“Freeman, hits a ball to right field – she iiiis GONE...Gibby, meet Freddie! Game 1 of the World Series.”

Fox Sports play-by-play announcer Joe Davis’ memorable call on October 25th paid perfect tribute to two clutch home runs, 36 years apart, that will live in infamy. The connections are eerie. Dodger Stadium. Game 1 of the Fall Classic. Final frame for the home team. One run down. Two outs. A gimpy left-handed hitter at the dish. And BOOM! A no-doubter into the right-field bleachers. Pandemonium. A walk-off victory for the Dodgers.

In 1988, that left-handed slugger was Kirk Gibson, limping around the bases and side-pumping his fist as Vin Scully delivered his eloquent call that we can recite in our sleep. In 2024, it was first baseman Freddie Freeman, turning on a first-pitch fastball before turning to his dugout and raising his bat in the air after hitting the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. You want more symmetry to these two real-life Hollywood scripts? Both World Series Game 1 walk-off homers occurred at exactly 8:37pm local time in Los Angeles.

As Freeman’s grand slam ball sailed into the Southern California night, little did a family of three sitting in the right field bleachers know that their lives and fortunes were about to change forever. Hours earlier, 10-year-old Zachary Ruderman from nearby Venice Beach had been told by his parents that he was headed to the orthodontist to get his braces removed. To his delightful surprise, they tricked him and instead took their son to Chavez Ravine to watch his beloved Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees – the first matchup between the old crosstown rivals since 1981.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, Zac set the scene as only an excited young baseball fan can.

“Everybody was on their feet, nobody was even sitting. I was standing on the bleacher seat so I could see. A second or two after the crack of the bat, I realized it was coming directly toward us. It was honestly a reaction, an instinct.” The ball landed in the row directly in front of them, rolled under their seats, and ricocheted around their feet. Zac batted it to his father, Nico, who secured it before several fans nearby could get their hands on it. “As soon as everyone knew I had the ball,” Nico said, ”I stood up and handed it to [Zac]. I picked him up and tears were streaming down his face.”

Phone cameras all around them captured this magical moment that immediately went viral of young Zac – dressed to the nines in Dodger blue – with the catch of a lifetime. Nico happened to be recording Freeman’s at-bat live on his phone, and through the melee of the ball landing next to them, he got his son’s instant reaction on camera. With so many images and videos available, Sports Investors Authentication was able to make a conclusive photo-match of Freddie Freeman's Grand Slam Walk-Off baseball. SCP Auctions is excited to offer this historic ball to the market.

As Dodger Stadium erupted and the wild celebration ensued, Nico and his son soaked it all in. “A walk-off usually means everyone walks off, but no one did,” said Nico. “The team stayed on the field, and the fans didn’t leave for ages. It was fantastic.”

“Hundreds of people were mobbing me,” said Zac. “So many people wanted to take a photo with me and the ball. It was overwhelming.”

The thrill for Zac was amplified by the fact that Freddie Freeman had become his favorite Dodger over the course of the season. He owns multiple shirts of Freddie and his number 5 jersey.

“He was already a huge Freeman fan,” noted Nico the next day, “but after last night, it’s on another level.”

After helping the Braves win the World Series in 2021, Freddie Freeman signed as a free agent with L.A. and produced back-to-back Top 5 MVP campaigns in 2022 and 2023. At the end of the 2024 regular season, he suffered a bad ankle sprain that hampered his ability in the first two postseason rounds. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wanted to limit Freddie’s playing time to help his ankle heal properly, but Freeman insisted on staying in the lineup and manning first base. He started all but three games of L.A.’s NLDS and NLCS series victories over the Padres and Mets, respectively, but he went just 7-for-32 (.219) with no extra base hits. Clearly, the lifetime .300 hitter with 343 career home runs – MLB’s active leader in runs, hits, doubles and RBI – was not close to 100% heading into the World Series. Yet, when Freddy stepped into the batter’s box to face Yankees southpaw Nestor Cortes with the bases loaded, two outs, and the Dodgers down 3-2 in the bottom of the 10th, none of that seemed to matter. Some players are just blessed with the clutch gene.

Cortes had entered two batters earlier and got Shohei Ohtani to foul out on the first pitch thanks to a great catch down the left-field line by Alex Verdugo. However, since Verdugo’s body landed out of play (on the other side of the protective wall), both Dodgers base runners moved up to second and third. Yankees skipper Aaron Boone opted to intentionally walk Mookie Betts and load the bases for Freeman. One pitch later, Freddie made ‘em pay. It was a crushing blow to the Yankees. Instead of stealing Game 1 on the road, the Dodgers ripped their hearts out and took all the momentum back with one swing. A meltdown in Game 5 in front of the Bronx faithful sealed the Bombers’ fate. 43 years after ending a strike-shortened season by beating New York in six, L.A. prevailed again – this time needing one less game.

For Freeman, Game 1 was just the beginning of an incredible World Series that earned him MVP honors. After the walk-off granny, Freddy homered in each of the next three games. In fact, dating back to the 2021 Fall Classic with the Braves when he went deep in the final two games of that series, Freeman set an MLB record by hitting a home run in six straight World Series games!

“That’s as good as it gets right there,” said Freeman moments after his historic Game 1 blast.

"It might be the greatest baseball moment I’ve ever witnessed," remarked Dave Roberts (member of the 2004 Red Sox), "and I’ve witnessed some great ones."

Where does Freddie’s Granny rank among the pantheon of postseason home runs? It was the first World Series game ever to end with a walk-off grand slam. (World Series began in 1903.) For decades, sports fans had longed for a Fall Classic between the Dodgers and Yankees, baseball’s two most iconic franchises. Ticket prices and viewership soared to watch the game’s two greatest sluggers: Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge. And there was the amicable Freddie Freeman – perhaps the most respected, well-liked player in baseball on and off the field – who stole their thunder. Babe’s “Called Shot” in 1932. Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” in ‘51. Maz’s walk-off solo shot in 1960. Gibby’s walk-off in ’88. It’s right up there with any of these when you weigh everything.

Ohtani’s 50/50 ball recently sold for $4.4 million. Where this one ends up is anyone’s guess. Unlike the Ohtani ball, this is a genuine feel-good story from start to finish. A young Dodgers fan attends the World Series with his parents to cheer on their beloved home team. He leaves with arguably the most famous home run in MLB history hit by his favorite player. Over the next few weeks, he gives dozens of TV and newspaper interviews with the refreshing charm of a happy-go-lucky kid who never imagined this would happen to him in his wildest dreams. Zac Ruderman became a mini celebrity in a city of four million people. Come December 14th, he will cash in. Proceeds from the ball will help Zac's future education. It's the perfect ending for a fun-loving SoCal family that happened to be in the right place at the right time.

The Official 2024 World Series (Rob Manfred) baseball exhibits obvious game use evidence, with the barrel contact from Freddie’s bat visible as well as scuff marks from it striking the right-field bleachers. Due to the game's abrupt ending and the crazy scene afterwards, MLB Authentication was unable to sticker certify the ball on-site. It very well could be the same ball used in the Ohtani at-bat as well. (Cortes threw one pitch to Ohtani and one pitch to Freeman; Betts was automatically awarded first base.) Full paperwork from Sports Investors Authentication with the photo-match details is included. Nico Ruderman completed a polygraph test in Los Angeles on November 22 and conclusively passed. Results can be provided upon request. A notarized letter from the Ruderman family will also accompany the ball. Auction proceeds will benefit the Ruderman family with an emphasis on Zachary's future education.