Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball from this MLB season has sold for $4.392 million at auction, shattering the record paid for a baseball — or any sports ball, for that matter.
The previous most expensive baseball was Mark McGwire's record-breaking 70th home run ball from the 1998 MLB season, which Spawn creator Todd McFarlane paid $3 million for in early 1999.
Ohtani's 50th home run ball cemented him as the only player in the sport's history to eclipse 50 home runs and steals in a season.
The ball, consigned to Goldin Auctions, marked one of the most anticipated modern, game-used memorabilia auctions in recent memory; Goldin's site shows photos of the MLB-scuffed baseball and highlights the MLB Authentication hologram number «431048» and validation code «WSG.» «Shohei Ohtani made history with this baseball, and now, with the highest sale price for any ball ever sold, this legendary piece of sports memorabilia has made history again,» said Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin, in a statement. «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.» The auction house did not identify the buyer.