CNN
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An 18-year-old has filed a lawsuit over possession of the ball that Shohei Ohtani used to make baseball history when he became a charter member of the 50-50 Club.

On September 19, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar accomplished a goal no player had ever achieved before: he hit his 50th home run and stole his 50th base of the season in a 20-4 win over the Miami Marlins.

The ball was auctioned by the Goldin auction house. Bidding started at $500,000 and collectors were able to purchase it directly privately for $4.5 million. The auction is scheduled to begin on Friday at 12pm ET and end on October 16th.

However, in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Florida’s 11th Circuit, 18-year-old Max Matus claimed he was actually the rightful owner of the ball and sought “an injunction” to prevent its “concealment and hiding” or “sale.” of that.

Matus claims he went to the Dodgers vs. Marlins game for his 18th birthday and caught the ball, the filing says.

But a few seconds later, the filing claims that Chris Belanski is one of the three named defendants in the lawsuit and Goldin and Kelvin Ramirez caught Matus’ “arm between his legs and ripped the 50/50 ball out of Max’s left hand.”

The filing continues: “As a result, Belanski unlawfully and forcibly gained control of the ball and was escorted from the stands by security personnel, leaving the 50/50 ball, which Plaintiff now found in Belanski’s (unlawful) possession .”

The lawsuit includes screenshots of alleged video evidence from several fans that show Belanski ripping the ball out of Matus’ hand before picking it up.

Both Belanski and Kelvin Ramirez indicated on social media that they wanted to sell the ball, the filing said.

When reached for comment, Matus’ representatives told CNN that the 18-year-old said, “I had the ball in my hand.”

John Uustal, founding partner of the law firm representing Matus, added: “This is not a scrum on a football field where the law doesn’t apply because the players have voluntarily agreed that they can hit each other as soon as someone is in the stands If he has the ball, he is not allowed to take it. Max is a high school kid, it was his birthday. A bigger, stronger adult can’t take the ball away and act like it’s theirs.”

CNN has reached out to Goldin and Belanski’s attorney for comment. CNN could not immediately reach Ramirez for comment.

According to the lawsuit, Matus would suffer “irreparable harm” if the 50/50 ball were to be sold because it is a “unique, one-of-a-kind item that cannot be replaced.”

“Once the 50/50 ball is sold, (Matus) will likely not be able to get it back and no amount of monetary damages will be sufficient to replace it.”

The situation has similarities to Barry Bonds’ record-breaking 73rd home run ball in 2001.

Alex Popov was the first to get a glove on the ball after it sailed into the stands. However, he later claimed in a lawsuit that it was snatched from his hand by Patrick Hayashi, who emerged from a crush of fans with the ball in hand. Hayashi said he noticed the ball was rolling freely in the minutes-long melee.

In December 2002, a judge in San Francisco ordered the two men to sell the ball and split the proceeds. The ball was eventually sold to comics creator and producer Todd McFarlane, who paid $450,000 for it.