Auction for Historic Dodgers Shohei Ohtani Baseball Open for Bids Soon

Sam Garcia | Aug 12, 2024

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Very rarely will a fortune come darting toward you at triple-digit speed. But, it happened to Jason Patino on April 21. 

This lucky fan was in the right place at the right time when Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani launched his historic 176th career home run to the right-field stands at Dodger Stadium.

Patino caught the ball that marked Ohtani breaking the record for most career home runs for a Japanese-born MLB player. His milestone home run broke the former New York Yankees’ standout Hideki Matsui’s record. Ohtani's MLB home run total has since reached 206, shattering the previous mark.

The historic home run contributed to the Dodgers' dominant 10-0 victory over the New York Mets at home. In that game, Ohtani accumulated two RBIs, five total bases, two runs, and one walk. 

The home run ball is detailed with official MLB logos and a holographic authentication sticker, according to TMZ.com. The ball also has a handwritten “E” on it, but it has not been revealed who wrote it or what the significance behind it is. 

Despite initially stating that he would keep the historic home run ball for himself, Patino has made the decision to auction it off. But, who can blame him? According to Heritage Auctions, the company Patino is selling the ball through, the memento is expected to sell for approximately $200,000. 

This would not be the first time Ohtani memorabilia was auctioned for a lucrative price. Back in May, a game-worn jersey of the four-time MLB All-Star sold for $100,000, according to Dodgers Nation. 

Even items that Ohtani has never used or worn can attract high-paying customers. In addition to the six-figure priced game-worn jersey, May was highlighted by Ohtani’s first bobblehead night with the Dodgers.

After attracting the largest regular-season crowd in five years and biggest MLB-game crowd of the season, it was a battle for fans to get their hands on one of the Ohtani figurines, especially the limited edition gray uniform version. Once they did, the rare collectible were sold for prices reaching $2,300. 

Patino and Heritage Auctions will begin the auctioning Aug. 23. The ball will go on the auction block with a starting bid of $50,000 but is expected to quadruple by the end of the auction. It will be interesting to see how high of a price tag the historic ball will go for.