Sports
Who does Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball belong to? Another fan files a lawsuit over it
The plot has thickened over the fate of Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball as another person is claiming legal ownership of the piece of baseball history.
Joseph Davidov, a 32-year-old Broward County, Fla., resident, filed a lawsuit Friday in Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court stating that he is the rightful owner of the milestone ball hit by the Dodgers superstar Sept. 19 during a game against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park.
Davidov is seeking ownership of the historic ball, an injunction preventing the four defendants — Goldin Auctions LLC and Florida residents Chris Belanski, Kelvin Ramirez and Max Matus — from selling the ball, and damages in excess of $50,000.
“We believe [Davidov] is the rightful owner of the ball based upon him having it first,” attorney Devon Workman told The Times on Monday.
That seventh-inning home run made Ohtani the first MLB player to have 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in the same season. A mad scramble ensued in the left-center field stands, with a fan identified as Belanski emerging with the ball. He was immediately escorted away by stadium security.
The ball is being sold by Goldin Auctions. As of Monday morning, the bidding stood at $1.2 million with 13 bids having been submitted. The auction is scheduled to close Oct. 16.
The lawsuit states that Davidov was the first person to secure possession of the ball.
“Shortly after Plaintiff obtained possession of the 50/50 Ball with his left hand, an unknown fan wrongfully jumped over the railing, jumped onto the Plaintiff and Plaintiff’s arm and attacked the Plaintiff causing the 50/50 Ball to come loose and roll into the hands of Defendant CHRIS BELANSKI,” the lawsuit states.
“Plaintiff would have retained control and possession of the 50/50 Ball if were not for the assault of the unknown fan who jumped onto the Plaintiff.”
Workman told The Times that the case is similar to the battle over Barry Bonds’ 73rd home run ball in 2001, in which two fans — Alex Popov and Patrick Hayashi — claimed ownership of the historic ball. A California Superior Court judge found that both men were the legal owners and ordered them to sell the ball and split the earnings.
“The one thing I think is pretty clear in my client’s case is that out of everybody, he was essentially the only one that was jumped on, thrown to the ground,” Workman said. “It’s very similar to Popov v. Hayashi back in 2001, where that person first had it, was also assaulted on the ground and lost the ball, and then the court ultimately decided that he did have possession of it and they had to split the proceeds.
“Our position is that our client was clearly jumped on when he had possession of that ball. At that time he was the rightful owner. So that’s the only difference, I guess, between the other people claiming it; my client actually was somewhat assaulted there by that guy jumping on him.”
Video footage from the stands shows Davidov, wearing a blue-and-white striped shirt, smiling and shaking Belanski’s hand after the latter man had secured the ball. Workman attributed that action to “the adrenaline, the historic moment.”
“He was celebrating with everybody else,” Workman said of Davidov.
On Wednesday, Matus filed a lawsuit against Belanski, Ramirez and Goldin Auctions, claiming ownership of the ball and looking to stop its sale. The next day, Matus filed a motion for an emergency temporary injunction to prevent the start of the auction, which had been scheduled for Friday, pending the result of the lawsuit.
Judge Spencer Eig deferred the motion until an Oct. 10 hearing, allowing the auction to start as scheduled but noting that the defendants cannot “sell, conceal or transfer the 50/50 Ball pending the Court’s ruling on Plaintiffs’ Motion.”
According to Matus’ lawsuit, the 18-year-old high school senior had possession of the ball until Belanski “wrapped his legs around Max’s arm and used his hands to wrangle the ball out of Max’s hand, stealing the ball for himself.” Matus’ lawsuit also states that Ramirez “attended the game with Defendant Belanski and has (wrongfully) claimed ownership interest in the 50/50 Ball on social media.”
The Times has been unable to reach Belanski or Ramirez. Matus’ attorney did not immediately respond to a message from The Times on Monday.
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The Kentucky Wildcats basketball team may still make the NCAA Tournament, but Dick Vitale thinks this iconic program should be much better than their 19-12 record this season considering their whopping $22 million roster.
The legendary ESPN college basketball analyst didn’t hold back his feelings about the Wildcats as they played Florida during Saturday’s prime SEC matchup. After the Gators hit some free throws to extend their first-half lead to 26-19, Vitale started to lay into the Wildcats.
