Shohei Ohtani Baseball Worth $4 Million Lands in Globally-Recognized Skyscraper

Taipei 101 is the new home for Ohtani's 50/50 ball.

Ohtani hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases in 2024 | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The upper stories of Taipei 101—a 101-story skyscraper in Taiwan, the tallest of the region—feature a massive 660-ton sphere that counteracts earthquake tremors to keep the building stable. It is a marvel of human engineering and ingenuity making a skyscraper of this size possible in an earthquake-heavy region.

Recently, the building welcomed a similarly fawned-after sphere, albeit 660 tons lighter.

Taipei 101 is the new home of Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run of the 2024 MLB season, the ball that established the 50/50 club (50 home runs, 50 stolen bases). A private investment firm in Taiwan purchased the ball for $4.4 million and has put it on public display in the skyscraper's observation deck.

Shohei Ohtani’s 50/50 home run ball was finally unveiled today. ⚾️🔥
It was bought by a Taiwanese investment company called “UC Capital.” 🇹🇼
Currently, the ball will be on display at the observatory inside Taipei 101 in Taiwan, from today until March 2, 2025. #ShoheiOhtani pic.twitter.com/uIzWORTJ9Y

— Jeffery Chen (@jefferychen8925) November 13, 2024

NHK reports the investment firm that owns the ball lent it to the exhibition for free. In an opening ceremony, the chief of the investment firm "said he hopes the ball will inspire the dreams and hopes of children in Taiwan and help further deepen exchanges between Japan and Taiwan," according to NHK.

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