The lawyer for the 18-year-old who claims he grabbed Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run ball believes he has a good case and wants to initially stop the auction for the historic sports memorabilia pending the legal battle is clarified.

During a game against the Miami Marlins on September 19, the two-time Japanese superstar became the first person in Major League Baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. When Ohtani hit his 50th home run, sending it over the left field wall, it was pure chaos, with every fan nearby trying to be the lucky one to snag the historic item.

According to a suit According to John Urstal, Chris Belanski eventually came into possession of the baseball, but only after taking it from 18-year-old Max Matus.

“Max successfully grabbed the 50/50 ball with his left hand and wanted to keep it,” the lawsuit states. “Unfortunately, a few seconds later, defendant Belananski – a muscular, older man – trapped plaintiff’s arm between his legs and ripped the 50/50 ball from Max’s left hand.”

While online bidding began at $500,000 As of Sept. 27, the sale cannot be completed until Miami-Dade County Judge Spencer Eig rules on a request for a preliminary injunction.

“We wanted to make sure that this ball remained under the jurisdiction of the court and could not be sold until the court ruled,” Uustal said.

Matus also hopes an injunction will prevent a sale until the litigation is resolved.

“The normal procedure in a lawsuit is that it takes some time — a year, a year and a half, sometimes longer — to get to the jury and have a jury rule,” Uustal said.