Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
KTLA
Fan who caught Ohtani’s 50/50 ball turned down huge payday from Dodgers: report
By Austin Turner,
5 days ago
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani hit a historic home run on Thursday, and a lucky fan is likely to get a historic payday.
Ohtani, the $700 million man and likely 2024 National League Most Valuable Player, became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season on Thursday. He finished the pursuit of that milestone with a monstrous 6 base hit, 3 home run game in Miami against the Marlins.
The 50/50 season was achieved with a home run to right field Miami. The ball initially took a bounce in a pitching bullpen before landing in the stands, giving fans a mad scramble to grab that historic baseball.
That piece of cork wrapped in cowhide might as well be made of gold, as it could fetch an unheard-of amount at auction. One lucky fan was able to get his hands on it and wisely bolted out of the stadium, according to reports.
“The fan who caught Shohei Ohtani’s 50th Home Run baseball has opted to walk away with it,” said reporter Craig Mish , who covers the Marlins. “Dodgers did not get it back.”
Andy Slater, who hosts a talk show on South Florida-based radio station FoxSports640, reported that the Dodgers offered the unidentified fan $300,000 for the baseball.
As users on X commented, the Dodgers might have to add a zero to that number.
The prices of historic sports memorabilia have skyrocketed in recent years. Just last month, the jersey worn by New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth sold for more than $24 million at auction.
Ohtani’s 50/50 ball won’t reach heights quite that high, but it’s safe to say that the fan who caught it will be receiving a nice payday in the near future.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
it would never happen to me, I d fall asleep at a baseball game 🏏!!!!
Toby Jarrett
3d ago
WOW, are people really this dumb? They specially marked those balls being pitched to Ohtani as he approached that milestone. Also, the guy just signed a $700 MILLION contract, he can afford to shell out some more cash than $300k.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.