Shohei Ohtani’s 50-50 home run ball now resides at Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan.
When Shohei Ohtani connected for his 50th home run of the season back on September 19, that ball immediately held an immense value.
Fans in the left field bullpen zone at loanDepot Park in Miami scurried to capture a historic piece of sports memorabilia, and one lucky fan managed to escape the dogpile with the home run ball, eventually having the ball sold for auction at a price of $4.392 million.
The home run ball now nests within extremely tight security at Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan. Brooks Peck of The Athletic has more on Ohtani’s 50-50 home run ball.
According to TVBS in Taiwan, Taipei 101 hired a prominent local security firm to protect the ball around the clock at a cost of more than $150,000 while it’s a part of the exhibition, which includes other pieces of Ohtani memorabilia and items from Taiwanese baseball legends, and will run through March 2. The broadcaster reports that Taipei 101 chairwoman Janet Chia hopes for up to 7,000 visitors per day to the exhibition.
The Dodgers have a flurry of question marks lingering over their heads this offseason, which includes which free agents they would want to reunite with.
Huston Mitchell of the Los Angeles Times about which free agents the Dodgers would prioritize to resign in the latest edition of Dodgers Dugout, including that of Teoscar Hernández, which would bring back a power hitting corner outfielder that the team needs with Mookie Betts expected to be a full-time infielder in 2025.
Right now, the starting outfield is probably Andy Pages, Tommy Edman and James Outman, or Chris Taylor, or top prospect Dalton Rushing. So a big bat in the outfield would be nice, and a reunion with Teoscar Hernández, who says he wants to come back, would be nice. He added some fun and some swagger to the team that had been missing.
Former Dodger outfielder Yasiel Puig will continue his international baseball career in 2025, this time signing with Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO, per Yusseff Diaz of Pelota Cubana.
Puig, who last played in Major League Baseball in 2019 with the Cincinnati Reds and the then Cleveland Indians, most recently slashed .242/.333/.407 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 17 games for the Tiburones de La Guaria for the Venezuelan Winter League.