Anyone who snagged a home run ball hit by Shohei Ohtani the National League Championship Series (NLCS) could soon have a much fatter wallet.
Ohtani belted out three homers last Friday night, and according to an auction expert, each of the Los Angeles Dodgers star's balls could be worth millions.
David Kohler, founder of SCP auctions, estimated on Monday that the balls could easily sell for "3 million or more," according to "TMZ."
“The market is primed to capitalize on the crowning achievement of the most dominant athlete in the world today,” Kohler said.
While that figure may sound outrageous, it’s not unprecedented. The 50th home run ball from Ohtani’s historic 2024 season sold for a staggering $4.39 million. The winning bid was $3.6 million, but with a 22% buyer’s premium, the final price rose to $4,392,000.
At the time, Ken Goldin — founder and CEO of Goldin, the auction house that sold the ball — said Ohtani made history “with the highest sale price for any ball ever sold.”
“We received bids from around the world, a testament to the significance of this iconic collectible and Ohtani’s impact on sports,” Goldin said. “I’m thrilled for the winning bidder.”
That same year, Ohtani became the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season.
MORE: Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani is finally getting on a plane to Toronto
Lucky fan who snagged Shohei Ohtani's valuable Game 4 home run ball
This season, Ohtani's continued to put on a show for Dodger's fans, including the lucky man - Sante Fe Springs professional boxing coach David Flores - who caught Ohtani's Game 4 NLCS home run ball.
In a video shared by "Fox 11 Los Angeles," the 35-year-old Dodgers fan could be seen crunching down in his seat holding the ball after he made the lucky catch.
"I'm very fortunate to have caught this baseball. It just happened to land in my lap because destiny chose for it to land in my lap," Flores told the outlet. "I knew the ball was going to ricochet off the people in front of me. It was just my intuition telling me, so I stayed calm," he recalled. "And I just squeezed it like a football, like a baby."
Flores was extra lucky that day, as he wasn't even supposed to be at the MLB game. He made a last minute decision to attend the game after a close friend invited him. He had to stretch his budget to pay for the $200 left-field pavilion seat, according to the outlet, however, it was clearly worth the splurge.
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