A sports memorabilia auction is never as poignant as the ball game that brought tremendous value to the auctioned item. But the bidding for the baseball that Freddie Freeman crushed for a grand slam that gave the Dodgers a walkoff victory in Game 1 of the World Series against the New York Yankees in October did generate its own kind of drama.
The ball was sold for $1.56 million by SCP Auctions on Saturday evening, but not after a spirited back-and-forth between bidders that extended the bidding by 2.5 hours beyond the original deadline.
The money will go to the family of the 10-year-old boy who held the ball in the right-field bleachers at Dodger Stadium amid the frenzied celebration after Freeman homered with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning , and the Dodgers one. away from defeat.
The moment will forever rank among the very best in Dodgers history, rivaling Kirk Gibson’s eerily similar walkouff homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. The memory will always be cherished by Zachary Ruderman and his parents, Nico and Anne. The money will be life-changing for the Venice family.
Read more: Kid thought he was going to the dentist. Dad took him to the World Series and he caught Freddie Freeman’s grand slam
Still, it looked like bidding might not reach seven figures when the highest bid reached $800,000 with five minutes left in the week-long auction. But a bid of $850,000 triggered a 30-minute extension, which again counted down to almost zero before a bid of $900,000 was made.
It continued like this, with each extension almost expiring before the next offer was made, up to $1.3 million. The buyer’s premium and fees increased the total to $1.56 million.
“It was crazy,” said David Kohler, president of SCP Auctions. “Sometimes it happens. We are thrilled with the outcome and honored to handle one of the most important artifacts in World Series history.”
The record auction price for a baseball is $4.392 million, set just two months ago for the ball that Shohei Ohtani hit at LoanDepot Park in Miami on September 19, becoming the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season . The previous record of $3.05 million was paid in 1999 for Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball from the 1998 season.
How the money from the sale of the Ohtani ball will be distributed is up for debate. Max Matus filed a lawsuit in Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court against the man who ultimately ended up with the ball, Christian Zacek, fellow Florida resident Kelvin Ramirez and Goldin Auctions, claiming ownership of the ball.
Read more: Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball sells for a record $4.4 million. Who gets the money?
There is no such controversy surrounding the Freeman ball, which flew straight to Zachary Ruderman, whose avowed favorite player is Freeman and who keeps score at the frequent games his family attends.
“Everyone stood up, no one even sat,” Zachary told The Times. “I was in the stands so I could see it. A second or two after the bat cracked, I realized it was heading straight for us.
“It was honestly a reaction, an instinct.”
Everyone sitting around him was delirious with joy over the Dodgers’ victory and remained in the stadium as the team celebrated on the field. Nobody tried to take the ball away from him.
“Hundreds of people were harassing me,” Zachary said. “So many people wanted to take a picture with me and the ball. It was overwhelming.”
The next morning Zachary left early on a business trip with his mother Anne. He was wearing a Dodgers cap and T-shirt and a flight attendant asked him if he had seen the walk-off home run.
“Yes,” Zachary replied, “I understand.”
The flight attendant jumped on the plane’s public address system and announced Zachary’s large fortune to the other passengers. He stood up from his seat and applauded.
Read more: Plaschke: In a year that was so unlikely, Freddie Freeman becomes Kirk Gibson
The most expensive MLB item ever sold at auction is Babe Ruth’s 1932 World Series jersey, which sold for $24.12 million in August 2024. The Yankees No. 3 road jersey was worn by Ruth when he hit his legendary “call shot” home run at Wrigley Field.
The identity of the new owner of the Freeman ball has not been made public. Zachary Ruderman has had his moment of fame and – now – fortune, and his family just hopes the ball will be put on display for Dodgers fans to enjoy and reminisce about.
“It’s a lot more attention than my son has ever had,” Nico Ruderman said. “People recognize him. I mean, literally everywhere we go, people stop him and want to take pictures with him. He really loved it. It has been a nice experience for him.
“It would be great to have the ball on display at Dodger Stadium so fans can see this special piece of history.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
