Ohtani's 50/50 ball auction nears end as battle for possession heats up: NPR

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run baseball is up for auction. Who will receive the winnings is still controversial.

Goldin Auctions

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Goldin Auctions

Only a few days remain until the auction for Shohei Ohtani's legendary 50th home run ball ends and a wealthy collector is crowned baseball's guardian.

But who will receive the proceeds from the auction is still unclear.

Earlier this week, the parties involved in the legal battle over the ball agreed to allow the sports memorabilia to be sold to the highest bidder.

However, the question still remains as to who will act as the seller and therefore be entitled to the large amount of money that the auction is expected to bring in.

The baseball saga began after Ohtani – a megastar for the Los Angeles Dodgers – made history as the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. The historic feat took place on September 19th at LoanDepot Park in Miami during a game against the Miami Marlins.

The ball that marked Ohtani's achievement flew into the stadium's left field, sparking a chaotic scramble among fans trying to take it home. Several men pushed and shoved each other. In the end, the ball was caught between Christian Zacek and Max Matus, according to a video published on X.

Zacek — previously identified as Chris Belanski in previous media reports and initial lawsuits — ultimately stuck with it.

The valuable souvenir was later acquired by Goldin Auctions and auctioned on September 27th. The opening bid was set at $500,000. As of Saturday, the current bid was $1.8 million. Bidding ends October 22nd at 10:00 p.m. ET.

In a lawsuit against Zacek, Matus claimed he was the first to catch the ball and Zacek stole the ball from him. Another fan, Joseph Davidov, later filed a lawsuit against Zacek and Matus, arguing that he was the first to secure the ball but lost the ball shortly after after being attacked by an unknown person.

Matus' lawyer, John Uustal, told NPR that the agreement between the three parties not to oppose the auction “isn't perfect for anyone, but there is no perfect solution.” He expects the final ownership decision will take a long time and may be decided by a jury.