Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball had slipped through fans’ hands. Now, it's worth $500,000

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani etched his name in history as the first MLB player to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. While it was a special moment for the player, it was equally precious for the fans in the stands who scrambled to grab the historic 50/50 home run ball. As the ball slipped between the hands of two rather unlucky fans, one unidentified man got to keep it. Now, experts estimate that he could be in for a massive windfall. 

A historic memorabilia

Ohtani became the charter member of the 50-50 club with a remarkable game against the Miami Marlins. The Japanese star hit his 49th, 50th, and 51st home runs of the season, and went on to steal his 50th and 51st bases in the same game. At the end, he posted historic figures of 6 for 6 with two doubles, three homers, two steals, and 10 RBI. 

The highlight of Ohtani's innings was the 50th home run milestone. As the ball sailed into the stands, two fans, Ryan Wold and Max Matus, nearly had history in their palms. However, Wold, the first to touch the ball couldn't grab it and Matus, the second to grab the ball eventually lost grip, he told The LA Times. 

“It went above us and I saw it ricochet. I tried to get it at that time, but I was a little far at that point,” Wold told The Times in a phone interview. 

Ultimately, the duo saw a man in his 40s emerge with the historic memorabilia in his hands. According to cllct, the lucky fan was immediately taken away by security and the ball was verified by the league. 

The unidentified fan then had the option to keep the ball or return it to the player to mark his milestone. As per Craig Mish, senior baseball correspondent at the Miami Herald, the fan chose to keep the ball as Ohtani at the end of the game revealed that he hadn't received it. 

Here's how much the 50/50 home run ball could be worth

To put things into perspective, previous historic balls, like Aaron Judge's 62nd home run ball sold for a whopping $1.5 million at auction in 2022, per the New York Times. Furthermore, Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball sold for double the amount, that is $3 million. 

While Ohtani 50-50 ball may not fetch as much, it is still estimated to be worth plenty. Collectibles experts told MarketWatch that the ball could be valued anywhere around $500,000. Furthermore, the fact that the ball was from the game in which Ohtani posted astonishing numbers, could push its value beyond half a million dollars. 

"That only adds to the cachet," said Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage Auctions, told the publication.

Ohtani's performance was so impressive, that business analyst Darren Rovell called it "the greatest single-game performance ever," in an interview with Fox Sports Radio. Sports commentator Dan Patrick pointed out that holding on to the ball for a decade could be a great idea, as there was a near-impossible chance of the feat repeating.

This is because the two experts believed only Ohtani had the chance to repeat it, but next season, he would be returning to pitching and he won't be running as much. Thus, Rovell estimated that the ball could fetch as much as $1 million.