Give this batboy some of the late fees he owes Shohei Ohtani.
The Dodgers batboy made his best save of the season, catching a foul ball headed toward Ohtani inside the dugout during the Dodgers’ 4-0 win over the White Sox on Wednesday in Chicago.
The batboy made it look easy, casually switching from casual to defensive mode and sparing the National League MVP candidate from potential injury.
The individual was standing at the top of the dugout steps at Guaranteed Rate Field with his right hand resting on his right foot at the top of the steps and his left arm resting on the guard rail.
And then he saved the day.
With Ohtani standing behind him, the batboy wearing the number 94 raised his hands and somehow managed to catch the yell as the two-time American League MVP raised his hands behind him.
In his “action hero” moment, he had the ball in his hands, his lips pouted as if saying “Woo,” and his right foot raised high as if he was about to start a windup.
As people around him tried to figure out what had happened, the hero casually turned around and handed the ball to a fan in the stands.
The seven-second video, which has been circulating online, shows Ohtani walking toward the person and appearing to say something — possibly “thank you” — before ending with the batboy turning to face the star.
The Dodgers should be thankful for their batboy, as they are already without stars Mookie Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and an injury to Ohtani would make things even worse.
On FanDuel, following Betts’ injury, Ohtani is the favorite to win the National League MVP with odds of -140, ahead of the Phillies’ Bryce Harper at +200, and is having another great season.
His leadoff home run on Wednesday set a Dodgers record with 10 consecutive games with at least one RBI. From MLB.comIn 2 at-bats, he had one hit and two walks, batting .322 with a .402 on-base percentage, a .643 slugging percentage and a 1.055 OPS.
He leads the major leagues in batting average and is second in slugging percentage and OPS, finishing behind Yankees star Aaron Judge in both categories.
“I had a lot of chances with runners on base,” Ohtani said through a translator for MLB.com. “All I’m trying to do is have quality at-bats, and I think that’s what paid off.”
If Ohtani really does win his third MVP this year, he might thank the batboy who saved him from harm.
