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Who Was The Winner Of the $4.4 million Shohei Ohtani Ball?

Sometimes we get details if the winner announces they won these big auctions, but we have some info directly from Goldin Auctions who sold the ball

Adam Palmer

Oct 24, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) answers questions during media day prior to game one of the World Series against the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Oct 24, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) answers questions during media day prior to game one of the World Series against the New York Yankees at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

When big auctions like this happen, we sometimes get information about the winner, but unless they announce it themselves, details are usually scarce. However, Goldin Auctions has revealed some major information about the winner of Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball.

The information came courtesy of @sponichiannex:

Taiwanese investment firm UC Capital won the Ohtani 50th home run ball with a high bid of $4,392,000.

The previous record for a home run ball was Mark McGwire’s 70th home run, which sold for $3 million. There are a few things to consider when a company buys a baseball rather than an individual. In the case of this $4.4 million ball, having an investment firm behind the purchase likely drove up the price. The firm’s involvement has also led to more details about the ball’s future. There is going to be more public knowledge about a company vs an individual who could have potentially bought the ball.

The company plans to take the ball back to Taiwan and put it on public display, with a high possibility of exhibiting it at the Taipei Dome.

Although the ball will not remain in the United States, this is one of the best-case scenarios for fans to potentially see it. The $4.4 million price tag is substantial, but it's unfortunate that neither MLB nor the Hall of Fame attempted to bid on the ball if they were aware it would go on public display.

UC Capital expressed pleasure in working with Taiwanese and Japanese institutions to give fans an opportunity to witness Shohei’s brilliance up close.

Ken Goldin also said that bidders from Japan were very competitive in trying to acquire the ball, though they didn’t have the highest bid at the end of the auction. In total, four different countries participated in the bidding.

More details will be revealed about the winner, as Goldin mentioned that the purchasers will be visiting the Goldin Headquarters after this year’s World Series.

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Adam Palmer
ADAM PALMER

Adam has been a sports content creator since 2016, initially focusing on creating sports-related graphics for his Instagram page. In 2018, he transitioned to writing and podcasting about sports cards. Since then, he has worked both independently and with companies within the industry, producing podcasts, videos, and written content on sports cards.

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