Shohei Ohtani praised the batboy who nearly hit him with a foul ball.
Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers were visiting the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night, and as he was inside the Dodgers dugout, a foul ball hit by Kiké Hernandez came hurtling toward the MLB superstar.
Batboy Javier Herrera rushed to the rescue with his bare hands.
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Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a home run in the first inning of a game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago on June 25, 2024. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
Everyone ducked and the batboy reacted quickly to snatch the ball out of the air.
He realized what he had done and handed the ball in one motion to a fan sitting nearby behind a screen.
The moment went viral, and Herrera spoke to media.
Dozens of reporters surrounded him, and Ohtani posed for photos with the media swarm.
Ohtani posted the photo to his Instagram Story with the caption, “My hero.”
“I saw the ball all the way to the end, it hit my bat, it came to me and I was able to catch it,” Herrera said. “I just did my job.”
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits an RBI single in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 25, 2024 in Chicago. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
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“Yeah, he deserves a contract extension and a raise,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Obviously I was right there with him, but I didn’t realize how close he was to Shohei. And that was a great play, so I’m very grateful that Jayvee responded so quickly.”
There’s a reason MLB stadiums instruct fans to look down at all times: You never know where a foul ball will land.
This is especially true for players, coaches and staff in the dugout, where a foul ball could come flying at any time.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (right) talks with interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during the top of the ninth inning of the season opener against the San Diego Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, March 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
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Ohtani may have been wearing a helmet, but if he had been hit by a foul ball he could have been seriously injured.
Ohtani also played a major role in the Dodgers’ 4-0 win over the White Sox, hitting his 25th home run of the season with one hit in two at-bats, two walks and two runs scored.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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