Freeman’s World Series walk-off slam ball sells for $1.56 milllion

The ball from the only walk-off grand slam in World Series history sold for $1.56 million in SCP Auctions’ December Dynasty Auction over the weekend. That surpassed the $1.5 million that Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run ball sold for in December 2022, though it fell short of the all-time record of $3 million, which is what Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball from the 1998 season sold for in ’99.

Before Freeman’s iconic home run ball found its way to auction, though, the ball plummeted through a sea of fans and landed on the ground in the right-field seats at Dodger Stadium. That gave 10-year-old Zach Ruderman a distinct advantage as fans raced to get their hands on the baseball.

“It was pretty amazing,” Zach told MLB Network previously. “It was rolling around the ground and I saw it; I knocked it over to my dad and then he picked it up and handed it to me. It was truly the best moment of my life.”

And while bidders went back and forth right up until the auction deadline, the initial battle for the ball was relatively peaceful.

“Everybody was great,” said Zach’s father, Nico. “Everybody was just celebrating and jumping around. Everybody wanted to take a picture with Zach. It was just a happy atmosphere out there in right field.”

The backstory for the Rudermans makes the whole ordeal all the more special.

Zach was initially supposed to get his braces off that day, but when his dad picked him up early from school to head to the orthodontist, Zach was surprised to learn that his parents had instead bought World Series tickets to watch his Dodgers take on the Yankees.

“They weren’t too happy,” Nico said of the orthodontist. “But it was worth it in the end.”