MIAMI — Max Matus will never forget his 18th birthday, unfortunately.

On Sept. 19, the avid baseball fan attended the Miami Marlins vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game at loanDepot Park to celebrate.

In the seventh inning, something epic happened: Dodgers star hitter Shohei Ohtani made history with his 50th home run of the season. This means Shotime, as he is affectionately known, also became the first member of the 50/50 club; the Japanese slugger became the first player in major league history to compile 50 homers and 50 steals in the same season.

Something else epic? The Cooper City high school senior happened to briefly catch that prized souvenir that soared into the left field where he was seated.

In cellphone video that has gone viral, Matus, wearing a red Marlins jersey, has the ball. A millisecond later, a man in a black shirt jumps on top of him and they wrestle as onlookers scream excitedly.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! Get it!”

The older man manages to grapple away the 50-50 ball and holds it up in triumph. Matus is left looking dejected and confused.

That fan who took home the ball that night, who is listed in court documents as “Chris Belanski,” didn’t hold onto it long, and decided to profit off of it immediately, sending it to New Jersey-based Goldin Auctions.

Now Matus is suing the individual, as well as a friend in the stands cheering him on.

In the suit filed Thursday in Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit Court, the young man claims that the defendant “wrongfully and forcefully” took the ball from him, putting his “arm in between his legs” to wrangle it away. As the “rightful owner,” the teenager is also seeking damages in excess of $50,000.

Matus also sought a temporary injunction against Goldin Auctions, owned by “King of Collectibles” reality star Ken Goldin.

“While Goldin has been named as a party in the case, there are no allegations of wrongdoing by the company,” Goldin said in a statement to The Athletic. “We are excited to bring this item to the market.”

A Miami judge denied the restraining order to keep the pricey memorabilia from auction, ruling the ball will still be allowed to be bid on despite the ongoing litigation over ownership. The coveted collectible went on the block at noon Friday; bidding started at $500,000, and ends Oct. 16.

The court ruled, however, that the sale of the MLB-authenticated ball cannot be finalized, says Matus’ lawyer John Uustal, based in Fort Lauderdale. The matter will be decided upon at an evidentiary hearing on Oct 10.

“Defendants [Goldin Auctions, LLC et al] will not sell, conceal or transfer the 50/50 ball,” say the court documents obtained by the Miami Herald.

“Matus has suffered irreparable harm because of the nature of the unique, irreplaceable 50/50 Ball,” says the lawsuit. “[T]here is no adequate remedy at law that can replace this unique and extraordinary 50/50 Ball.”

“It is the ball everyone is talking about and looking for,” says Goldin in a promo video, showing it now safely ensconced in a glass case. You can see minor black scuffing along the side, possibly from where Ohtani batted it.

“I think any American, especially baseball fans, would recognize that if some kid gets a baseball, it’s not OK to just take it even if that ball is worth a lot of money,” Uustal said. “Especially on his birthday.”

The Miami Herald reached out to the defendants’ attorney and did not immediately hear back late Friday afternoon.

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