Online bidding for Ohtani's historic 50-50 ball up to $1.8M as litigation for proceeds continues

The online auction for Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball has just four days remaining, with the highest bid now at $1.8 million.

The auction has been somewhat overshadowed by the legal situation surrounding the ball. Christian Zacek walked out of Miami's LoanDepot Park with the ball after gaining possession in the left-field stands. Max Matus and Joseph Davidov each claim in separate lawsuits that they grabbed the ball first.

Ohtani became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a season, reaching the milestone on Sept. 19 when the Los Angeles Dodgers star hit his second of three homers against the Marlins.

Zacek was identified as Chris Belanski in the initial lawsuits. Matus' updated lawsuit — obtained by The Associated Press on Friday — changes the defendant's name to Zacek and removes Goldin Auctions as a defendant.

“The contract with Goldin to sell the ball is with Christian Zacek,” Matus' attorney John Uustal said in a statement. “It is apparently the same person at the ballpark, who may have been listed as Belanski at the stadium.

“He has been difficult to identify and track down at least since a few days after the game. But regardless, the court now has control over the proceeds of the auction, and our lawsuit is against Zacek who signed the contract with Goldin.”

All the parties involved in the litigation have agreed the auction should continue.

“This agreement provides certainty to potential buyers that the historic 50/50 baseball will be sold free and clear of any legal claims to the baseball against the future buyer,” Zacek's attorneys said in a statement. “We believe that this agreement reflects all parties’ recognition of this monumental achievement and will allow the full value of this historic 50/50 baseball to be fully recognized at the auction.”

Matus’ lawsuit claims that the Florida resident — who was celebrating his 18th birthday — gained possession of the Ohtani ball before Zacek took it away. Davidov claims in his suit that he was able to “firmly and completely grab the ball in his left hand while it was on the ground, successfully obtaining possession of the 50/50 ball.”

Davidov is seeking more than $50,000 in damages.

The winning bid for Ohtani's ball sits at $1.8 million, but the buyer would have to pay nearly $2.2 million after fees are included. The auction ends Tuesday.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB