The baseball that came off Freddie Freeman’s bat in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series and resulted in a walk-off grand slam has sold for a whopping $1.56 million at an auction organized by SCP Auctions over the weekend.
Freeman’s walk-off grand slam baseball has now become the third most expensive baseball in the world. It only trails baseball, which saw Shohei Ohtani reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases, which sold for $4.392 million earlier this year, and Mark McGwire’s 70th home run baseball in the 1998 season, which sold for $3 million in 1999.
“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.
Game 1 of the 2024 World Series saw Freeman’s Los Angeles Dodgers trailing the New York Yankees by one run at their home ballpark. Freeman came to the plate in the 10th inning, facing two outs with bases loaded. Yankees’ lefty Nestor Cortes threw a fastball, which Freeman connected with and sent it to the stands. The Dodgers won the game 6-3 and ended up winning the whole thing in five games.
Dodgers fan named Nic Ruderman was the one who caught Freeman’s walk-off grand slam baseball with the help of his 10-year-old son Zachary. When the baseball hit the stands, it rolled under Zachary’s seat, and the boy batted it toward his dad, who jumped on it to secure it.
