TOKYO — Will Smith and Walker Buehler combined on the final pitch of the Dodgers’ first full-season World Series championship in 36 years last fall.
Now, their charitable foundations are combining with the Dodgers to help with California’s wildfire recovery efforts.
The baseball that Buehler threw past Alex Verdugo for the strikeout that ended Game 5 of the 2024 World Series is going to be auctioned off with all proceeds going to fire relief efforts through Smith’s charity, Catching Hope Foundation. Also participating in the effort are the Buehler Family Foundation and the Dodgers.
“This prized baseball represents one of the most special moments in the long history of the Dodgers,” the team said in a press release announcing the auction. “We applaud and support Will and (his wife) Cara for taking the initiative to help so many others through this cherished piece of sports history.”
The ball will be on display at Dodger Stadium during the first homestand of the regular season (March 27-April 2). The auction, hosted on the Memorabilia Network, has opened for registration. Bidding will begin March 21 with an opening bid of $150,000 and run through April 5 at 6 p.m. PT.
“Los Angeles has not only become home to us, but it has welcomed and supported our family since 2019,” Will and Cara Smith said in the press release. “Our goal here is to give back and partner with the city that means so much to us in the years of rebuilding that are to come.”