Dodgers bat boy 'saves $700m star Shohei Ohtani's life' with incredible barehanded catch
A Los Angeles Dodgers bat boy may have saved the life of baseball's biggest star, Shohei Ohtani, as he made an incredible barehanded catch while standing on the team's dugout steps.
During the third inning of Wednesday night's game on the road against the Chicago White Sox, the unidentified bat boy wearing No 94, was standing in his typical position to retrieve foul balls and not disrupt the professionals at play.
With Enrique Hernandez at the plate, he rocketed a foul ball in the direction of the Dodgers' dugout, with Ohtani standing in the usual spot for a batter in the hole, or two at-bats away from getting his next opportunity at the plate.
That spot is right off the dugout steps, a few paces behind the ball boy. The screamer was hit straight at the face of Ohtani with No 94's quick thinking saving Ohtani from injury or worse.
The ball boy barehanded the rocketed ball and did not look any worse for wear, immediately tossing the ball to someone in the front row. Ohtani walked up to the ball boy in admiration right after the barehanded catch.
The Dodgers ball boy caught a rocketed foul ball with his bare hands at Wednesday's game
Shohei Ohtani looked thankful to the ball boy after he caught the foul ball with his bare hands
Ohtani's new interpreter, who was standing a few feet away from the Japanese sensation at the time of the catch, had his jaw on the floor impressed with the feat.
A likely 'thank you' from the $700million man was given out, if not more for the quick thinking of No 94.
Ohtani led off the game against the White Sox with a home run and walked in his next at-bat after nearly getting hit with the pitch.
The Dodgers defeated the worst-in-baseball White Sox 4-0 on Wednesday in interleague play.
Los Angeles has won 30 more games this season than Chicago, with baseball's halfway point taking place next week.
Ohtani has lived up the the hype of his $700million contract in his first season with the Dodgers.
The 29-year-old is in the top five in the National League in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.
Read more