For Pete's Sake

Dodgers batboy casually snags screaming liner that could’ve hit Shohei Ohtani

This batboy wowed the Dodgers bullpen.
This batboy wowed the Dodgers bullpen.

If the Dodgers go on to win it all this season, there might be a person in Chicago who ends up getting a World Series share.

That’s because the batboy at the Dodgers’ 4-0 over the White Sox on Wednesday saved star Shohei Ohtani from a potential injury in the Los Angeles dugout.

At one point in the game, the Dodgers’ Kike Hernández fouled off a pitch and the ball was lined into the dugout. Members of the team took cover, but the batboy casually made a barehanded catch in front of Ohtani.

Here is video of the play.

Since it’s rare for batboys to travel with teams, a person in the city where the team is playing usually is chosen for the job. Thus, it’s likely that catch was made by someone from Chicago.

It was a really impressive grab, and the reaction in the Dodgers’ dugout was awesome.

The catch was going viral Thursday and likely will be a highlight on most people’s social-media feeds.

This story was originally published June 27, 2024 at 9:02 AM.

Pete Grathoff
The Kansas City Star
From covering the World Series to the World Cup, Pete Grathoff has done a little bit of everything since joining The Kansas City Star in 1997.
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