Shohei Ohtani hit a dramatic seventh-inning home run to give the Los Angeles Dodgers the lead. Unfortunately, one fan was on the wrong end once the ball reached the stands.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit a seventh-inning home run to give his team the lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks, and they never looked back. Los Angeles is in full command of the NL West, and the only question remaining of their postseason aspirations isn’t if they’ll win the division, but when they’ll clinch.
Yes, that’s quite the statement to make about a team with an 8.5-game lead in early July, but these are the Dodgers we’re talking about. They’ve won 10 of the last 11 NL West crowns and have the highest payroll in baseball. Ohtani alone is worth $700 million, albeit in deferred money, and is worth every penny.
Ohtani hit his go-ahead home run to cap a Dodgers comeback on Japanese heritage night at Dodger Stadium, which made his 27th blast of the season even more poetic. The moment was not lost on manager Dave Roberts.
“It’s one of those things, Shohei is very storybook,” Roberts said. “It seems like whenever there’s anticipation for something to happen, it happens. And guys like that are like Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. Just look back at the [World Baseball Classic], him versus [Mike] Trout, that one where he was pitching. And then on Japanese Heritage [Night], obviously you’ve got so many people from Japan here. And then he comes up huge.”
The Dodgers have more to add at the deadline, sure, but this has already been a magical first season for Shohei in Hollywood. Not every Dodgers fans had as great of a night, however.
Young Dodgers fan gets plunked by Shohei Ohtani home run ball
As Dodgers fans all reached for some Ohtani memorabilia, all the adults in the room shockingly missed their opportunity, and it nearly landed right in the outstretched arms of a young Ohtani supporter. Yet, with all the arms above him, the fan lost track of the ball, which plunked him in the head instead.
The fan was not taken for immediate medical treatment, so we can only hope he is okay. In a just world, Ohtani and the Dodgers will find a way to reach out directly and gift them some free merch.
We’ve all been there, kid. Even Dodgers teammate Freddie Freeman couldn’t believe what he just saw, and Freeman is a full-grown adult.
“The slider up and in and he was able to do what he did with it, I don’t understand how he was able to do that,” Freeman said oh Ohtani’s blast. “It’s just amazing to watch.”
Keeping one’s eye on the ball is the most important lesson this sport can offer. Yet, when a blockade of outstretched arms are in the way, that task becomes far tougher to achieve.
