A teenager has filed a lawsuit in Florida claiming ownership of the baseball that Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit for his historic 50th home run of the season. Eighteen-year-old Max Matus is seeking to prevent the ball from being auctioned off, with bids starting at $500,000. Matus alleges that the baseball was taken from him during a scrum at loanDepot Park in Miami when Ohtani hit the home run, making him the first player in MLB history to achieve 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
According to the lawsuit, Matus attended the game with his father on his 18th birthday and successfully grabbed the ball before it was forcefully taken away by an unidentified man. The lawsuit seeks damages for the incident and an injunction to prevent the sale of the ball by Goldin Auctions.
Goldin Auctions has stated that they are aware of the lawsuit and plan to go ahead with the auction of the ball. The bidding started at $500,000 and will continue until October 9, with the private purchase option available until the bids reach $3 million.
The lawsuit is set to have its next hearing on October 10. Ohtani’s performance that day, with three home runs, two doubles, and 10 RBI, is considered one of the greatest single-game performances in baseball history.
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