<p>All is quiet with Game 1 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers beginning Friday. But, as is always the case, the news cycle never sleeps.</p>
<p>Even without any games on the schedule until later in the week, the past few days have still been historical for baseball &#8212; in more ways than one.</p>
<h2>AFL Debuts Checked-Swing Challenge System</h2>
<p>First up is the Arizona Fall League, where history occurred between the Salt River Rafters and Scottsdale Scorpions on Tuesday in a game that displayed the first-ever checked-swing challenge.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">MLB Tests First-Ever Checked-Swing Challenge System In Arizona Fall League<a href="https://t.co/wKFAosxCY1">https://t.co/wKFAosxCY1</a> <a href="https://t.co/XiFJaxVq50">pic.twitter.com/XiFJaxVq50</a></p>
<p>— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaseballAmerica/status/1849073296505020850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p>New York Mets prospect Drew Gilbert attempted to check his swing on a 3-1 pitch, except the third-base umpire ruled he did not, resulting in a strike. Moments later, the left-handed hitter countered that appeal by tapping his helmet, motioning for an automated review &#8212; the first of its kind.</p>
<p>Everyone looked up at the video board, which replicated Gilbert’s swing path on the previous pitch and proved he successfully checked his swing. That reversed the umpire&#8217;s original call, changing it to ball four rather than strike two, earning him a free pass to first base.</p>
<p>Not only did that happen for the first time Tuesday night, but a second overturned checked-swing call was made later in the game involving Yankees prospect Garrett Martin.</p>
<p>The AFL is the first league to test the checked-swing challenge system, which, by rule, constitutes a swing by a hitter crossing a 45-degree angle that runs parallel with the front of the plate &#8212; creating a very batter-friendly threshold. Each team receives two checked-swing challenges per game, regardless of the outcome. If both are used prior to the ninth inning, they&#8217;ll earn an additional one for that final frame.</p>
<p>Similar to the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/triple-a-abs-challenge-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system</a>, which also requires a player to tap their hat or helmet to signal an appeal, the checked-swing program will likely undergo a series of adjustments before/if it arrives in the major leagues.</p>
<h2>Shohei Ohtani&#8217;s 50/50 Ball Sells For Record-Breaking $4.39 Million</h2>
<p>Remember when Dodgers All-Star Shohei Ohtani hit his 50th home run of the season in Miami last month, becoming the only player in baseball history to record 50 round-trippers and 50 stolen bases in the same year? Well, the owner of that ball just came into a boatload of cash.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, that baseball sold for $4.392 million at an auction organized by Goldin Auctions, making it the highest-earning sports ball ever sold, surpassing the previous record of $3.05 million set by Mark McGwire&#8217;s 70th home-run ball from the 1998 season that was auctioned the following year.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Video shows fans’ mad scramble to grab Shohei Ohtani’s historic 50-50 home run ball 😮 <a href="https://t.co/kHZI15GO3j">https://t.co/kHZI15GO3j</a></p>
<p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/kaylanknit?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kaylanknit</a>, Justin Walker, Ethan Krauss) <a href="https://t.co/nKXmtQCn1L">pic.twitter.com/nKXmtQCn1L</a></p>
<p>— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1837222886014173515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Determining who&#8217;ll receive that record-breaking amount, though, remains TBD. A lawsuit was filed shortly after Ohtani&#8217;s home-run ball was put up for auction, with the party&#8217;s client claiming it was ripped out of his left hand and that he is the rightful owner.</p>
<p>Despite those claims, the auction house reached an agreement with all parties involved earlier this month, allowing the auction process to be separate from the legal battle over ownership. The nearly $4.4 million received from the unnamed buyer will remain in an account until those matters are settled.</p>
<h2>Juan Soto Reportedly Seeking to Top Ohtani&#8217;s Present-Day Contract Value</h2>
<p>When Soto signs his next contract, chances are it&#8217;ll be worth upwards of $500 million, if not more.</p>
<p>During Tuesday&#8217;s appearance on the <em>Foul Territory </em>podcast, <em>The Athletic&#8217;s </em>Ken Rosenthal discussed the Yankees outfielder&#8217;s future, admitting he believes the Scott Boras client will aim to surpass the present-day value of Shohei Ohtani&#8217;s record-breaking $700-million contract, which, due to $680 million being deferred, carries an average annual value of roughly $46 million.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="World Series Preview | Fair Territory" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8fAHxwsCmnQ?start=1282&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>Rosenthal also added he thinks Soto will likely favour the highest offer &#8212; even if that means leaving the Bronx. But he might not have to travel far, as Mets owner Steve Cohen is expected to heavily pursue the four-time All-Star and generational superstar, who turns 26 on Friday, coinciding with Game 1 of the World Series.</p>
<p>Soto&#8217;s free-agent market is sure to branch outside the New York area, with other clubs like the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Toronto Blue Jays believed to be potential bidders.</p>


All is quiet with Game 1 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers beginning Friday. But, as is always the case, the news cycle never sleeps.

