"It feels like a selfless victory" - Japanese media mocks non-fan who took lucky catch of Shohei Ohtani's spring training home run
Shohei Ohtani's maiden home run in the Dodger Blue came last week against a relief pitcher from the Chicago White Sox. Ohtani was 0-2 that day when he came out for his final at-bat and thumped the baseball over the left field stands at Camelback Ranch.
Ohtani's first-ever home run with the LA Dodgers saw the ball just miss the bullpen and land in the grassy corner, where fans were enjoying their time out in the sun and keeping a close eye out for home run balls. One can see a man well seated on the ground in a black jersey reaching up to catch Ohtani's home run ball in the clip.
Eric Welsh, a Phoenix, Arizona, native, caught Ohtani's home run ball. In a tribute to his hometown team, he was sporting a Diamondbacks cap, and he disclosed that a coworker had to warn him against selling the ball, realizing its potential worth.
Japanese media outlet Full Count was quick to take a funny dig at this 'fan' after his comments surfaced on social media claiming to not know the worth of Shohei Ohtani's home run ball.
Fans directed their snarky comments at the stray catcher from last week's game, which were shared on X.
"It feels like a selfless victory lol It doesn't come to the person who wants it" - emimaciro
Welsh is undoubtedly a very fortunate person. He plans to have the ball signed at the LA Dodgers' next home game.
One would hope that he managed to secure an autograph from the greatest two-way phenom, and in turn, the Dodger's would have registered yet another fan for their All-Star organization for the upcoming season.
Shohei Ohtani will be facing his former side on Tuesday night
Shohei Ohtani is all set to face the side that brought him to the big leagues from the NPB on Tuesday night at the Camelback Ranch, per manager Dave Roberts. The LA Dodgers will be taking on the LA Angels in their latest spring training game on Feb. 5 after having won their latest preseason game, defeating the Colorado Rockies 7-4.
The 29-year-old went 3-3 on the night and pushed in 2 RBIs via a thumping triple of the center field boundary wall. The signs of Ohtani shining in the Dodgers uniform are imminent, as he has had a rocking start to his career with LA and will look to carry on this positive momentum into the 2024 MLB season.