As if baseball collectibles didn’t already have a reputation for reaching dizzying financial heights, Shohei Ohtani’s pants have rocketed the market into an interstellar realm of absurdity. Yes, you read that correctly – it’s the Los Angeles Angels’ superstar’s game-worn pants that have become the talk of the town, or rather, the talk of enthusiastic collectors. Trying more to revolutionize wardrobes than the game itself, a trading card infused with a fabric fragment from Ohtani’s trousers recently fetched a staggering $1.07 million at Heritage Auctions.
The mere mention of pants might not lead to an overflow of excitement unless, of course, they’re Ohtani’s. The artefact in question is from his awe-inducing performance against the Miami Marlins where he achieved the historic feat of becoming Major League Baseball’s first player to score 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. Forget the laundry, these pants are more significant than just a stylish substitute. They are the wearable trophies of an athletic achievement seasoned with just the right dash of Shohei’s magical stardust.
This mesmerizing piece of memorabilia is no ordinary trading card. It’s a Topps Dynasty Black card that boasts Ohtani’s autograph in brilliant gold ink, ensuring it’s anything but understated. As if that’s not enough, the card also features the glistening MLB logo patch, torn precisely from the pants he donned during that monumental game. The identity of the buyer remains an enigma wrapped in a mystery inside an auction; perhaps it’s as elusive as the pairless socks that mysteriously vanish during a washing machine cycle.
The achievement sends Ohtani’s already record-breaking memorabilia value into another orbit, outstripping his previous benchmark set at half a million dollars for a rookie card from 2018. It might make one ponder if pants truly make the man, but in the collectible world, they certainly make the card.
Yet, one wondrous card wasn’t enough for the Topps team. They put themselves back in the design dugout to conjure up two more cards celebrating Ohtani’s legendary 50-50 game. Another card, complete with batting glove tags and an additional patch from these now-infamous trousers, scooped $173,240 earlier this year. Apparently, fans of the game hold a stronger appreciation for glove-tags over pants, with their wallet being slightly less exercised.
Heritage Auctions’ resident sports auction wizard, Chris Ivy, remarked on the historical gravitas of the card, and truth be told, he was right. Ohtani isn’t just a baseball player; he’s a veritable rockstar in cleats, with his trousers proving his performance indisputable—and, as Ivy suggests, collectors simply can’t resist a good logo patch.
Interestingly, this record-setting collectible isn’t from Ohtani’s rookie season, gently tossing aside the time-honored tradition collectors hold dear — the exalted rookie-card rule. Meanwhile, Pirates’ pitcher Paul Skenes’ rookie card clinched $1.11 million this month, but given that trousers weren’t involved, does it truly hold the same playful sartorial gravitas?
As collectors might wonder how Ohtani managed such a milestone, he walked into LoanDepot Park with 48 home runs and 49 bases stolen. With the audacity of a daring shopper dashing for free samples on a sunny Saturday morning, he swiped bases 50 and 51 early in the game. As drama unfolded in the seventh inning, he shattered the sleepy Florida air by hitting Marlins reliever Mike Baumann’s curve a full 391 feet into destiny’s history book. And that ball? It met a $4.39 million fate. Because if there’s an upper limit to Shohei collectibles, it’s obviously quite a distance away.
As stakes rise further and enthusiasts compete for the next slice of baseball history, it’s not far-fetched to picture soon seeing shoelaces, socks, or even chewing gum wrappers adorning auction halls. For collectors bracing for subsequent auctions, it might be time to brace both your bank accounts and laundry baskets. Who knows? The next big auction might just pair a vintage jersey with matching pants neatly sealed in a frame.
