MIAMI – The attorney for an 18-year-old man trying to stop Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball from being sold at auction until a lawsuit is resolved believes he has a strong case.
Online bidding began Friday, less than 24 hours after a Miami-Dade County Judge Spencer Eig said the process could begin — though a sale can’t be finalized before Eig rules on a motion for a temporary injunction next month.
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Attorney John Uustal represents Max Matus in a lawsuit challenging ownership of the historic ball.
“What we wanted was to make sure this ball would stay under the jurisdiction of the court and that it could not be sold before the court rules,’’ Uustal said.
The lawsuit claims Matus, a Florida resident who was celebrating his 18th birthday at LoanDepot Park, gained possession of the ball Ohtani hit for his 50th home run on Sept. 19 before another man, Chris Belanski, took it away.
“Max successfully grabbed the 50/50 ball in his left hand and intended to keep it,” the lawsuit stated. “Unfortunately, a few seconds later, defendant Belananski — a muscular older man — trapped plaintiff's arm in between his legs and wrangled the 50/50 ball out of Max's left hand.”
The ball has since been turned over to Goldin Auctions, a New Jersey-based auction house also named in the lawsuit. Bidding began at $500,000.
Matus is seeking a temporary injunction that would prevent a sale until after his lawsuit is resolved.
“The normal procedure with a lawsuit is it takes some time — a year, year and a half, sometimes longer — to get to jury and have a jury rule,” Uustal said.
“In this case, we don’t have time,” the attorney added. “The ball may be gone forever (if it’s sold). ... Who knows where it would be by then.”
Eig on Thursday set an evidentiary hearing for Oct. 10. Part of Uustal's presentation will be video of the scramble for the ball in the stands.
Matus’ initial filing requested a court order declaring he is entitled to the ball and requests a jury trial on his claims. It also alleged unlawful battery against Belanski.
Kelvin Ramirez also is named in the lawsuit after claiming ownership of the ball. Ramirez attended the game with Belanski.
Ohtani’s home run against the Miami Marlins — the second of three he hit in the game — gave him 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in the same season, making him the first player in major league history to reach that milestone.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB