World Series Ball Used for Rangers’ Final Out Valued at Up to $350,000
When Arizona’s Ketel Marte took a called third strike from Texas pitcher Josh Sborz in the bottom of the ninth, clinching the first-ever World Series title for the Rangers, Texas catcher Jonah Heim squeezed the valuable ball and put it in his back pocket.
An appraiser told Sportico Wednesday night, after the Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 5-0, in Game 5 at Chase Field, that the ball could be worth well into six figures.
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“As the ball from the first World Series won by the franchise, it’s probably worth from $250,000 to $350,000,” Ken Goldin of Goldin Auctions said about the ball used to record the final out. “I am sure to the owners of the Rangers, it is priceless.”
The Rangers are owned by Ray Davis, 82, whose fortune is valued at $2.9 billion. This is the first World Series title for the Washington/Texas franchise, which was incorporated into the American League as part of Major League Baseball’s initial expansion in 1961. In Sportico‘s most recent MLB franchise valuations, the Rangers were valued at $1.93 billion, ranking 14th in MLB.
The appraisal falls in line with Goldin’s judgements of other final out baseballs from the ending of recent World Series.
He said the baseball used to record the final out of the 2021 World Series—a ground out from Astros’ Yuli Gurriel played by Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson to first baseman Freddie Freeman was worth as much as $250,000. That matches the value of the ball used to end the 2020 World Series when Dodgers’ left-hander Julio Urias whiffed Rays’ Willy Adames looking.
Both series ended in six games with Atlanta and Los Angeles winning.
When Marte struck out Wednesday night, it ended his record 20-game hitting streak, the longest in postseason history. But the ball was worth a lot more to the Rangers.
“Texas historically has not been a highly valued team in the open market when it comes to their memorabilia,” Goldin said. “That said, this is an amazing accomplishment, especially with such an incredible turnaround of the Rangers’ fortunes in such a short time.”
(This story has been corrected in the first paragraph to accurately reflect what catcher Jonah Hein did with the ball after the last out was recorded.)
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