(LOT 125)
2013 Shohei Ohtani Professional Debut Ticket Stub with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters – March 29, 2013 – The Only Ticket Stub Ever Graded of the Historic Event!
You can call him whatever you want, once-in-a-lifetime talent, generational player, phenom or any other superlative, but one thing is for certain is that Shohei Ohtani is a ballplayer. Early on, though tall but relatively slight in stature, Ohtani's power was evident as he learned quickly and soon surpassed his teammates in skills. At one point, his Little League coach joked with the left-handed hitting Shohei, telling him that they were losing a lot of baseballs as he launched them into the river beyond the right field fence, so Ohtani promptly deposited the next pitch over the left field wall. Shohei had the benefit of playing for a coaching staff that valued fun as opposed to discipline and regimen, so rather than end up robotic and mechanical, Ohtani plays with a fun-loving nature and looks happy to step on the ball field each and every day. In high school, Ohtani grew to 6'5" and had a 99-mph fastball, and despite efforts to turn the power hitting hurler into a one-way player, he insisted upon playing both sides of the ball. In 2012, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters made the 18-year-old the first overall pick in the Nippon draft.

As a rookie in 2013, Shohei went 3-2 with a 4.02 ERA and 68 strikeouts while batting .231 with three homers and 20 RBIs in 86 games. This remarkable ticket stub is an incredible find, as it is the one and only PSA-graded and encapsulated rookie debut of potentially the greatest baseball player in history. In 2013, the Saitama Seibu Lions hosted the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters team on March 29th. This Nippon Opening Day game ticket for the Ham Fighters marked the professional debut of Shohei Ohtani, batting eighth and playing right field in the Seibu Dome. Like Shohei, this away game stub is currently one-of-a-kind, considering it was not a home game and most examples were likely discarded. Our consignor spent more than a decade chasing this "Ohtani Professional Debut Ticket" and when finally acquiring the incredibly rare artifact, had it encapsulated by PSA in this PSA 5 EX holder, though it unquestionably presents as NM or better. This is the one and only PSA-graded Ohtani pro debut ticket labeled "2013 Saitama Seibu Lions/Mar. 29 – Fighters – 5, Lions – 4/Shohei Ohta – NPB Debut/1st Multi-hit Game/RF". It remains in superior condition with only minimal storage/pocket wear and a perfectly perforated bottom stub. This is the only one in existence ever graded and therefore the only Shohei Ohtani professional debut stub to ever come to market. We often compare Ohtani to Babe Ruth as the last two-way player, can you imagine acquiring the entry ticket from either one of these icon's professional debuts?
MIN BID $5,000

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