A historic signed Shohei Ohtani jersey is up for auction, with the founder and CEO of The Realest telling Dodgers Nation exclusively that this item “will go down as his most important jersey ever.”
Scott Keeney (aka DJ Skee) of The Realest said this jersey, which Ohtani wore during the first MLB game in Japan last season, was the first time the Gold Logoman — only worn by the defending MVPs, Cy Young winners and rookies of the year — was on a jersey worn in a game.
Now, that piece of history can be yours — though it’s likely to cost you a pretty penny.
What makes this Shohei Ohtani jersey so special?
This jersey is a one-of-a-kind item not only because it’s Ohtani’s, but also for all the firsts it marked, leading Keeney to call it “the defining jersey of [Ohtani’s] career.”
“For Ohtani, Japan is everything. This was his homecoming, his first Major League game ever played in Japan, sandwiched between his two World Series wins and the first game of an MVP season. There can never be another one of those,” he said. “More than 25 million people in Japan watched it—the most-watched MLB game ever in Japan—and he got his first hit of this milestone season in this jersey.
“And then there’s the Gold Logoman! This is the first Gold Logoman ever worn in a Major League game. Not only the first for Ohtani, but the first one ever in MLB history, and it’s still intact on the jersey.”
Ohtani also must have noticed the historic nature of the jersey, as he took care signing and inscribing the back.
“Add his kanji signature and his inscriptions, ‘Opening Day Tokyo Series,’ ‘GU 3-18-25,’ and ’25 NL MVP,’ and there just isn’t another Ohtani jersey like it- and I believe it will go down as his most important jersey ever,” Keeney said.
How much will this jersey sell for?
As of Wednesday afternoon, bidding was up to $460,000, though it’s very likely that figure will climb much higher.
As Keeney noted, The Realest already auctioned off Ohtani’s cleats from this game for a record of more than $440,000, and a signed baseball card featuring two of Ohtani’s other Gold Logomans sold for $11 million.
That doesn’t mean this particular auction will reach that level, as “the card market is bigger than the game-worn market,” but the jersey may eventually be worth that much.
“I always try to think logically,” Keeney explained. “If a manufactured card with two Gold Logomans from regular season games and a kanji signature is worth $11 million, I’d ask collectors: what’s the first Gold Logoman ever worn, not just by Ohtani but in Major League history, worth when it’s still on the full jersey from maybe his most important game? I think this jersey gets to and surpasses that level over time without question.”
After all, Keeney said he believes this to be “one of the most important jerseys in memorabilia history.”
“There are other Ohtani jerseys and so many Ohtani milestone moments,” he said. “This one has perfect provenance: Ohtani in his prime coming home to Japan, and the first Gold Logoman ever. That combination is unstoppable. Whatever it sells for now, I think people will look back and see it as the steal of a lifetime. Over time, while we will sell items for more money, this may be looked at as the greatest jersey to come to market when looked back in history.”
