Exclusive | Dodgers fan puts historic Shohei Ohtani ball up for auction after rejecting $2 million offer
The Dodgers fan who caught Shohei Ohtani’s third home run from his historic NLCS Game 4 in October has turned down a $2 million offer for the souvenir and is now opting to try his luck with the piece at auction instead.
David Flores told The Post on Monday he made the bold decision earlier this month, striking a deal with Ken Goldin to put the ball on the Goldin auctions block beginning on Dec. 23 rather than selling it outright.
Flores said he’s confident bidders will shell out more than the small fortune he already could have had for it, though he added, “Whatever happens, I’ll be in a better place.”
Ohtani smacked the ball Flores’ way during the seventh inning of Los Angeles’ series-clinching tilt with the Brewers at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 17. It was Ohtani’s third blast of the night — and represented an exclamation point on what some have called the greatest baseball game ever played, as the two-way superstar also threw six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts on the mound.
Flores said he was actually dozing off when it first left Ohtani’s bat.
“You guys are going to be the first to hear this,” Flores said. “I was asleep. I took my nap during the game, and I was asleep. I heard the crowd [cheering], so I look up, and the ball is coming right to me. And I knew from me playing baseball it was going to come my way.
“I was going to play the rebound. That’s how I caught the ball.”
Flores said people asked to buy the item right away. Goldin was one of the first to reach out, but he said “crazy” offers for it also ensued.
Ultimately, he said he “held off just to make sure” he made the right choice. He was also secretly hoping someone in Ohtani’s home country might come forward with a deal for him.
“I thought it belongs to Japan,” Flores said. “It belongs to Shohei. It belongs to Japan. That’s what I was waiting for.”
Instead, Goldin will host bidding beginning next week, and he told The Post he’ll field offers for it through the holidays, until around mid-January.
The auction expert said he knows it’s “a seven-figure ball,” but he wasn’t sure if it could reach the $4.4 million mark that Ohtani’s 50th home run ball netted on his auction block last year.
“This is a different ball,” he said. “And we’ll see how crazy bidders are, right? Could it top it? It’s possible. Depending how rabid the guys are who want the ball. So we’ll see.”
As for his plans for the cash when it comes in, Flores said he’s looking to be smart with it — although one item does top his wish list.
“I want a bed,” Flores said. “I want a bed.”
