Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 ball shattered the record paid for a ball in any sport, selling for $4.392 million at auction.
Dan Hajducky is a staff writer for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men's soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities.'s 50th home run ball from this major league season sold for $4.392 million at auction, shattering the record paid for a baseball -- or any sports ball, for that matter.
The previous most expensive baseball was Mark McGwire's record-breaking 70th home run ball from the 1998 MLB season, which Spawn creator Todd McFarlane paid $3 million for in early 1999. Ohtani's 50th home run ball cemented him as the only player in the sport's history to eclipse 50 home runs and 50 steals in a season. The ball, consigned to Goldin Auctions, marked one of the most anticipated modern, game-used memorabilia auctions in recent memory; Goldin's site shows photos of the MLB-scuffed baseball and highlights the MLB Authentication hologram number"431048" and validation code"WSG.
According to a statement from Goldin Auctions, the agreement stipulated that all parties vying for ownership of the ball"have agreed to convey any and all of their ownership interests in the 50/50 ball to the winner of the auction, giving the winner full assurance that they will receive free and clear title to the 50/50 ball."
The nearly $4.4 million paid for the Ohtani ball will go into an account until the ownership lawsuits are resolved.
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