A US auction house says a Taiwanese company has won the bidding for Ohtani Shohei’s historic 50th home run ball. The superstar from Japan is the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a single season.
Goldin Auctions CEO Ken Goldin revealed the new owner of the ball in a video posted on social media on Friday.
Tuesday’s winning bid of 4.392 million dollars was the highest ever for a home run ball, and sparked speculation as to the identity of the bidder.
Goldin said: “A lot of people think the baseball is going to Japan. It is not.” He said a corporation in Taiwan that loves baseball and Ohtani won the auction.
He stopped short of disclosing the name of the company, adding, “Their identity will be revealed in person when they visit Goldin Auctions shortly after the World Series.”
Taiwanese media outlets reported that the buyer is an investment firm based in Taipei. They say it intends to display the ball in cooperation with various organizations in Japan and Taiwan.