"Bodyguards Crowd Around Creating a Threatening Atmosphere" Otani's First Home Run Ball Donor Couple 'Revealed'

Couple Who Caught Home Run Ball Donates It to Dodgers
Couple: "Exchanged for Hats and Signed Balls... Couldn't Even Meet Ohtani"

Shohei Ohtani, the 'superstar' who transferred to the Los Angeles (LA) Dodgers in Major League Baseball (MLB), hit his first home run in the ninth game of the season, but a tense situation has arisen between the donor and the Dodgers organization over the donation of the home run ball.

On the 4th (local time), the American sports media outlet The Athletic reported on the 'disappointed feelings' of the couple fans Amba Roman and Alexis Valenzuela, who donated Ohtani's home run ball to the Dodgers. They stated, "We felt uncomfortable during the process of retrieving the home run ball and were unable to meet Ohtani," adding, "Security guards demanded the home run ball in a threatening atmosphere." Ohtani hit a 131-meter home run over the right-center field wall in the bottom of the 7th inning with two outs and no runners on base during the home game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on the previous day. This was Ohtani's first home run of the season and his first since joining the Dodgers, after signing a historic 10-year contract worth $700 million (approximately 943.8 billion KRW), the highest amount ever in professional sports.

On the 3rd (local time), Ohtani hit his first home run since transferring to the LA Dodgers.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Both American and Japanese media extensively covered Ohtani's first home run and also introduced the story of the lucky fan Amba Roman who caught the home run ball. On the day of the game, media reported that the female spectator (Roman) who caught Ohtani's home run ball willingly returned it to him. Some outlets also reported that "Ohtani personally met the fan to express his gratitude," but this was later revealed to be a mistranslation during interpretation, where "the team and the fan communicated directly" was incorrectly conveyed.

As false reports circulated, the Roman couple stepped forward to clarify their position. Roman, a longtime Dodgers fan, recalled the thrilling moment of catching the ball, saying, "Every time I come to the ballpark, I always hope to catch a ball. But I never imagined I would catch such a monumental ball." However, he went on to describe the situation when security guards approached, stating, "I felt pressured when I met the security guards. They were intimidating." Roman's husband Valenzuela also said, "The security guards separated me from my wife. She had to talk to them in a threatening situation," adding, "We are not financially struggling. We just wanted to be treated fairly."

After hitting a home run, Shohei Ohtani enters the dugout while being showered with sunflower seeds by his teammates.
[Photo by AFP/Getty Images Yonhap News]

The couple claimed that more than 12 security guards surrounded Roman at the time and pressured her by saying, "If you leave the stadium with the baseball, the team will refuse to certify that the ball is Ohtani's home run ball." The Athletic cited experts who estimated the ball's value at $100,000 (approximately 135 million KRW).

Initially, the team proposed exchanging two signed hats from Ohtani for the home run ball, then decided to provide a signed bat and signed ball as additional items. Eventually, the couple accepted these memorabilia and handed over the home run ball to the Dodgers. Valenzuela said, "We do not regret giving the home run ball to the Dodgers. We never intended to hold onto the ball for money," but criticized, "Where is the 'fan love' that the Dodgers emphasized? Their attitude toward us was very disappointing." As the controversy grew, the Dodgers quickly moved to resolve the issue by telling The Athletic, "We can have further discussions with the fan who donated the home run ball."

The Athletic explained, "Generally, important home run balls are 'negotiated' between the team and the spectator who caught the ball to retrieve it. However, monumental balls are sometimes kept by the spectators," adding, "If the team does not certify the ball, its value inevitably decreases," indicating that Roman could have felt pressured in this situation.

Regarding this situation, Ohtani said, "It is a very special ball. I am grateful that it was returned," and added, "Instead, I gave the person the ball along with two hats and one bat signed by me."