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Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani hit a home run at the top of the first inning as team Japan took on team Australia in the World Baseball Classic on Sunday.
Fans passed around the baseball to take pictures of the ball before returning it to the fan who caught it, Fox Sports MLB wrote in a Sunday tweet.
After Shohei Ohtani's home run in the top of the first inning, fans passed around the baseball to take pictures of the ball before returning it to the fan who caught the ball 👏 pic.twitter.com/yqwtKdWKol
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 12, 2023
“I cannot get over the scene and the initial aftermath, where the ball was just politely, and calmly, passed around,” said a Fox Sports commentator after Shohei Ohtani's home run. “Everyone partaking in sharing this history.”
One fan said he would never see the moment happen at Yankee stadium.
Never seen that happen at Yankee stadium.
— Trenton Tolmer-Amos (@tolmer_trenton) March 12, 2023
The Game Day Lead MLB Editor Matt Williams wondered what would happen if the moment happened at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
How many people would end up in the hospital and/or jail if this happened at Citizens Bank Park?
— Matt Williams (@MattWi77iams) March 12, 2023
Other fans made similar comparisons.
…in America, doorknobs would beat each other so that the last man standing with the ball could sell it on the Internet
— Paul Metcalfe (@CaptainScarl3t) March 12, 2023
Imagine that same situation but only in the bleacher section at Yankee stadium
— Ace Football Analytics (@js_ace_football) March 12, 2023
One fan said Canada was in competition for the title of “nicest people” after the Shohei Ohtani run.
https://twitter.com/mookieplzhomer/status/1634867799561756673
Team Canada will take on team Great Britain at 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday.
Another said the moment featured the “purest of fans.”
These are the purest of fans. Love it.
— njbutts (@njbutts) March 12, 2023
Shohei Ohtani carried the momentum from his dominant performance as the World Baseball Classic kicked off for team Japan on Thursday to help guide Japan to a 7-1 victory over team Australia on Sunday. The two-time MLB All-Star earned one home run and four runs batted in as 24-year-old pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto took his starting spot on the mound. Though the young pitcher struck out eight batters and allowed a single base hit in four innings pitched, Yamamoto wished things went better for him after the game.
“I thought was my command was not what I was expecting, and I threw more pitches a than I expected,” Yamamoto said, via MLB.com. “I'd like to minimize my pitch count. After the previous games, I spoke with Yu Darvish about my high pitch counts.
“I think I've got a good combination of the high fastball and low fastball, so I thank Yu Darvish for his advice a lot.”
