Shohei Ohtani 50-50 home run ball: Auction starts with lawsuit looming

After much speculation about when Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was going to reach the 50-50 milestone, his eventual 50th home run ball has since resulted in more controversy.

Ohtani reached the mark against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 19, when he recorded three home runs, 10 RBI and two stolen bases.

The home run landed into the crowd, causing fans to chase after the ball in a frenzy.

The ball has since been placed for auction but 18-year-old Max Matus filed a lawsuit Thursday in Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court seeking a temporary injunction against to prevent the auction from happening.

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Matus claims he had possession of the ball in his left hand before Chris Belanski wrapped his legs around his hand to hold his arm in place as he wrangled the ball out of Matus’ hand, according to the documents from the lawsuit.

Belanski can be seen in a black shirt holding the ball in his hand in a widely-circulated video. Matus is seen in the video with a Marlins jersey showing signs of frustration after being untangled from Belanski.

An auction has started for the ball, following a judge's ruling to deny the attempt to halt it on Thursday, and is expected to run until Oct. 16.

Who has Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 home run ball now?

Goldin Auctions, a company based out of New Jersey, has had several record-breaking sales in the past and the Ohtani 50-50 ball has a chance to become the next one.

"We are aware of the case that has been filed," a Goldin spokesperson told Cllct reporter Darren Rovell. "Having reviewed the allegations and images included in the lawsuit, and publicly available video from the game, Goldin plans to go live with the auction of the Ohtani 50-50 ball. While Goldin has been named as a party in the case, there are no allegations of wrongdoing by the company."

How much is Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 home run ball worth?

The starting bid for the auction was set to begin at $500,000, according to reports from earlier this week.

The ball has received at least two bids as of Friday and the bid is as high as $732,000, which is the fifth-most valuable home run ball in history, according to Rovell.

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