Shohei Ohtani hit his first home run with the Dodgers on Wednesday night and ended up getting the ball from a fan for very little.
And now, the supporter and her husband believe that the team “took advantage of her” as the Dodgers secured the ball for the Japanese superstar.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Ohtani launched a ball from Giants reliever Taylor Rogers 430 feet into right-center field, which ended up being the difference-maker in a 5-4 win over their arch-rivals.
The home SportsNet LA broadcast of the game showed the lucky fan, whose name is Ambar Roman, per The Athletic, who came away with the home run ball, though she didn’t get much in return for giving it back to Ohtani.
After the game, the Dodgers’ designated hitter told reporters he was able to get the ball back in exchange for another ball, two signed Dodgers hats, a bat and a quick conversation.
While it was Ohtani’s 172nd career home run, not exactly a milestone number for major leaguers, it could have fetched at least $100,000, a representative at an auction house told The Athletic.
The fan who caught Aaron Judge’s record-breaking 62nd home run in the 2022 season ended up auctioning it for $1.5 million after turning down a $3 million private offer.
And while Ohtani’s first Dodgers home run wouldn’t likely have been that pricey, it would have been a solid chunk of change.
Roman and her husband, Alexis Valenzuela, told the outlet that she was pressured into giving the Dodgers the ball and that if she decided to keep it, the team reportedly threatened to not authenticate the baseball.
Without that, the home run ball would not have been valuable.
“They really took advantage of her,” Valenzuela told The Athletic. “There were a bunch of [security] guys around her. They wouldn’t let me talk to her or give her any advice. There was no way for us to leave. They had her pretty much cornered in the back.”
The Dodgers did tell The Athletic that the team is open to having another conversation about the ball, and Roman added that she did not regret the decision, especially if there was a chance the home run would not have been authenticated.
“Obviously, it’s a very special ball,” Ohtani said after the game, per the Associated Press. “A lot of feelings toward it. I’m very grateful that it’s back.”
Ohtani is now hitting .270 with a .749 OPS after last night’s win.
