Ohtani's 50-50 HR ball hits auction with $500K opening bid

Shohei Ohtani's 50-50 home run ball is already on its way to the auction block.

The historic ball has been consigned to Goldin, with bidding set to open Friday at $500,000. The auction house said it was contacted about the ball just one day after Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season.

"This was one of the easiest (consignments) ever," Goldin CEO and founder Ken Goldin told Dan Hajducky of ESPN. "Ohtani (hits 50) on Thursday, literally Friday we heard from the guy, he contacted Goldin on his own through social media, flew a security guard down to Miami on Monday with a representative from Goldin, met him, flew back Monday."

Ohtani reached the 50-50 mark during the Los Angeles Dodgers' 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Sept. 19. He finished the game 6-for-6 with 10 RBIs.

Goldin is offering potential buyers the opportunity to purchase the ball outright for $4.5 million from Sept. 27 to Oct. 9. However, if bidding reaches $3 million before Oct. 9, the private sale option will be removed.

The anonymous fan who caught Ohtani's 50th home run ball was offered $300,000 by the Dodgers, Fox Sports 640's Andy Slater reported. Goldin confirmed to ESPN that "there was an offer by the Dodgers, and he turned it down."

The current record for the most expensive baseball ever sold is $3.05 million, which comic book creator Todd McFarlane paid for Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball in 1999.