An 18-year-old baseball fan has filed a legal claim, asserting that he is the rightful owner of the ball hit during Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s historic 50th home run.
Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season during the Dodgers’ 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins last Thursday.
The fan, Max Matus, alleges that he initially caught the ball before another fan, identified as Chris Belanski, forcibly wrestled it from him.
Matus filed the lawsuit in Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court, naming the auction house, Belanski, and Kelvin Ramirez, who attended the game with Belanski, as defendants.
The ball was later listed for auction with a starting bid of $500,000 and a potential private sale price of $4.5 million.
Despite the legal claim, the auction house intends to proceed with the sale. Matus contends the ball is unique and irreplaceable, calling the loss “irreparable harm.”
