Dodgers Bat Boy Saves Shohei Ohtani With Crazy Catch: VIDEO
The Los Angeles Dodgers have had more than their fair share of injuries in 2024. Superstar outfielder and MVP-favorite Mookie Betts went down with a fracture in his hand after being hit by pitch in mid-June. Third baseman Max Muncy is set to miss several months with an oblique injury. Star rookie starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto has no timeline for his return from a rotator cuff strain.
And thanks to the quick thinking and reflexes of the team's bat boy, they're not missing all world superstar Shohei Ohtani either.
The bat boy, named Javi, according to the team's official X account, made a spectacular bare handed catch on a foul ball headed directly for Ohtani in the dugout during Wednesday night's game between the Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. Cameras caught Javi perched in the far end of the dugout with Ohtani and a few other team personnel.
That's when a rocket of a foul ball came towards the dugout, and without any hesitation, Javi caught it bare-handed as Ohtani dove out of the way.
Remarkable play.
NEW YORK - Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers in action during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 7. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Everything Going Ohtani, Dodgers Way On The Field
Despite the injuries, the Dodgers sit at 51-31, with an 8.5 game lead over the second-place San Diego Padres. Ohtani, finally able to focus exclusively on offense, is having the best hitting season of his career.
In one of the worst offensive years in decades in MLB, Ohtani's been 91 percent better than the league average. He's a legitimate challenger for the National League's triple crown, leading in batting average, home runs and sits third in runs batted in just three behind the leader, Marcell Ozuna.
All that's to say, losing Ohtani would have been a devastating blow.
Given the camera angle, it's hard to tell if the ball would have hit him or flown by. But with Javi around, it's not something we, or the Dodgers, have to worry about.