already stolen two bases in the first two innings, bringing his total to 51 for the season as he stepped up the power at the plate.

He hit his 49th home run of the season in the sixth inning and then established the 50-50 club with a second home run in the seventh – throwing a curveball from Mike Baumann into the left field stands at Loendepot Park.

The Dodgers are preparing for their MLB World Series Finals against the New York Yankees, with Game 1 at Dodger Stadium on October 25.

The excitement about the best of seven play-offs has unfortunately taken a back seat for now, following the death of their former star Fernando Valenzuela at the age of 63. No cause of death was given.

The Mexican pitcher played 17 seasons in the MLB for six clubs, but was best remembered for his time with the Dodgers, especially for his role on the 1981 team that defeated the Yankees in the World Series. His performance that season and the excitement it caused became known as “Fernandomania” and attracted a large Mexican fan base to the LA team.

He was the first and only MLB player in history to win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award as top pitcher in the same season. He led the National League in strikeouts, shutouts, complete games, innings pitched and starts as the Dodgers captured the 1981 World Series.

He retired from the game after the 1997 season, but returned to the Dodgers as a broadcaster six years later.

“On behalf of the Dodger organization, we deeply mourn the passing of Fernando. He is one of the most influential Dodgers ever and belongs on the Mount Rushmore of franchise heroes,” said Stan Kasten, Dodgers president and CEO. AFP, REUTERS