Shohei Ohtani’s 50th HR ball to be auctioned on Friday as judge denies 18-year-old’s restraining order
It has been a week since Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani hit his 50th home run of the season against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park on September 19. But the debate over that historic ball's ownership is still ongoing.
On Thursday, the judge at the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Dade County, Florida, ruled that Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball to be auctioned on Friday as scheduled.
However, the ruling also stated that the memorabilia cannot be officially sold until its next hearing on October 10, as per Andy Slater of FOX Sports 640 South Florida.
Earlier this week, on Wednesday, Goldin Auctions CEO Ken Goldin announced that his company had secured possession of the ball from the person who had emerged with the souvenir. Just hours later, it was reported that attorneys for 18-year-old Max Matus had filed a lawsuit in Dade County to claim ownership of the ball and prevent it from being auctioned.
The lawsuit has been filed against Goldin Auctions as well as the alleged owner of the ball, identified in the case as Chris Belanski, and his friend, Kelvin Ramirez, who is marketing the ball.
Max Matus alleges that he had initially collected the ball in the stands when Shohei Ohtani hit his 50th home run before it was taken from him as a result of civil battery.
"We are aware of the case that has been filed," a Goldin spokesperson said on Thursday. "Having reviewed the allegations and images included in the lawsuit, and publicly available video from the game, Goldin plans to go live with the auction of the Ohtani 50-50 ball. While Goldin has been named as a party in the case, there are no allegations of wrongdoing by the company."
The court in Dade County has allowed the attorneys of Max Matus to present their case at the next hearing before the auction concludes. If they succeed, he will stand to gain profits from the sale of the historic Ohtani souvenir.
Shohei Ohtani still within reach of 60-60
Shohei Ohtani has delivered an extraordinary first campaign with the LA Dodgers after signing a record-breaking free agent deal in the offseason. He is batting .303/.386/.642 for the season and leads the National League in on-base percentage, slugging, total bases, home runs, RBIs, and runs scored.
The Japanese superstar has 53 home runs and 56 stolen bases. He needs seven homers and four steals over the remaining four games of the regular season to reach 60-60. Ohtani has gone 18-29 over the last seven games while carrying an OPS of 1.276 with five home runs and seven stolen bases.