After an intense bidding war that went into the late hours of Saturday night, Freddie Freeman’s 2024 World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sold at SCP Auctions for $1.56 million.
This ball is the third-most valuable baseball ever, surpassing Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run ball in 2022. “We are so honored to have handled one of the most important artifacts in World Series history, dating back to 1903,” SCP Auctions President David Kohler said.
Freeman stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series with his Los Angeles Dodgers down 3-2 to the New York Yankees. His right ankle was injured, much like Kirk Gibson was gimpy when he smacked a World Series Game 1 walk-off homer for the Dodgers in 1988.
The bases were loaded. Freeman took the first pitch he saw from Nestor Cortes 413 feet for the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. “That’s as good as it gets right there,” Freeman said.
“It might be the greatest baseball moment I’ve ever witnessed,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “And I’ve witnessed some great ones.”
Freeman would go on to be named World Series MVP by leading Los Angeles to victory four games to one over New York in the Fall Classic. When the ball finally landed, it was corralled by 10-year-old Dodgers fan Zachary Ruderman.
Zachary’s parents told him he was leaving school early on the day of Game 1 to go get his braces removed. To Zachary’s surprise, they headed directly to Dodger Stadium instead. When the ball rolled from the seat in front of Zachary to the ground at his feet, he batted it to his dad, Nico, who jumped on it ahead of several other fans scrambling after it.
“Our family hopes the baseball will be displayed in Dodger Stadium so all Dodgers and baseball fans can view a very special piece of history for the city of Los Angeles,” the Ruderman family said.
(Austin Widger furnished the information provided in this report)