Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hit his 50th home run of the season during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins on September 19 in Miami.

Marta Lavandier/AP

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Marta Lavandier/AP

When MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani hit his 50th home run last week, fans pushed in the stands to claim the milestone baseball.

But the battle for this piece of MLB history is far from over. The dispute between two fans Things will get even more complicated as online bidding for the iconic baseball begins Friday and continues through Oct. 16. The opening bid is priced at $500,000.

On Thursday, a Florida judge ruled that the auction can proceed amid an ongoing lawsuit, but that the baseball cannot be sold before the Oct. 10 court hearing on the case.

Earlier this month, Los Angeles Dodgers player Ohtani made history in a game against the Miami Marlins by achieving the combined feat of hitting 50 home runs and stealing 50 bases in one season.

The milestone ball of the 50th home run landed in left field at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. – causing a chaotic battle among fans looking to get their hands on it. Ultimately, baseball was wrestled by two men: Max Matus and Chris Belanski.

A video of the struggle showed up XBelanski appears on his knees and Matus is bent over as the two both grip the ball tightly. Belanski later shouts, “I got it!” before swinging the ball through the air.

On Wednesday, Matus filed a lawsuit against Belanski, another fan, and Goldin Auctions, which acquired the baseball. In the suit, Matus claims he was the first to catch the ball and that Belanski stole the ball from him. It added that Matus attended the baseball game to celebrate his 18th birthday.

“Belanski wrapped his legs around Max’s arm and used his hands to wrestle the ball out of Max’s hand, stealing the ball for himself,” the suit said.

In an interview with ESPN, Goldin Auctions CEO Ken Goldin said a man — whom he did not name — contacted the auction house about the baseball, also known as the 50/50 ball, a day after the Dodgers game.

Thursday, Matus’ attorney John Uustal filed an emergency injunction to halt the auction. The request was later denied by a Florida judge. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 10, about a week before the auction closes.

Uustal, an attorney with Florida-based law firm Kelley-Uustal, said the 18-year-old high school student simply wants the ball back. “He loves baseball and he loved that ball and he would like to have it,” he said.

Uustal added that he is prepared for a long legal battle if necessary. Depending on how the judge rules at the upcoming hearing, milestone baseball could be out of reach for any fan until the lawsuit is resolved.

Belanski’s attorney did not immediately respond to request for comment. A spokesperson for Goldin said: “We are pleased to bring this product to market. Although Goldin has been named as a party to the case, there are no allegations of wrongdoing by the company.”

This isn’t the first time fights over home run balls have gone from the stadium to the courtroom. In 2001, Barry Bonds hit a record-breaking home run. Initially, that ball made contact with Alex Popov, but he was later tackled by other fans and the ball rolled to Patrick Hayashi.

The two went to court over who was the rightful owner of the baseball. Ultimately, the California Superior Court ruled that both men had the right to ball and that neither could be legally deprived of it. The couple sold the ball and split the proceeds evenly.