Head coach Mark Pope of the Kentucky Wildcats in a game between the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats on March 7, 2026, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. (Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire)
“I’m going to say this right here, I’ve done several Kentucky games, win or lose, $22 million this team [which has been reported] in terms of the NIL for their players,” he said, per Awful Announcing. “I think in $22 million, they could have put together a better roster than they did. I really do.”
The Wildcats ended up losing by a score of 84-77, and Vitale continued about Kentucky near the end of their 12th loss of the season.
“I’ll tell you one thing, you don’t want to walk out of here thinking you got a moral victory,” Vitale said, referencing a hard-fought game against the No. 5-ranked Florida team. “Moral victories don’t count at this level of basketball. And you hear some of the people, ‘We played them close. We played them tough.’
“The bottom line is you’re Kentucky. You’re Kentucky. And you’ve got to leave here with a win, especially at home. There are no moral victories. Come on. I don’t want to hear that.”
Collin Chandler and Jasper Johnson of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrate in the first half against the Ole Miss Rebels at Rupp Arena on Jan. 24, 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
The Wildcats were once the top program in the country under former Coach John Calipari, who left for Arkansas after being unable to make a long March Madness run in recent seasons, including a shocking first round upset to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats have been coached by Mark Pope since, and they made the Sweet 16 in last year’s tournament before losing to Tennessee.
Kentucky Jasper Johnson in action vs Michigan State at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on Nov. 18, 2025. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated )
But this year, Kentucky is 10-8 in SEC play, and now face the No. 9 seed in the upcoming tournament this week. The winner of each conference earns a tournament berth, but the Wildcats know good seeding in the NCAA Tournament requires a strong run heading into Selection Sunday this upcoming weekend.
The Wildcats will start their SEC Tournament play on Wednesday against No. 16 LSU.
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The Chargers bolstered their efforts to protect quarterback Justin Herbert all while diversifying their offense by agreeing to a multiyear deal with veteran fullback Alec Ingold on Sunday, the team announced.
Ingold’s deal with the Chargers reportedly is for two years and $7.5 million.
Ingold will be no stranger to the Chargers’ plans on offense. He played the past four seasons in Miami under coach Mike McDaniel, the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator. Last year he caught eight passes for 52 yards and ran the ball twice in 17 games.
Ingold caught 47 passes for 372 yards and rushed for 34 yards in 20 carries in four seasons with the Dolphins. He also had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown.
Before his time in Miami, Ingold played three seasons with the Raiders.
The deal comes two days after the Chargers signed veteran center Tyler Biadasz to take over for the retiring Bradley Bozeman. They agreed to terms on a one-year deal with edge rusher Khalil Mack on Saturday.
With the free agency negotiation period set to begin Monday at 9 a.m. PDT, the Chargers remain in strong position to be significant players in the free-agent market. They rank among the top-five teams in salary cap space, per Overthecap.com.
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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and his fiancée, Sarah Jane Ramos, reportedly broke up with their wedding around the corner.
Prescott and Ramos’ relationship had been “rocky” in the weeks leading up to the breakup and things exploded between the two at their joint bachelor and bachelorette parties, TMZ Sports reported on Saturday.
Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos attend the Farrah Fawcett Foundation Tex-Mex Fiesta on Oct. 30, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. (Omar Vega/Getty Images for Farrah Fawcett Foundation)
Ramos shared pictures of her trip with her friends on Instagram on Friday.
“I truly believe you can get through anything in life as long as you have really great friends. I love these girls so much,” Ramos captioned the collage of snaps.
Prescott was not pictured in any of the 16 photos and videos posted to her social media account.
Sarah Jane Ramos and Dak Prescott pose for a photo before Dak Prescott’s Faith Fight Finish Foundation Gala on May 17, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images for Faith Fight Finish Foundation)
Ramos also posted photos of her bridal shower back on Feb. 23. There were no photos of Prescott in the carousel either.
“The most intimate and beautiful bridal shower of my dreams,” she added on Instagram. “So grateful for my aunts who hosted it and my girlfriends and family that came to celebrate. I love you all so much and can’t wait to marry the love of my life with all of you by my side.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Prescott’s representative for comment.
Prescott posted a series of photos on his Instagram of Ramos and his family on July 20, 2025. There’s only a September advertisement posted on his account since.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos pose on the NFL Honors Red Carpet before Super Bowl LX at Palace of Fine Arts on Feb. 5, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
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The NFL star and Ramos announced they were engaged on Oct. 18, 2024. The couple have two children together.
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