LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani delivered a phenomenal performance in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, propelling the defending champions back to the World Series for the second consecutive year.
Ohtani’s game, which included three home runs and ten strikeouts, is being hailed as one of the greatest performances in sports history. Now, a fan who witnessed history has become a part of it.
‘I squeezed it like a football, like a baby’
What they’re saying:
As Ohtani’s third home run ball soared into the crowd at Dodger Stadium, it landed directly in the hands of 35-year-old David Flores, a resident of Santa Fe Springs.
“I’m very fortunate to have caught this baseball. It just happened to land in my lap because destiny chose for it to land in my lap,” Flores said.
When Ohtani smacked the ball his way, Flores instinctively knew what to do. Video from the historic moment shows the boxing coach catching the ball with his bare hands.
“I knew the ball was going to ricochet off the people in front of me. It was just my intuition telling me, so I stayed calm,” he recalled. “And I just squeezed it like a football, like a baby.”
Flores made a last-minute decision to attend Friday night’s game and admittedly had to stretch his budget to buy his $200 ticket in the left-field pavilion. For him, it was well worth it, and it’s a night he will never forget.
Flores said when he caught the ball, the people around him were supportive. So far, the Dodgers have not contacted him, but he has received a generous offer for the ball.
What’s next:
Flores said he’s waiting until after the World Series to decide what to do with the ball.
The Source: This story was written with information from David Flores’ interview with FOX 11’s David Flores.
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