Editor’s Note: Cllction advised the consignor in this auction. Cllction, an advisory service that manages collections, is a separate division of Memoramedia, which is the parent company of cllct.
Goldin Auctions, which is currently auctioning off Shohei Ohtani's historic 50th home run ball, will also be auctioning off No. 51, the auction house announced Tuesday.
In most situations, a non-milestone ball wouldn't be that newsworthy, but No. 51 was hit in the ninth inning of Ohtani's famed 50-50 game, which is being called one of the greatest single performances in Major League Baseball history.
On Oct. 19, Ohtani, needed two steals and two homers to become the first major-leaguer to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases. After getting the stolen bases out of the way early, Ohtani hit No. 49 in the sixth inning, No. 50 in the seventh inning and No. 51 in the ninth, en route to a 6-for-6 performance with 10 RBIs.
Since opening the auction for No. 50 on Friday, Goldin has taken 13 bids on the ball. The high bid, including buyer's premium, stands at $1.46 million, already making it the third-most expensive baseball of all time. The auction is scheduled to end Oct. 16.
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A week before the game, Luis Lopez del Castillo circled Oct. 19 on the Marlins schedule.
"I told everyone I was going to catch the 50-50 ball," he told cllct. "I manifested it, though I was off by a number."
After watching No. 49 go to the upper deck in right field, Lopez del Castillo and his 10-year-old son, Pedro, moved up from their seats in the lower deck to try to catch No. 50. But all was not for naught. After going to get some food in the eighth inning, Lopez Del Castillo and his son spread out in two separate sections in upper deck in the right field.
"I saw the ball coming my way, and it went over my head, about five rows behind me," said Lopez del Castillo, dressed in a black Marlins jersey and Gatorade hat. "But then it took a hop within one row of me, and I and picked it up."
After he took pictures with it, Lopez del Castillo said he was brought out by security, but wished to get the ball authenticated before he left loanDepot Park.
After much confusion, he was told by MLB Authenticators the No. 51 ball was not marked and since it left the field of play, he could not get it authenticated. He did have pictures, which matched up to the local TV feed and a card from the Miami Marlins, which said he caught it.
"This was the greatest experience possible," he said. "Everything beyond what happened is gravy."
Lopez del Castillo said he thought about keeping the ball, but in the end, decided to sell it.
Said Lopez del Castillo: "I'd love to see it get 10 to 20 percent of the 50-50 ball."
The auction of the 51st home run ball will end Nov. 2.
It's possible that ball will sell before the 50th. Since No. 50 was consigned to Goldin, two additional people have sued saying they are the proper owner of the ball, with a hearing on one of the cases scheduled in Miami on Oct. 10.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectible market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.