During his team’s game against the Miami Marlins on September 19, the 30-year-old Japanese hitter became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season.
A sports ball has never sold for more at auction than the £3.39 million the unidentified bidder paid.
The previous highest amount ever paid for a baseball at auction was £2.3 million ($3 million) in 1999 for Mark McGwire’s historic ball from the 1998 Major League Baseball season.
