A teen has filed a lawsuit in Florida after he says he was robbed of the 50/50 home run ball struck by Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani during a September 19 game. The historic ball landed behind the outfield wall at LoanDepot Park in Miami. The baseball star hit his 50th home run and stole his 50th base in the game. The play was the first time an MLB player was able to manage both feats in the same season. The play is being hailed as one of the greatest performances of all time in MLB history.
As the ball made its way its way toward the crowd, 18-year-old spectator Max Matus says he was able to successfully grab the 50/50 ball in his left hand, but that after a short scuffle, another spectator, Chris Belanski, who is described in the lawsuit as a “muscular, older man” trapped Matus’ arm in between his legs and wrangled the ball out of his possession. In doing so, Belanski “wrongfully and forcefully obtained control of the ball and was escorted out of the stands by security, with the 50/50 ball.”
Belanski and another named defendant, Kelvin Ramirez, posted videos on social media with the 50/50 ball. Online the duo touted their plans to sell the history-making ball. The lawsuit also details that the auction group, Goldin Auctions, LLC, shared online that it had possession of the ball. Founder and CEO of Goldin Auctions, Ken Goldin, shared his plans to auction off the ball as well. Goldin Auctions LLC is also listed as a defendant in the lawsuit. Today, the ball is posted for sale online with a starting bid of $500,000. There is also an option to buy the 50/50 ball outright for $4.5 million.
In addition to reinstating the ball to Matus, the lawsuit is asking the court for a preliminary injunction that would keep the defendants from selling the ball. A judge has since ruled that the auction can continue. However, the sale cannot be finalized until the teen has his day in court.
The lawsuit includes still shots of videos that show the teen with the ball in his possession during the game. The same still shots show Belanski on the ground, appearing to pull at the ball as well. The complaint also details that when Belanksi pulled the ball out of the teen's hands, he raised his arm with the ball in hand to display his apparent victory. The teen can be seen standing, looking visibly shocked, and screaming at Belanski.
The lawsuit says that Belanski deprived the teen of his rightful possession of the ball under Florida law. Additionally, the lawsuit says the teen will suffer immediate and irreparable damage if the history-making ball is sold. The lawsuit details the significance of the 50/50 ball. The loss of this literal piece of history is irreplaceable and something that would not be remedied by financial compensation if Matus is not awarded ownership of the ball, the complaint details.
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