Max Matus, an 18-year-old baseball enthusiast, is not backing down in his quest to reclaim the much-coveted Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball. The legal tussle commences as the ball is set to go under the hammer, with bidding expected to open at an eye-watering $500,000.
The saga began when Matus, attending the September 19 game at loanDepot Park in Miami to celebrate his 18th birthday, found himself in possession of the historic ball. However, his moment of glory was short-lived as Chris Belanski, another fan, along with his friend Kelvin Ramirez, allegedly snatched the ball from him in a forceful manner during a scuffle. Matus wasted no time in taking legal action, filing a lawsuit in Florida to halt the impending auction of the prized collectible.
In the lawsuit, Matus contends that he firmly held the ball with his left hand before the altercation ensued, where Belanski managed to wrestle the ball away. The young baseball fan is adamant about putting a stop to the auction and has requested the ball’s safekeeping in a mutually agreed secure location until a verdict is reached in court.
Despite Matus’s efforts, Goldin Auctions, the party responsible for facilitating the sale of the ball, has signaled its intention to proceed with the auction as planned. A Miami judge recently denied Matus’s plea for a temporary restraining order, allowing the auction to forge ahead. Goldin Auctions, in response to the legal dispute, affirmed its decision to move forward with the sale, citing their review of the case’s details and visual evidence from the game in question.
The legal showdown is set to unfold at the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Miami-Dade County, where Matus’s legal team will make their case before the auction culminates on October 16. Should Matus emerge victorious, he stands to gain a portion of the proceeds from the ball’s sale, offering a glimmer of hope in the midst of the legal storm.
Ken Goldin, the CEO of Goldin Auctions, disclosed that Belanski wasted no time in contacting the auction house the day after securing the ball at Ohtani’s memorable game. Reports indicate that the Los Angeles Dodgers made a hefty offer of $300,000 for the ball, an offer that Belanski opted to decline in favor of the public auction method.
The auction is set to kick off with a tempting “buy-it-now” price tag of $4.5 million, available for prospective buyers until October 9. Should bids soar to $3 million before the deadline, the buy-it-now option will be rescinded, ushering in the bidding war that will ensue until October 16. As the auction spectacle unfolds, Matus’s legal crusade injects a new layer of intrigue into the unfolding narrative, intensifying the interest of collectors, sports enthusiasts, and legal observers alike.
The battle for Ohtani’s 50th home run ball rages on, promising an epic showdown that will captivate audiences with its high stakes and legal intricacies. Stay tuned for the latest developments in this gripping saga.
