The baseball that Freddie Freeman hit for a historic World Series walk-off grand slam sold for $1.56 million at auction this weekend.
SCP Auctions did not reveal the buyer of the ball, which Freeman hit with two outs in the 10th inning to give the host Los Angeles Dodgers a 6-3 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1. Freeman went on to homer in the first four games and earn World Series Most Valuable Player honors for the champion Dodgers, who took the series in five games.
The auction opened on Dec. 4 and closed Saturday night, and drew 22 bids on the item, according to SCP Auctions.
“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 in a statement.
The sale price is among the highest for an auctioned baseball, with Freeman’s teammate Shohei Ohtani’s ball hit for his 50th homer selling for $4.392 million in October.
Freeman hit the only walk-off grand slam in World Series history. The ball landed over Dodger Stadium’s right-field wall and at the feet of Zachary Ruderman, 10, who kicked it over to his father, Nico.
Zachary, who lives in Los Angeles, thought he was leaving school earlier that day to get his braces removed, but his parents surprised him with tickets to Game 1.
“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 family said in a statement.
–Field Level Media
