‘Lifetime Ban’ on Fans Demanded After Shohei Ohtani Homerun Strikes A Child’s Head In Bizarre Fashion

It was all turning into a “storybook” moment for Shohei Ohtani. Just hours ago, he had signed a bat with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Dave Roberts. A bat that would be showcased in the Hall of Fame’s exhibit to recognize Japanese baseball in the US. This was Los Angeles Dodgers’ Japanese Heritage Night and Ohtani had made the most of it with his massive two-run homer. That was his 27th of the season but then something really unfortunate happened.

It isn’t new for Ohtani to turn big moments into an even bigger one. As Dave Roberts said (via MLB.com), “Shohei is very storybook. It seems whenever there’s anticipation for something to happen, it happens.” And Roberts was proved right once again. The fans gave a loud ovation when Shotime hit a massive 433-foot homer but then came a loud gasp after the ball fell on top of a fan.

One of the biggest traditions in baseball is for fans to fight to get a chance to catch the ball. This time was no different but then something bizarre happened. The ball slipped through every hand and hit a young kid’s head. Remember that the exit velocity of that ball was 112 mph. Though it wouldn’t have landed with that much power, it surely must have hurt the kid. 

What makes this an even bigger coincidence is that just two at-bats before, Ohtani too felt that pain. A pitch had hit Shotime’s right foot. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar howled in pain as the audience watched with concern. So one can imagine just how painful that situation must have been for that young kid. 

Social media certainly imagined it. Since the video was posted, multiple fans have given their opinions on the incident. Naturally, the clip has quickly become a rage among baseball fans.

From lifetime bans to hoping for a Dodgers gift, fans have a varied reaction

Though everything related to Shohei Ohtani goes viral immediately, this was on a different level. “Lifetime ban for every uncoordinated fan in a 2-seat radius,” wrote a fan. One can imagine a few people missing the ball but everyone missing it seems rather strange. Just one hand and that kid might not have had to feel the torturous pain of being hit by a baseball.

“Don’t worry they will find out who he is and give him signed stuff and meet Shohei the kid will be just fine,” a fan said. That’s certainly a logical take. Just a few months ago the Los Angeles Dodgers gave the fans who caught Shohei Ohtani’s first home run a VIP treatment (though it was more of an apology gesture). Could the kid find something similar for himself? That would surely be a memorable moment for him.

“Awesome story for the kid to tell for the rest of his life,” thought a user. One can imagine that could be true. After all, how many people can say that they got hit by a rocket ball sent by Shohei Ohtani? But then, even if it becomes a great story, as of now, it has a very painful beginning for the kid.

Fans on Reddit too had some great reactions. But they had a rather sarcastic take on the situation. “Look at the grin on the face as he hurts that child. The whole dugout was celebrating. Disgusting,” commented a fan. While that is an unfortunate video editing mishap, it certainly makes for a huge comedic moment. For a moment, baseball turned into an episode of Family Guy. At least for the fans on Reddit, it did. 

“Ohtani hates children confirmed,” said another fan. Though Shohei Ohtani is absolutely brilliant. Is he good enough to hit a ball with such precision and pin-point accuracy that it hits a specific fan in the stands? Maybe not. But then, that’s what makes this joke so funny because, in reality, Ohtani has always adored kids. He’s perhaps the biggest inspiration for Japanese kids today.

So a rather memorable moment for Ohtani turned into an infamous one due to one mishap. One wishes good health for that young kid and also hopes that this pain translates into a potential meeting with his idol.