Even without any games on the schedule until later in the week, the past few days have still been historical for baseball -- in more ways than one.
<h2>AFL Debuts Checked-Swing Challenge System</h2>
First up is the Arizona Fall League, where history occurred between the Salt River Rafters and Scottsdale Scorpions on Tuesday in a game that displayed the first-ever checked-swing challenge.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">MLB Tests First-Ever Checked-Swing Challenge System In Arizona Fall League<a href="https://t.co/wKFAosxCY1">https://t.co/wKFAosxCY1</a> <a href="https://t.co/XiFJaxVq50">pic.twitter.com/XiFJaxVq50</a></p>
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/BaseballAmerica/status/1849073296505020850?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
New York Mets prospect Drew Gilbert attempted to check his swing on a 3-1 pitch, except the third-base umpire ruled he did not, resulting in a strike. Moments later, the left-handed hitter countered that appeal by tapping his helmet, motioning for an automated review -- the first of its kind.

Everyone looked up at the video board, which replicated Gilbert’s swing path on the previous pitch and proved he successfully checked his swing. That reversed the umpire's original call, changing it to ball four rather than strike two, earning him a free pass to first base.

Not only did that happen for the first time Tuesday night, but a second overturned checked-swing call was made later in the game involving Yankees prospect Garrett Martin.

The AFL is the first league to test the checked-swing challenge system, which, by rule, constitutes a swing by a hitter crossing a 45-degree angle that runs parallel with the front of the plate -- creating a very batter-friendly threshold. Each team receives two checked-swing challenges per game, regardless of the outcome. If both are used prior to the ninth inning, they'll earn an additional one for that final frame.

Similar to the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/triple-a-abs-challenge-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system</a>, which also requires a player to tap their hat or helmet to signal an appeal, the checked-swing program will likely undergo a series of adjustments before/if it arrives in the major leagues.
<h2>Shohei Ohtani's 50/50 Ball Sells For Record-Breaking $4.39 Million</h2>
Remember when Dodgers All-Star Shohei Ohtani hit his 50th home run of the season in Miami last month, becoming the only player in baseball history to record 50 round-trippers and 50 stolen bases in the same year? Well, the owner of that ball just came into a boatload of cash.

On Tuesday, that baseball sold for $4.392 million at an auction organized by Goldin Auctions, making it the highest-earning sports ball ever sold, surpassing the previous record of $3.05 million set by Mark McGwire's 70th home-run ball from the 1998 season that was auctioned the following year.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Video shows fans’ mad scramble to grab Shohei Ohtani’s historic 50-50 home run ball 😮 <a href="https://t.co/kHZI15GO3j">https://t.co/kHZI15GO3j</a>

(via <a href="https://twitter.com/kaylanknit?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kaylanknit</a>, Justin Walker, Ethan Krauss) <a href="https://t.co/nKXmtQCn1L">pic.twitter.com/nKXmtQCn1L</a></p>
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) <a href="https://twitter.com/SInow/status/1837222886014173515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
Determining who'll receive that record-breaking amount, though, remains TBD. A lawsuit was filed shortly after Ohtani's home-run ball was put up for auction, with the party's client claiming it was ripped out of his left hand and that he is the rightful owner.

Despite those claims, the auction house reached an agreement with all parties involved earlier this month, allowing the auction process to be separate from the legal battle over ownership. The nearly $4.4 million received from the unnamed buyer will remain in an account until those matters are settled.
<h2>Juan Soto Reportedly Seeking to Top Ohtani's Present-Day Contract Value</h2>
When Soto signs his next contract, chances are it'll be worth upwards of $500 million, if not more.

During Tuesday's appearance on the <em>Foul Territory </em>podcast, <em>The Athletic's </em>Ken Rosenthal discussed the Yankees outfielder's future, admitting he believes the Scott Boras client will aim to surpass the present-day value of Shohei Ohtani's record-breaking $700-million contract, which, due to $680 million being deferred, carries an average annual value of roughly $46 million.

[embed]https://youtu.be/8fAHxwsCmnQ?si=TTF61jkMndhJoiDE&amp;t=1282[/embed]

Rosenthal also added he thinks Soto will likely favour the highest offer -- even if that means leaving the Bronx. But he might not have to travel far, as Mets owner Steve Cohen is expected to heavily pursue the four-time All-Star and generational superstar, who turns 26 on Friday, coinciding with Game 1 of the World Series.

Soto's free-agent market is sure to branch outside the New York area, with other clubs like the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and Toronto Blue Jays believed to be potential bidders.

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