Fastball

Shohei Ohtani's 50th Home Run Ball Could Sell For $5 Million on Tuesday

The auction prices just keep going up....

Brady Farkas

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits an RBI single in the sixth inning against the New York Mets during game six of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium on Oct 20.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits an RBI single in the sixth inning against the New York Mets during game six of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium on Oct 20. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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According to a report from Darren Rovell of CLICT, the 50th home run ball off the bat of Shohei Ohtani could sell for more than $5 million at auction on Tuesday.

From Rovell:

With the 50th home run ball closing Tuesday at Goldin, the current bid, including buyer's premium, stands at $2.44 million...

Now, take the timing of Ohtani — only 33 days from highlight to auction — and what he has done in between. Add the international focus and social media. Forget the actual value of the ball. The publicity value of being the owner of this ball is easily north of $100 million....

The buyer could easily be a top Japanese company, such as Toyota, Mitsubishi, Hitachi or Sony. I also wouldn't count out New Balance, a private company making money hand over fist, and has Ohtani as its endorser. For these companies, $5 million is a daily rounding error.

Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to ever record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, ending the year with 54 blasts and 59 steals. It's one of the greatest statistical seasons in baseball history and one that will assuredly lead him to his third MVP Award in four years.

Furthermore, to Rovell's point, Ohtani has increased his relevance since the ball was hit, leading the Dodgers to the No. 1 seed in the National League playoffs and a berth in the World Series, which begins on Friday.

The Dodgers will meet the Yankees in the World Series, making it a matchup of two of the oldest and most successful franchises in the entire sport.

First pitch on Friday is set for 8:08 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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