Ohtani's '50-50' baseball sells for record £3.39m

The ball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani when he scored his 50th home run of the Major League Baseball season has sold for a record £3.39m ($4.4m) at auction.

The Japanese hitter, 30, became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season during his side's match against the Miami Marlins on 19 September.

The £3.39m paid by the unknown buyer is the most a sports ball has ever fetched at auction.

The previous record paid at auction for a baseball was the £2.3m ($3m) paid in 1999 for Mark McGwire's record-breaking ball from the 1998 MLB season.

Full ownership of Ohtani's ball, known as the '50-50 ball', is disputed and is currently the subject of a lawsuit in Florida.

Max Matus, 18, said in a legal claim that he grabbed Ohtani's 50th homer and another fan wrestled it from his hand.

Matus says the ball was briefly in his possession before a man identified as Chris Belanski "wrapped his legs around Max's arm and used his hands to wrangle the ball out of Max's hand, stealing the ball for himself".

All parties with claims to the ball agreed to go ahead with the auction.

According to Goldin Auctions, who were running the bidding, the buyer was given "full assurance" the ball would be completely transferred into their possession.

“We received bids from around the world, a testament to the significance of this iconic collectible and Ohtani’s impact on sports, and I’m thrilled for the winning bidder," said Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions.

Ohtani signed a 10-year deal with the Dodgers in 2023 worth £539.5m ($700m), the largest contract in baseball history.

But while Ohtani is one of the best paid sportsmen for his on-field earnings, his off-field earnings take him above the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and LeBron James.

In December 2023, Ohtani agreed to defer the majority of his wages so that the Dodgers' roster could remain competitive.

The deal will mean Ohtani earns around £1.6m a year until 2034 and around £54m a year from then until 2043.

Ohtani and the Dodgers will face the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday.