It’s quite amazing how the famously private Shohei Ohtani is finding himself in the headlines every day this year. But he certainly wishes that wasn’t the case. First, Ippei Mizuhara’s nightmarish saga gave the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar some headache. And right when it began to subside another blow came to take away Ohtani’s peace – this time it was from the fans who caught his first Homer wearing the Blue jersey.

Usually, a player gets to keep the ball of his first home run. But then when that home run is by Shohei Ohtani – that ball becomes a huge souvenir. So when Ohtani shared that the team gave the fans two caps, a ball, and a bat in exchange for the ball it felt like a wholesome story. But now the couple that caught the ball has revealed shocking details regarding their experience with the Blue Crews’ staff.

The Athletic has reported how Ambar Roman and her husband Alexis Valenzuela went through a “nightmare” after Roman caught Ohtani’s first Dodgers Home Run ball.  Immediately after they caught the ball,  the couple had security guards around who escorted them underneath the stands. “They wouldn’t let me talk to her or give her any advice,” Valenzuela said.

The two wondered whether they had made a mistake. But the guards reassured them by saying that the team was going to reward them. Soon they convinced Roman to give up that lucrative ball for an autographed – bat, ball, and two caps. All of this happened sans her husband – the security made him wait outside. Additionally Roman revealed that she was told that if she kept the ball, the Dodgers wouldn’t authenticate it – effectively making it worthless. According to The Athletic’s source, that ball’s worth would, at least, be $100,000. 

This reveal has shocked the fanbase as this is in stark contrast to what Ohtani reported. As a result, the superstar is once again in the middle of a controversy. However, his Japanese-speaking fans have shared interesting information regarding Ohtani’s post-game interview.

Shohei Ohtani – a victim of mistranslation?

The couple said that they’ll still remain fans but were hurt at the lack of “Dodger love”. To put off the fire, the Dodgers’ spokesperson came up with an apology to the fans – “We’re sorry they didn’t have a good experience, we’d like to invite them back to the stadium for a special Dodger experience.” But that hasn’t subsided questions on Ohtani’s comments.

The superstar had reportedly said, “Came back and talked to the fan.” Most fans believed that Ohtani met the couple. But according to the couple he was nowhere to be found. However, many Japanese speakers have revealed that Ohtani never uttered the word, “I” while talking about the couple. Could Ohtani be referring to the security team too? 

While that could be true, the superstar certainly wouldn’t like being part of another controversy. After all, 2024 was supposed to be a giant party but it’s turning out to be anything but that for Shotime.

Read more: Obsessed With Hygiene, Shohei Ohtani Showered by Teammates’ Seeds Following First Home Run