The payday of a lifetime just inches away from your reach.
That's the cold reality one baseball fan will forever live with after falling just short of catching Shohei Ohtani's record-breaking home run Thursday at loanDepot Park in Miami that made the Dodgers phenom the first player to record a 50-homer, 50-steal season.
Instead, a group of fans fought over the ball and an unidentified individual who appeared with the ball opted to keep it for himself rather than give it to Ohtani. According to the Miami Herald.
The ball could be worth at least $300,000 and perhaps even more than $500,000. SCP Auctions' Dillon Kohler Estimated to Be Acquired by NBC.
Getting a walk in the outfield as Ohtani chased history gave thousands of fans a chance to grab onto history and maybe the first fan could have gotten his own with a little extra effort or even a glove.
Ohtani's 50th blast, an opposite-field bomb, actually landed in the stadium.Recreational sports hall”, which functions as a kind of nightclub that gives the Miami stadium an extra style.
The ball went over the scoreboard above the club and bounced right in front of a fan wearing what appeared to be a turquoise or green basketball jersey.
The fan extended his right arm but the ball was too far away on the initial bounce.
However, on the rebound, he extended his left hand and came within inches of the ball, but was unable to reach it with his paws.
It seemed that the fan did not want to catapult himself over a railing in front of him.
“You have to go right away,” said a Bally Sports Florida announcer. “You can’t throw with a short arm. You have to go right away.”
Cameras then captured a group of fans running towards the ball in front of the railing, although it is difficult to tell from the footage who grabbed the ball.
That person did not want to cooperate with the Dodgers and opted to take the ball home rather than allow Ohtani to have the ball of his historic moment.
Fans often receive autographs, photographs, tickets and other types of memorabilia in exchange for their cooperation.
By keeping the ball, the unknown fan is probably looking for the highest salary he could get by selling the ball.
Aaron Judge's American League-record 62nd home run sold for $1.5 million at auction. by MLB.com.
Ohtani may have taken home the NL MVP award Thursday with his iconic 6-for-6, 10-RBI day in a 20-4 win that included three homers and a pair of steals to bring the club's two ends within 50-50.
He now has 51 home runs and 51 steals.
