Shohei Ohtani had a disappointing ending to the 2026 Major League Baseball season after he and the Los Angeles Dodgers were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.
Though he hit a three-run home run in Game 4, Ohtani still struggled for the most part of the NLCS. He only had three hits and two runs, compared to six strikeouts in 13 at-bats.
Despite this unusual slump, he remains one of MLB’s superstars, and collectibles related to him are in high demand. Therefore, sports memorabilia collectors could pay a fortune for rare tickets from his games.
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) posted on X that they have recently graded a ticket stub from a March 29, 2013, game between the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters and the Saitama Seibu Lions.
What made this ticket special is that 18-year-old Shohei Ohtani made his professional baseball debut. Batting eighth in the order, he collected two hits and an RBI in four at-bats to help the Fighters defeat the Lions, 5-3.
While the value of this collectible remains unknown, having a graded Ohtani sports memorabilia will attract serious bidders.
As posted on The Chosun Daily, a used ticket from Ohtani’s NPB debut was sold for $23,180 (including buyer’s premium) at Goldin Auctions. It was a ticket for a junior-member seat in the free seating area near third base at the Seibu Dome, which at the time cost 300 yen ($1.90 in current value).
For comparison, the ticket stub that PSA graded cost 1,200 yen ($7.59).
The game that launched Shohei Ohtani’s magnificent career
From that moment, Ohtani’s popularity and impact on the game continued to grow. During his time at Nippon Professional Baseball, he became a five-time All-Star, a three-time Best Nine awardee, a Pacific League Most Valuable Player, and a Japan Series champion.
His dominance continued in MLB. In addition to his two World Series titles with the Dodgers, he is also a six-time All-Star, a six-time All-MLB First Team member, and a four-time MVP.
Ohtani is also a four-time Silver Slugger awardee, a two-time home run leader, and a three-time Hank Aaron Award winner as the league’s best hitter.
While Ohtani and the Dodgers failed to secure a third consecutive World Series championship, he isn’t going anywhere because he has seven years left on his massive ten-year, $700 million contract.
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