Shohei Ohtani is having an unbelievable first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his National League-leading 27 home runs have him well on his way to becoming the first player to win an MVP award while serving exclusively as a designated hitter (he also pitched during his two previous MVP seasons).
Unfortunately for one hard-headed kid, Ohtani’s most recent home run hurt a little bit more than the previous 26.
On Tuesday, Ohtani crushed a 433-foot homer to right-center field in the seventh inning to give the Dodgers the lead in the series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodger Stadium crowd erupted in jubilation, except for the child who was unfortunately on the other end of the home run and got hit square in the forehead.
Shohei Ohtani’s 27th home run bounces off little kid’s forehead. I hope he’s OK. @SportsNetLA #Dodgers pic.com/UIigMtHMhR
— Miguel A. Melendez (@MelendezReports) July 3, 2024
It was an embarrassing performance for the dozens of people sitting around the kid, as they all threw their hands up to try to catch the home run. Even though a few of them had gloves, all of them somehow failed to snag the ball and the kid paid the price.
This poor fan endured a 112 mph shot straight to the dome, so hopefully he at least got the ball afterward. There is no word on the child yet, so, hopefully, no news is good news.
Once he heals up, maybe he’ll get the chance to parlay this opportunity into a meet-and-greet with Ohtani and hopefully get at least some autographs, merch or free tickets.
Best wishes to the little trooper, and here’s hoping that the next game he goes to, he has his glove up.
