September 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17 years old) after hitting his 50th home run of the season in the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Rental Park , the fans stood up and applauded. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball will go up for auction starting Friday, despite a Florida man filing a lawsuit Thursday claiming the memorabilia was taken from him.
Max Matus is seeking an injunction to stop the sale, which is due to start on Friday and run until October 16 at Goldin Auctions.
“The judge asked us to try to resolve this issue,” John Uustal, Matus' attorney who filed the lawsuit, told ESPN on Thursday. “We asked for emergency injunctive relief and said, 'If the ball is sold, there is no Way to sell the ball. 'Put the horse back in the barn and make it disappear' – that will cause irreparable damage, so we want to maintain the status quo. “
Ustar told ESPN that the judge agreed to hold a hearing before the auction ends.
“So as long as it's absolutely clear that after this hearing the ball can't actually be sold – it's now being sold under a court order – then we're OK with that,” Ustal said. “So, I think Everyone is now protected. The court will make a decision based on our evidence on October 10.”
Matus said he was celebrating his 18th birthday in front of a crowd at Rental Park in Miami on Sept. 19 when the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar hit a historic 20-4 win over the Marlins. of home runs. In this game, Ohtani hit 3 home runs and stole 2 bases, becoming the first player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
In the lawsuit, Matus claims he caught the ball with his left hand after it cleared the left-field fence. After the ball was briefly in his possession, a man named Chris Belanski “wrapped his legs around Max's arm and ripped the ball away from Max with his hands, stealing it for himself.” .
The lawsuit names the auction house, Belanski and Belanski's friend Kelvin Ramirez as defendants in the case filed in Florida's 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Dade County.
The document includes photos taken by other fans that Matus claims support his claims, including one showing Belanski showing off the ball in front of a stunned Matus.
Goldin, who set the starting bid at $500,000, told ESPN it intends to go to auction, adding that it was “excited to bring this item to the market.”
A spokesperson for Goldin earlier told collectible media site cllct, “We are aware of the lawsuit that has been filed. After reviewing the allegations and images contained in the lawsuit, as well as the footage released in the game, Goldin plans to begin auctioning Ohtani. 50-50 Ball Although Goldin was named a party in the case, the company was not accused of any wrongdoing.
Matus' case also asks for a court order to keep the ball in a safe place and prevent Golding, Belanski or Ramirez from selling it.
“Max suffered irreparable harm due to the unique and irreplaceable nature of the 50/50 Ball,” the lawsuit reads. “Ohtani is currently the best baseball player in the country, and this ball represents a new record set by Ohtani. Therefore. , there is no adequate legal remedy to replace this unique and extraordinary 50/50 ball.”
–Scene-level media