Here’s a video of the lucky fan securing it:
Ohtani was grateful to the fan who gave the ball back to him.
“I was able to talk to the fan and get the ball back,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Obviously, it’s a very special ball. A lot of feelings toward it. I’m very grateful it’s back.”
The supposed fan posted on social media on Thursday making it known she’s the one who caught the ball:
She also said all items were signed, but that she did not meet Ohtani.
It was a very kind gesture from the fan to give it back to Ohtani, as this first home run ball was clearly special to him. Now that he has his first homer out of the way, he can just focus on continuing to get going at the plate in his first year in Los Angeles.