Baseball fan files lawsuit against man who ended up catching Ohtani’s 50th home run ball, asking court to stop auction

Lawyers for 18-year-old baseball fan Max Matus filed a lawsuit against Goldin Auctions and the man who hit Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run, arguing who in the stands had legal possession of the ball.

In addition to the lawsuit, Matus’ attorneys filed an injunction to prevent Goldin from auctioning Ohtani’s home run baseball.

The lawsuit argued that Matus, the plaintiff who attended the record-breaking game against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park on Sept. 19, was the first person to possess the ball after it landed in the outfield stands. According to the lawsuit, Matus grabbed the ball with his left hand, but Chris Belanski, one of the defendants, wrapped his legs around Matus’ arm and ripped the ball out of his hand.

The suit also referenced this a video posted on X That’s when the baseball landed in the stands. Belanski and Matus battled before Belanski gained full control of the ball and waved it in the air.

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According to the lawsuit, Belanski stated on social media that he intended to sell Ohtani’s home run baseball. Goldin Auctions has since acquired the baseball and said it will auction the ball starting Friday. Bidding starts at $500,000.

Matus is seeking civil damages in excess of $50,000.

“Matus suffered irreparable harm due to the nature of the unique, irreplaceable 50/50 ball,” the lawsuit states. “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 that can replace this unique and exceptional 50/50 ball. “Max is entitled to an injunction to maintain the status quo by prohibiting the sale or alteration of the 50/50 ball to prevent irreparable harm.”

According to a Goldin spokesman, the auction will continue as planned on Friday after a judge makes a decision at a hearing on Thursday.

“Although Goldin was named as a party in the case, there are no allegations of wrongdoing on the part of the company,” Goldin said in a statement The athlete. “We are excited to bring this item to market.”

On September 19, Ohtani made history by hitting three home runs (his 49th, 50th and 51st of the season) against the Marlins, becoming the first member of the 50-50 club (50 homers and 50 steals in the same season ). ).

Ohtani’s 50th home run came in the seventh inning on a curveball from Mike Baumann that hit the crossbar in left field at LoanDepot Park.

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(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)