A second fan has entered the legal battle over the ownership of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball. This follows a lawsuit filed last week by 18-year-old Max Matus. The historic home run ball is currently up for auction through Goldin Auctions, with bids reaching $1.464 million.
The new lawsuit, filed by Joseph Davidov in Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court, names several defendants: Matus, Goldin Auctions, Chris Belanski—who left loanDepot Park with the ball and put it up for auction—and Kelvin Ramirez, who has claimed an interest in the ball on social media.
Ohtani set the record by becoming the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. This came during the Dodgers' 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins on September 29, in which Ohtani went 6-for-6, hitting three home runs, stealing two bases, and driving in 10 runs. A particularly chaotic scramble ensued for the milestone 50th home run ball after it landed in the left-field stands.
According to Davidov's court filing, he claims that he “firmly and completely grabbed the ball in his left hand while it was on the ground,” but an “unknown fan wrongfully jumped over the railing, jumped onto (Davidov) and (Davidov’s) arm, and attacked (Davidov), causing the ball to come loose and roll into the hands of Defendant Chris Belanski.” The lawsuit asserts that Davidov would have kept possession of the ball if not for the assault.
Davidov is seeking damages exceeding $50,000.
The auction for Ohtani's 50th home run ball remains ongoing, despite a previous ruling linked to Matus’ lawsuit that stipulated the ball could not be sold until after a hearing scheduled for October 10. Bidding for the ball began at $500,000 on September 27, and with a current high bid of $1.464 million, it could soon surpass Aaron Judge’s American League record 62nd home run ball from the 2022 season, which sold for $1.5 million. The most expensive home run ball remains Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball from the 1998 season, which sold for $3.005 million.
On Tuesday, Goldin Auctions extended the auction’s end date from October 16 to October 22, reportedly due to the high volume of international interest.