His first home run at Dodger Stadium caused a controversy that he didn’t see coming. This time around, the circumstances were different.
Shohei Ohtani became Major League Baseball’s record holder for home runs hit by a Japanese player on Sunday afternoon in a 10-0 win against the New York Mets. The fan who caught the ball was able to get the ball authenticated and left the ballpark with it in hand.
#Dodgers OF Andy Pages got the ball he hit for his first HR, but the fan who caught the authenticated ball that Shohei Ohtani hit for career HR No. 176 to pass Hideki Matsui on MLB’s all-time HR list for Japanese-born players kept the ball.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) April 21, 2024
According to the Japanese news source Livedoor, Jason Patino caught Ohtani’s home run in the right field pavilion. He was at Dodger Stadium for the first time with his family.
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“I like baseball, but I came to Dodger Stadium for the first time with my family,” Patino told the outlet. “The home run bounced behind me and came right behind me, so I was able to catch it without moving a step.
There were so many people there. I hit my head and it hurts a bit, but I’m fine. I talked to the security at the stadium, but they put an official seal on it, so I decided to keep it myself. There’s an ‘E6’ written on the ball, but I don’t know what it means.”
Like most significant home runs, the Dodgers offered Patino an exchange. He politely declined.
“I was offered an exchange for an autographed ball, but for now, I chose to keep it,” he continued. “I will talk to the Dodgers again after the game.”
There has not been a published update about his meeting with the Dodgers at the time this story was published.
Ohtani and the Dodgers head east for a three-game series against the Washington National starting Tuesday. The designated hitter has not hit a home run in the eight games against the Nationals in his career.
