Shohei Ohtani hits his 50th home run of the season with a two-run blast.
17:26 JST, October 9, 2024
The auction for Shohei Ohtani’s potentially lucrative 50th home run ball has been allowed to proceed as a legal dispute over ownership of the financial proceeds continues.
Chris Belanski was the man who walked the historic baseball out of the stadium and gained possession of the ball in the left field stands at LoanDepot Park in Miami. Max Matus and Joseph Davidov each claim in separate lawsuits that they grabbed the ball first.
Lawyer John Uustal – who represents Matus – confirmed on Monday that all parties involved wanted the auction to go ahead.
An evidentiary hearing on October 10 has been canceled.
The parties agree that there is no uncertainty that the auction will take place, Uustal said. “There was a certain amount of momentum and reality surrounding our decision. It took a compromise, but we believe this is the best move.”
Bidding for the baseball through Goldin Auctions is currently $1.5 million, with the winner set to pay $1.83 million for the ball and additional fees. The agreement reached Monday was partly intended to assure potential bidders they would get possession of the baseball without legal action.
Bidding is allowed until October 22.
ESPN was the first to report the updates in the case. Uustal said no new hearings are scheduled.
Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases, reaching the milestone on September 19 with his home run in Miami against the Marlins.
Matus’ lawsuit claims the Florida native — who was celebrating his 18th birthday — gained possession of the Ohtani ball before Belanski took it away. Part of the presentation on October 10 would be a video of the fight for the ball in the stands.
Max successfully grabbed the 50/50 ball in his left hand and intended to keep it, the lawsuit said. “Unfortunately, a few seconds later, defendant Belanski – a muscular older man – pinned the plaintiff’s arm between his legs and wrenched the 50/50 ball out of Max’s left hand.”
Davidov claims in his lawsuit that he was able to “grasp the ball firmly and completely with his left hand while it was on the ground, successfully gaining possession of the 50/50 ball.”
The lawsuit goes on to say that “an unknown fan improperly jumped the railing, jumped on the Plaintiff’s arm and attacked the Plaintiff, causing the 50/50 ball to become loose and roll into the hands of Defendant Chris Belanski .”
Davidov is seeking damages of more than $50,000.
