The payday of a lifetime just a few centimeters out of his grasp.
That’s the cold reality one baseball fan will forever live with after he came up agonizingly short of grabbing Shohei Ohtani’s record homer Thursday at loanDepot Park in Miami that made the Dodgers’ two-way phenom the first player to ever register a 50-homer, 50-steal season.
Instead, a group of fans fought for the ball and an unidentified individual who emerged with the ball opted to keep it for their themselves rather than give it to Ohtani, per the Miami Herald.
The ball could be worth at least $300,000 and perhaps even top $500,000, Dillon Kohler of SCP Auctions estimated to NBC.
Having a ticket in the outfield as Ohtani chased history gave thousands of fans a shot to grab a hold of history and perhaps the first fan could have obtained his with a little extra effort or even a glove.
Ohtani’s 50th blast, an opposite-field bomb, actually landed in the stadium’s “Recess Sports Lounge,” which serves as a nightclub of sorts that gives the Miami stadium some extra flair.
The ball careened off the scoreboard above the club, bouncing right in front of a fan wearing what appeared to be a turquoise or green basketball jersey.
The fan outstretched his right arm but the ball was too far away on the initial bounce.
On the rebound, though, he extended with his left hand and got within inches of the ball but just couldn’t get his paws on it.
It seemed the fan did not want to catapult over a guardrail in front of him.
“You got to dive right there,” one Bally Sports Florida announcer said. “You can’t short-arm. You got to dive.”
The cameras then captured a group of fans hurrying toward the ball in front of the guardrail, although it’s hard to tell from the footage who grabbed the ball.
That person didn’t want to cooperate with the Dodgers, opting to take the ball home rather than allow Ohtani to have the ball from his historical moment.
Fans are usually compensated with autographs, photos, tickets and others types of memorabilia in exchange for their cooperation.
By keeping the ball, the unknown fan is likely seeking the grander pay that could come with selling the ball.
Aaron Judge’s American League record 62nd homer sold for $1.5 million in an auction, per MLB.com.
Ohtani perhaps wrapped up the NL MVP Award on Thursday with his iconic 6-for-6, 10-RBI day in the 20-4 win that included three homers and a pair of steals to reach both ends of the 50-50 club.
He now has 51 homers and 51 steals.