Who Owns the Ohtani 50/50 Ball? A Judge Rules Goldin Sale Can Go On
Yesterday, a Florida judge ruled that Goldin can go ahead with the sale of Ohtani’s 50/50 ball a Florida. While the ball is being sold by Goldin on behalf of Chris Belanski and Kelvin Ramirez, an eighteen-year-old, Max Matus, claims to have caught the ball before it was forcibly taken from him. The ruling is only the beginning of what is likely to be a long legal process in determining who owns the historic ball.
Matus claims that he initially caught the ball and then his arm was pinned and the ball taken from him. There are multiple videos showing the historic homer and hopefully one of them will provide a clear angle so that the case can be settled easily.
Video shows fans’ mad scramble to grab Shohei Ohtani’s historic 50-50 home run ball 😮 https://t.co/kHZI15GO3j
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 20, 2024
(via @kaylanknit, Justin Walker, Ethan Krauss) pic.twitter.com/nKXmtQCn1L
Matus was seeking a temporary injunction stopping the sale as the ball is not replaceable. The judge ruled against the order meaning the sale can go on as planned. Importantly, this does not clear up the question of ownership completely. Matus still has legal recourse to try to claim ownership.
The scrum around a ball hit into the stands often resembles a pile of football players fighting for a fumble. Similarly, there are all sorts of shenanigans that happen in these melees. The NFL often rewards whoever comes out with the ball.
We’re giving away a Bowman Chrome Shohei Ohtani PSA 10 rookie for FREE!!
— Topps (@Topps) September 20, 2024
TO ENTER:
Just like this post & follow @Topps! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Nz7zBXIjbR
If we use that rule, Belanski and Ramirez are the clear owners. Legally though, using the doctrine established in Popov v. Hayashi, the case that gave fans the rights to keep balls hit into the stands, the ball belongs to whoever caught the ball first. If Matus can prove he caught the ball first, he has a strong legal claim to the ball.
Ultimately, the big issue in this case is a factual one. Did Matus catch the ball first? Every Sunday in the NFL we see referees review catches to see when possession was achieved. It seems likely that similar video reviews will determine the fate of what is destined to be a pricy bit of baseball history.
