Shohei Ohtani continues to dazzle in the batter’s box, on the mound and in the sports memorabilia market.
The baseball Ohtani used to record his first postseason strikeout as a pitcher is currently at MLB Auctions, with bidding nearing $10,000 with five days remaining.
Though the two-way star made his playoff debut last year en route to a World Series title, he was limited to the offensive side of the ball due to a torn labrum.
But after returning to the mound in June and appearing in 14 games for the Dodgers, logging 47 innings with a 2.87 ERA and 62 strikeouts, Ohtani made his postseason debut on the mound Saturday at Citizens Bank Park in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Phillies.
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The ball being auctioned was used in the final two pitches of his first postseason strikeout against Trea Turner as well as a five-pitch at-bat against Kyle Schwarber, which resulted in a fly-out.
Eye-popping numbers for Ohtani-related baseballs have become the norm in recent years, most notably punctuated by the record-shattering $4.4 million sale of his 50-50 home run ball.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.