Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman ended Game 1 of the 2024 World Series with the first ever walk-off grand slam in World Series history. On Saturday night, the ball he hit sold for $1.56 million at auction, making it the third most expensive game-used baseball of all time.
The Dodgers went on to win the World Series over the New York Yankees in five games, with Freeman earning MVP honors after hitting home runs in each of the first four games of the series and tying the World Series record with a total of 12 RBI.
After Freeman hit his historic grand slam into the stands at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 25, the ball was secured by the Ruderman family, thanks to the quick reaction of 10-year-old Zachary Ruderman, who was surprised with tickets to the game by his parents after they told him he was leaving school early that day to get his braces removed.
“When the ball rolled from the seat in front of Zachary to the ground at his feet, he batted it to his dad, Nico, who jumped on it ahead of several other fans scrambling after it,” SCP Auctions, which ran the sale, said in an initial press release.
The Ruderman family with the ball at Dodger Stadium. (Photo: SCP Auctions)
Although the identity of the buyer has not been revealed, the Ruderman family said they hope “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 Freeman grand slam ball is now the third most expensive game-used baseball of all time. Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball from the 2024 season set a new record $4.392 million in October. Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball from the 1998 season is second at $3.005 million. Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run ball from 2022 is now the fourth most expensive at $1.5 million.
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(Top photo: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
