Bidding for Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 ball reaches $1.7 million at auction -- with 1 week to go

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- With one week remaining in the auction for Shohei Ohtani's coveted 50/50 home run ball, the bidding has already reached $1.7 million.

Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a regular season, reaching the mark on Sept. 19 with his homer in Miami against the Marlins.

The bidding for the baseball is through Goldin Auctions.

"You're looking at a piece of history. To me, something like this captures a great moment in baseball," Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin, told Eyewitness News. "To own it, it's like you own a piece of history that you are the caretaker of for future generations, and I think that's what drives all collectors, especially sports collectors."

While bids continue to roll in, the legal battle over who owns the ball is still ongoing. Two people have filed lawsuits claiming they have rights to the ball.

"What we did at Goldin and what our attorneys did is we were able to settle the matter between them to basically allow us to sell the ball, all three of them, to resign any rights they may win at a later date to us, so when we sell the ball we will pass clean and clear title to the ball, to the owner with no dispute and these guys can figure out how to split the money," Goldin said.

The auction for the ball closes Oct. 22. If the bid reaches over $3.05 million it will become the most valuable baseball in history, surpassing Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball in 1999.

Ohtani is playing in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers after signing a 10-year, $700 million deal last December.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.