Freddie Freeman’s historic walk-off grand slam ball from Game 1 of the World Series has sold for $1.56 million at auction.

The bidding at SCP Auctions went into the late hours Saturday night, according to a statement from the auction house on Sunday. It didn’t say who bought the ball.

Freeman, the Dodgers first baseman, came to the plate on a sprained right ankle with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning against the New York Yankees. He hit the first pitch from Nestor Cortes 413 feet for the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history.

The Dodgers won the game 6-3 and went on to claim the franchise’s eighth World Series championship in five games. Freeman was named World Series MVP.

The ball landed in the right-field pavilion, where it was corralled by 10-year-old Zachary Ruderman, who lives in Los Angeles. The ball rolled from the seat in front of him to his feet and he batted it to his father, Nico, who jumped on it.

The fifth-grader had been told he was leaving school early that day to get his braces removed. Instead, his parents took him to Dodger Stadium.

It’s the second ball connected to the Dodgers to be auctioned this season. The ball hit by Shohei Ohtani that made him the first player in major league history with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season sold for nearly $4.4 million. It set a record for the sale of any sports ball.

TIGERS COACH HONORED

Detroit Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter has been named Baseball America’s MLB coach of the year.

Fetter, 38, joined manager A.J. Hinch’s inaugural staff before the 2021 season after a successful stint as the University of Michigan’s pitching coach. Fetter’s reputation for developing pitchers and leveraging technology to maximize performance made him one of the most coveted coaches in the country.

Under his guidance, Tigers pitchers posted the third-best ERA in MLB in 2024 (3.61), led by Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.

The Indiana native was a standout pitcher for the Wolverines, graduating in 2009. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres that summer in the ninth round of the MLB draft.

He spent four seasons in the Padres’ minor-league system, never rising above advanced Class A.

Following his playing career, Fetter transitioned to coaching and scouting. He served as a coach for Double-A San Antonio in 2013 and spent three seasons as a scout with the Angels. After a year as pitching coach at Ball State, he joined the Dodgers as their minor-league pitching coordinator.

Fetter returned to his alma mater in July 2017, joining head coach Erik Bakich’s staff and helping lead Michigan to the 2019 College World Series finals.