The ball hit by Major League Baseball superstar Ohtani Shohei for his 50th homer this past regular season is now on public display in Taiwan and attracting throngs of visitors.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' Japanese player made history with his 50th home run in September when he became the first member of MLB's 50-50 club by hitting 50 homers and stealing 50 bases in a single season.

The ball went on display on Wednesday in the observatory of Taipei 101, Taiwan's tallest building.

Katayama Kazuyuki, chief representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association's Taipei office, spoke at the opening ceremony. He said he hopes the ball will inspire the dreams and hopes of children in Taiwan and help further deepen exchanges between Japan and Taiwan.

Many people, with some wearing Ohtani's uniforms, lined up to see the ball at the venue. They included tourists from Japan.

A Taiwanese company lent the ball for the exhibition free of charge after it won the bidding for the item last month at the price of 4.392 million US dollars. The auction house said it was "the highest sale price for any ball of any sport."

A Taiwanese visitor said he took leave to see the ball because it is a great memento of the baseball world.

The ball will be on display through March 2.