Record-Breaking Dodgers Postseason Homers Spark Frenzy at Auction—What’s Behind Their Skyrocketing Value?

Picture this: a father and son from Canada, staunch Blue Jays fans, end up clutching not one but both of the game-changing home run balls that sealed their beloved team’s fate in the epic Game 7 of the World Series. Instead of agony, they found a golden opportunity—turning those iconic moments into cold, hard cash at auction just this past Saturday night.

Dodger devotees will forever remember the surreal ninth-inning blast from Miguel Rojas and the eleventh-inning bomb by Will Smith — both soaring deep into the seats beyond Toronto’s bullpen, landing right into the hands of John and Matthew Bains, who were sitting shoulder to shoulder. John, 61, displayed veteran savvy by snatching Rojas’ soaring 387-foot homer on the fly — a skill honed over decades of passionate fandom. In a sibling-like sequel, Matthew seized Smith’s ball after it bounced perfectly into his grasp mere innings later.

These weren’t just lucky catches by chance. John’s dedication as a Blue Jays lifer since their 1977 origin, plus his strategic seating near potential home run zones, speaks volumes. Heck, he’d even nabbed a home run in a previous playoff series recently. But here’s the kicker — while the Bains handed back balls at the game to keep appearances tidy for Jays fans, behind the scenes they were quietly plotting a lucrative windfall.

That gamble definitely paid off. At auction, Smith’s winning homer raked in a stunning $168,000; Rojas’ pivotal hit brought $156,000. Yet overshadowing both was another postseason treasure — Shohei Ohtani’s monstrous second homer off the Brewers in the NLCS, which fetched a jaw-dropping $270,000, smacking the Dodger Stadium roof a staggering 469 feet from the plate. The way Ohtani dominated on both mound and at bat, it’s often lauded as one of baseball’s greatest individual performances.

And how did Carlo Mendoza come into possession of that Ohtani ball? Caught off guard while munching nachos and watching a replay, he followed the sound to retrieve the ball hidden under some bushes — talk about being in the right place at the right time. Authentication was intense for all these prizes, involving affidavits and polygraph tests, underscoring their authenticity and value.

Among the 579 items auctioned off, these balls were the headline acts. But none could rival the jaw-dropping sale of a Lou Gehrig game-worn jersey from 1937, which changed hands for over $2.5 million — a testament to the deep wells of passion and money that baseball memorabilia can stir.

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Talk about easing the blow. The Canadian father-son duo that secured not one, but both home run balls that doomed the Toronto Blue Jays team they root for in Game 7 of the World Series turned the evidence into some serious U.S. currency Saturday night.

Dodgers fans will never forget those baseballs hit by Miguel Rojas in the ninth inning and Will Smith in the 11th flying over the left-field wall and into the first row of seats beyond the Blue Jays’ bullpen.

John and Matthew Bains — sitting side-by-side — will never forget the balls ending up in their hands. John, 61, caught Rojas’ 387-foot home run in his glove on the fly. Two innings later, Matthew, seated next to his dad, saw Smith’s blast land in the bullpen and bounce directly into his hands.

Novices they were not. John has been a Blue Jays fan since the team’s inception in 1977 and purposely sits where he does for proximity to home runs. In fact, he caught one during the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees a few weeks earlier.

Both men brought baseballs into the stadium that they threw back onto the field, giving the Blue Jays faithful the impression the Bains did the honorable thing when, in fact, they did the smart thing for their bank accounts.

On Saturday night, the balls were sold at auction. Smith’s homer, which provided the Dodgers with the winning run, sold for $168,000 while Rojas’ blast that sent the game into extra innings fetched $156,000.

A third unforgettable Dodgers home run ball from the 2025 postseason eclipsed the Game 7 balls. The second of Shohei Ohtani’s three home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series sold for $270,000 in the same SCP Auction.

It was the longest of the his three, landing on the Dodger Stadium right-field roof 469 feet from home plate. And it was a key element in what is considered perhaps the greatest single performance in baseball history. Ohtani struck out 10 in six innings on the mound in addition to his offensive exploits, sending the Dodgers to the World Series.

Carlo Mendoza’s story of how he ended up with Ohtani’s ball is no less head-shaking than that of the Bains boys. The 26-year-old Los Angeles man said he was eating nachos in a food court behind the right-field pavilion and saw Ohtani hit the home run on a television monitor. He heard the ball hit the roof, dashed toward the sound and retrieved the ball from under a bush.

All three balls were authenticated by SCP Auctions through notarized affidavits and lie detector tests. SCP owner David Kohler said Mendoza was so apprehensive about handing over the ball that he insisted meeting Kohler in the parking lot of the Long Beach Police Dept.

“We authenticated through polygraph and eyewitnesses due diligence,” Kohler said. “From the time we announced we had these baseballs until now, no one else has come forward and said they have the balls. There’s been no contention.”

The baseballs got top billing in the wide-ranging auction that included 579 items, but a Lou Gehrig game-worn jersey sold for well more than the three balls combined. The Hall of Fame Yankee first baseman hit his last World Series home run in 1937 wearing the jersey, for which a collector paid more than $2.5 million.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.