In a legal battle, an 18-year-old Broward man, Max Matus, has filed a lawsuit to stake his claim on a piece of baseball history. Celebrating his 18th birthday at a Miami Marlins game on September 19, Matus alleges he caught the home run ball that cemented Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani as the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. This ball, now at the center of a contentious dispute, holds significant value as it is set to be auctioned with an opening bid of half-million dollars.
However, before bidders can start, Matus is attempting to stop the auction scheduled tomorrow. He claims that the historic ball was snatched from him during a scuffle by another fan, Chris Belanski. According to allegations, Local10 reports that Matus's lawsuit includes screengrabs from the game broadcast showing "Belanski put his 'arm in between his legs and wrangled the 50/50 Ball out of Max’s left hand.'"
A private sale price that could potentially hit $4.5 million until October 9, Matus’ lawyers are requesting that the ball or any profits from its sale be held by a third party until the court determines the rightful owner, according to details shared by Bleacher Report. The complaint targets Belanski, Goldin, the auction house, and Kelvin Ramirez, who attended the game and is claimed to have asserted shared ownership on social media.
Having bounced off a tabletop and under, where Max Matus claims to have scooped it up, "Then the other guy had my hand between his legs holding my arm and took the ball from my hand," Matus told cllct. Miami-Dade Judge Spencer Eig has been assigned the case, and both baseball fans and law enthusiasts are eagerly watchingas the case continues to develop, as reported by Bleacher Report.
Amidst this chaos, Goldin Auctions appears unshaken. A representative told Local10 that they plan to proceed with the upcoming auction, citing that there are no allegations against the company directly.
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