Long encumbered by a mouthful of metal, Zachary Ruderman was told by his parents Friday that he could leave his fifth-grade class early because he had an orthodontist appointment to get his braces removed. The shaggy-haired 10-year-old figured he’d be out of the chair in time to watch Game 1 of the World Series on TV.
After all, Zachary had worn Dodgers gear to school, drawing from a wardrobe that includes several shirts bearing the name of his favorite player, Freddie Freeman.
So when his father picked him up and — surprise! — showed him tickets in the right-field pavilion and headed directly for Chavez Ravine, Zachary was beyond thrilled. They met his mom in Echo Park for pregame tacos at Guisados and soon were in their seats.
But Zachary’s elation was nothing compared to what he felt in the bottom of the 10th inning when Freeman’s game-winning grand slam headed right at him.
“Everybody was on their feet, nobody was even sitting,” Zachary said. “I was standing on the bleacher seat so I could see. A second or two after the crack of the bat, I realized it was coming directly toward us.
“It was honestly a reaction, an instinct.”
It also was a team effort. When the ball rolled from the seat in front of Zachary to the ground at his feet, he batted it to his dad, Nico, who jumped on it ahead of several other fans scrambling after it.
“As soon as everyone knew I had the ball, I stood up and handed it to [Zachary],” said Nico, whose family lives in Venice. “I picked him up and tears were streaming down his face.”
Fans in surrounding seats were happy for Zachary, a die-hard fan who keeps a scorebook at games. And what games: He was in attendance when Fernando Valenzuela’s No. 34 was retired in 2023, and this year he was there on opening day, on Clayton Kershaw bobblehead night, and the Game 1s of the National League division and championship series.
“Hundreds of people were mobbing me,” Zachary said. “So many people wanted to take a photo with me and the ball. It was overwhelming.”
Kudos to the Dodgers faithful that no one tried to snatch the ball out of his hands. Everyone was focused on the victory, remaining in the stadium while the team celebrated on the field.
“Even Yankees fans high-fived him,” Nico said. “It was surreal.”
Early the next morning, Zachary accompanied his mom, Anne, on a business trip. He wore a Dodgers cap and T-shirt and a flight attendant asked him if he’d watched the walk-off home run.
“Yeah,” Zachary replied, “I caught it.”
The flight attendant jumped on the plane’s public address system and announced Zachary’s great fortune to the other passengers. He stood from his seat to applause.
Needless to say, the entire episode feels like a dream, but Zachary has one last wish: He’d like to get the ball signed by Freeman.
And, eventually, no one could fault him for at least considering selling it. The ball Freeman’s teammate, Shohei Ohtani, hit into the seats to make him the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season sold at auction for $4.4 million.
That would more than cover the orthodontics bill.