SI

One Fan Came Painfully Close to Catching Shohei Ohtani's Historic 50-50 Home Run Ball

Just a few inches away from a valuable souvenir.

Tom Dierberger

Ohtani's 50th blast of the season was a 391-foot bomb off Mike Baumann.
Ohtani's 50th blast of the season was a 391-foot bomb off Mike Baumann. / Bally Sports Florida
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One fan in attendance for Thursday night's matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins ended up just a few inches away from claiming an important piece of MLB history.

Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani had a game to remember at loanDepot Park, going 6-for-6 with three home runs, two stolen bases, and 10 RBIs in Los Angeles's 20–4 win over Miami. He also became the first player in MLB history to notch 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a single season, as his second dinger of the night propelled him to the half-century mark.

Ohtani crushed that ball 391 feet into the left-field seats. It landed about a foot away from one fan wearing a basketball jersey and bounced back up giving him another chance to catch it, but it was just out of reach. Ohtani's historic souvenir landed on the ground in front of him and was quickly scooped up by another eager fan.

According to MLB Network's Craig Mish, the fan who ended up catching the home run ball has agreed to discuss a compromise to give the league its slice of 50-50 club history.

As for the other fan wearing the basketball jersey? This moment is going to haunt him for years.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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