The Los Angeles Dodgers fan who caught one of Shohei Ohtani’s most historic home run balls is going to try his luck at auction – after turning down a $2 million offer.
David Flores was in the crowd at Dodger Stadium for Game 4 of the NLCS in October, in which Ohtani had what many described as the greatest baseball performance of all-time.
He hit three home runs and struck out 10 batters on an incredible night against the Milwaukee Brewers, and Flores caught the third and final blast from the two-way Japanese superstar.
At the time, he was inundated with offers, turning down an eyewatering bid of $2m, but now he says he’s ready to try his luck at auction in the hope of receiving even more cash.
Speaking to the New York Post, he said: ‘Whatever happens, I’ll be in a better place.’
Flores is going to auction the ball with Goldin on December 23 rather than selling it outright, having struck a deal with iconic auctioneer Ken Goldin this week.Â
David Flores managed to catch the third of Shohei Ohtani’s home runs during the NLCS Game 4
Ohtani produced one of the greatest single performances ever seen in the game of baseball
In a remarkable admission, the fan admitted it could have all turned out so differently – because he was ‘taking a nap’ when the ball left Ohtani’s bat.
‘I was asleep,’ he told the Post. ‘I took my nap during the game, and I was asleep. I heard the crowd [cheering], so I look up, and the ball is coming right to me. And I knew from me playing baseball it was going to come my way.
‘I was going to play the rebound. That’s how I caught the ball.’
Flores also admits he was hoping a Japanese fan might come forward with an offer to buy the ball from him – ‘I thought, it belongs to Japan’ – but nobody approached him.
Now, though, the world will have its chance to make a bid – though it’s yet to be seen whether the Dodgers diehard will make more than the $2m he could have had on the night.
Share or comment on this article:
Dodgers fan who caught historic Shohei Ohtani home run ball makes huge decision after turning down eyewatering $2 MILLION offer