The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for Zachary Ruderman.
He is the 10-year-old Dodgers fan who ended up with one of the most important baseballs in team history – that of their favorite player, first baseman Freddie Freemanhit for a dead end grand slam during the 10th inning of the first game of the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees.
Since then, Zachary has apparently become one of the most famous people living in Venice.
“This is a lot more attention than my son has ever received,” said his father, Nico Ruderman. “He’s spoken to so many media outlets, so many interviews. People recognize him. I mean, everywhere we go, people stop him and want to take pictures with him. He really loves it. It’s been a fun experience for him.
This experience is entering a new phase. Wednesday, SCP Auctions announced that the ball would be auctioned from December 4 to 14. Coming just a few weeks after The Dodgers won their eighth World Series championship – with Freeman striking four circuits and winning MVP honors, all thanks to a serious ankle sprain – SCP founder and president David Kohler said his company believes “the sky is the limit” for what the auction could bring.
“We think it will bring in seven figures,” Kohler said. “We think it’s some of the most historic baseball of all time, with the timing of that World Series, the first grand slam, the whole Freddie Freeman story, the Dodgers, the first game, the innings Just everything about it. I mean, it’s one of the most historic moments in sports and we think people are going to enjoy it.”
Last month, the Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani’s 50th home run was sold by Goldin Auctions for a record amount of $4.4 million. Could the Freeman ball be worth even more than that?
“That might be the case. You never know,” Kohler said. “We’ll find out. Certainly, Ohtani’s ball was very, very important and Ohtani is beloved, but it’s more part of baseball history and just the timing — seeing that happen was just incredible.
Zachary, along with his father and mother Anne, participated in this moment. After Freeman hit his game-winning shot into the right-field pavilion, the ball rolled past Zachary’s feet. The fifth grader gave it to his father, who lunged at it, stood up and handed it back to his son.
“It’s just amazing memories,” Zachary said Thursday, reflecting on that night. “Like after we got it, no one was mad. No one was trying to take it from us. Everyone was just super happy.
His father added, “We feel so fortunate and honored to be a part of such an important moment in Dodger history.”
The experience was so special that at first the family had no intention of parting with the balloon.
Learn more: Hernández: Freddie Freeman will forever be the name and face of the Dodgers’ 2024 championship
“That night when we caught it, we were like, ‘We’re going to keep this forever,’” Ruderman said. “The problem is if we keep it, we won’t keep it in our house. I don’t want to pay the insurance for it, so it would just be locked in a safe. No one would ever see it .
“Maybe (the auction) brings in some life-changing money that will pay for our son’s education, and also allow someone with the resources to exhibit him and show him to the world. We let’s really hope whoever buys it will be willing to display it at Dodger Stadium for a while for everyone to see. That’s really our wish.
Even with all the amazing experiences he’s had thanks to the ball – including his favorite, speaking before the Los Angeles City Council at City Hall and receiving a certificate of congratulations from Councilmember Traci Park more earlier this month – Zachary said he was “really excited” about the auction.
“It’s probably going to be a pretty fun experience,” Zachary said.
“We had a lot of fun with the ball,” his father added. “At this point he cares more about the memories, the pictures. He loves reading all the articles and watching all the news about it. That’s what’s fun for him, not the item itself.
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This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
