(C) NBC Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — A split-second decision to abandon a plate of nachos has potentially turned into a life-changing windfall for one baseball fan. Carlo Mendoza, a devoted Los Angeles Dodgers supporter, is the lucky individual who snagged a historic home run ball hit by Shohei Ohtani during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on October 18.
Mendoza's moment of destiny unfolded in the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium. As the Dodgers led 3-0, Mendoza was waiting for his order at an outer concourse nacho stand. The sudden roar of the crowd prompted him to turn around just as Ohtani’s towering home run ball soared toward the rarely reached upper deck in right field. Reacting instantly, Mendoza ditched his nachos, lunged for the ball, and secured the ultimate souvenir.
The blast was recorded as a monumental shot, traveling 143 meters (approximately 469 feet) and marking the longest postseason home run tracked since the introduction of StatCast. It was Ohtani’s second of three home runs that historic day, in which he also pitched six shutout innings.
The extraordinary nature of the home run—its immense distance and landing outside the typical spectator area—posed a unique authentication challenge. Unlike most game balls, which are immediately verified and affixed with a special anti-counterfeit sticker by stadium officials, this ball landed too far for standard procedure.
To confirm the ball's authenticity, auction house SCP Auctions implemented an unusual, rigorous verification process. Mendoza was required to have his statement notarized and, remarkably, even passed a lie-detector test (polygraph) to definitively prove he was the one who caught Ohtani's record-setting blast.
With the authenticity verified, SCP Auctions has placed the ball on the market with a starting bid of $200,000. Bidding is set to run until November 22. The auction house projects the final sale price could reach a staggering $2 million (approximately 2.9 billion Korean Won). This potential figure underscores the immense value of Ohtani memorabilia, a market previously highlighted by the sale of his 50th home run ball from last season, which fetched a record $4.39 million.
The Ohtani ball is not the only high-stakes item on the block. SCP Auctions also plans to auction two other pivotal baseballs from the World Series: Miguel Rojas' dramatic ninth-inning game-tying home run and Will Smith's walk-off home run in the 11th inning of Game 7.
Mendoza's sacrifice of his snack order is now positioned to become one of the most profitable decisions in sports memorabilia history, cementing his spot in Dodgers lore while demonstrating the extraordinary financial value tied to one of baseball’s greatest players.
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