Not everyone was pleased after Shohei Ohtani sent a moonshot into the Dodgers Stadium faithful for the first time.
Ohtani cracked his first home run as a Dodger on Wednesday, dispatching a Taylor Rodgers fastball into the night sky at Chavez Ravine. It was a joyous event for most; fans jumped out of their seats in delight, praising the Japanese superstar, who has become something of a supernova, even in a town full of stars like L.A.
As Ohtani circled the bases, a battle ensued in the stands beyond him. Countless spectators jostled with one another in the hopes of getting a grasp of the treasured piece of history — one that could have proved all the more profitable, too.
Shohei Ohtani crushes his first home run as a Dodger! pic.twitter.com/Riq4vqqeDr
— MLB (@MLB) April 4, 2024
In the end, the leathery white orb fell into the hands of Ambar Roman, a longtime Dodgers fan who was attending the game with her husband. She picked up the baseball in glee, the crowd rising to its feet as it became more and more aware of the historical significance of Roman's discovery.
MORE: MLB players complain about sweat stains, mismatched Fanatics jerseys
Dodgers security detail was aware of it, too, and according to Roman and her husband, Alexis Valenzuela, they proceeded to implement a series of seedy tactics in the hopes of driving down Roman's asking price for the memento.
Here's what you need to know the latest fiasco surrounding Ohtani.
MORE: Ohtani betting scandal, explained | When will Ohtani pitch again?
Shohei Ohtani home run ball controversy, explained
Ohtani is one of the league's biggest brands. As such, any merchandise pertaining to his homers, particularly one that honors his first with his new franchise, would be subject to plenty of interest from a grand array of parties.
Ohtani's first home run ball as a member of the Dodgers is valued at or around $100,000, according to The Athletic. As such, Roman and Valenzuela were well within their rights to ask for a significant amount of value in return.
That didn't quite happen, though, according to the couple. Speaking with The Athletic, Roman and Valenzuela explained that they were separated from one another and exploited into giving up the home-run ball for a low-ball offer far below its actual value.
“They really took advantage of her,” Valenzuela said of his wife. “There were a bunch of (security) guys around her. They wouldn’t let me talk to her or give her any advice. There was no way for us to leave. They had her pretty much cornered in the back.”
Roman said that the security team initially offered her two hats signed by Ohtani. They also reportedly threatened to refuse to authenticate the home-run ball if Roman and Valenzuela opted to take it home. Authentication can make all the difference in the world of memorabilia, as an authenticated version of Ohtani's home run ball easily could've netted six figures, according to Chris Ivey, director of sports auctions at Heritage Auctions.
MORE: What pitches does Yoshinobu Yamamoto throw?
By comparison, the Dodgers currently are auctioning off an Ohtani foul ball sent into the Dodgers Stadium stands back in 2021. The price listed for said piece of memorabilia? Nearly $15,000, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
In the end, Roman and Valenzuela said that they left Dodgers Stadium with the two hats and a signed bat and ball. If authenticated, those pieces are worth about $1,000 each. However, the couple said that Los Angeles failed to receive official confirmation that Ohtani actually signed the equipment.
Ohtani told reporters that he talked with Roman after Wednesday's game.
"I was able to talk to the fan, and was able to get it back," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. "Obviously, it's a very special ball, a lot of feelings toward it, I'm very grateful that it's back."
Roman and Valenzuela had a different account, however, telling Blum they never met with the Japanese standout. Nevertheless, they're happy to have given the memento back to the man who created it, though they do wish they could have gotten better treatment from the franchise they love so dearly.
“Where was the Dodger love that we see every day, every time we go,” Valenzuela said. “It just disappeared. We were kind of left stranded. It’s not necessarily that we wanted a million. Just something nice. Take care of your fans. Especially when they got something that’s way more valuable."
The Dodgers did reach out to Roman and Valenzuela after the fact. And it seems the two sides eventually reached a happy medium during negotiations: Los Angeles invited the couple back to Dodgers Stadium on April 12 — Roman's birthday.
Roman and Valenzuela will be permitted on the field prior to the contest. They will then be granted access to watch the game from the club seats.
The Dodgers also vowed to reevaluate its organizational policies for retrieving milestone memorabilia.
“It’s something very important. I wouldn’t want the next person that this happened to to go through the same thing,” Roman said, according to The Athletic. “It wasn’t cool as a Dodgers fan. If it took for this to happen to me for them to change it, that’s great.”
