Shohei Ohtani's 50th-home-run ball could be worth $500,000 to the fan who caught it

By Charles Passy

Aaron Judge's 62nd-home-run ball in 2022 sold for $1.5 million at auction

So, you're the lucky fan who just caught a baseball that could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Do you decide to keep the treasure, with an eye on perhaps selling it, or do you gift it to the player behind the milestone?

That's the question someone in attendance at Thursday's Los Angeles Dodgers-Miami Marlins game in Miami had to answer. It was the game in which Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit his 50th home run, thus becoming the first player in Major League Baseball history to reach the 50-50 milestone - 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

The fan, who has not been publicly identified, opted to keep the ball, according to a social-media post from Craig Mish, an MLB Network contributor. Mish had previously posted that the fan was "in discussion" about surrendering the game-day memento.

The fan could be in store for a nice payday. Collectibles experts who spoke with MarketWatch valued the ball at anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000. Adding to its significance is the fact that Ohtani achieved the 50-50 feat in a game that proved memorable in other ways: The slugger - who expects to return to the mound next season as a pitcher, as well - went 6-for-6 during Thursday's contest, hitting three home runs and batting in 10 runs.

"That only adds to the cachet," said Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage Auctions, a prominent vendor of sports memorabilia.

It's not unusual for players and teams to enter into a quick negotiation with a fan to try to collect a prized baseball. But Stephen Fishler, chief executive officer of ComicConnect and a noted expert in sports memorabilia, warns that the offers are usually on the paltry side.

In a typical scenario, Fishler says the team will scurry back to the locker room and find a few basic items, such as a bat or another ball, for the player to sign and then will offer that as compensation. Fishler said while such items might have a value of as much was $5,000, that's a fraction of what a history-making ball can be worth.

In effect, the team and player are appealing to the fan's loyalty and sympathy, knowing some might be persuaded. "You've got to be the type of person who says, 'It means a lot to the player,' " Fishler said.

But some fans see dollar signs first and foremost. Certainly, that appeared to be the case with Cory Youmans, the fan who caught Aaron Judge's 62nd home run in 2022. That historic homer gave the New York Yankees slugger the American League single-season record, breaking Roger Maris's 1961 mark.

The Judge ball sold for $1.5 million at auction - not quite the $3 million originally anticipated but a tidy sum. Still, Youmans later spoke of the backlash he faced for not giving the ball back to the Yankees star. Then again, Youmans noted he was likely to face criticism under any scenario.

"No matter what I did, not everyone would agree that it was the right strategy," Youmans told the Dallas Observer. "If I gave it back I was stupid, and if I sold it I was greedy."

Granted, few fans are likely to face such a predicament - it's rare enough to catch a foul ball, let alone a homer for the ages. Nevertheless, Dodgers fan Rick Miramontez flew to Miami to attend Thursday's game and purchased a seat in the outfield in the hope he might not only witness but catch baseball history.

Miramontez came up short, but said if he did catch the Ohtani ball, he would have been willing to surrender it for a few perks, even if they didn't match the market value of the keepsake. In particular, Miramontez would have asked for tickets to the Dodgers' playoff games this season, since the team is indeed bound for the postseason. And he would have wanted a photo opportunity with Ohtani.

"It's in the spirit of being a good Dodgers fan," he said.

-Charles Passy

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09-22-24 0844ET

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