Dodger Fan Who Snagged Shohei Ohtani Home Run Expected 'More Warmth' From Team

When Ambar Roman had Shohei Ohtani's first home run as a Los Angeles Dodger land at her feet on Wednesday night, she didn't expect the rollercoaster ride of emotions that came next.

The celebration was over as soon as it began when security whisked her away, separating her from her husband and friend. She detailed her experience in an exclusive interview with Dodgers Nation.

“Security came up and hand-signaled me to go to them. At first, I’m thinking I did something wrong,” Roman said. “They said ‘no, we want to reward you for catching the ball.’ … They took us down to right next to the bullpen, the gate, to go in there. That’s where they had us. At that point, they didn’t allow my husband or the friend that we were with to go with me. They said they had to stay back.”

Roman, a Whittier resident, attends five or six Dodgers games a year. She has been a lifelong fan and wasn't expecting such cold treatment from employees of the team she holds so near and dear to her heart.

“As a Dodger fan, I expected maybe a little bit more warmth, I should say, from them,” Roman said. “But it was just really sad I needed to make a decision right then and there.”

The decision she had to make was whether to give the ball to team personnel in exchange for other autographed memorabilia or leave without the ball being authenticated by Major League Baseball. Her initial request of getting the ball autographed was denied so she asked what they would be willing to trade for it.

“That’s when I asked, ‘what is he willing to trade me for it?’ At first what they offered was two signed baseball caps,” Roman said. “I asked, ‘what else can I get?’ That’s when they threw in a bat and another ball."

She also asked for a photo with Ohtani, that request was denied as well.

Roman doesn't have any regrets but realizes that she could have gotten a lot more out of it if she was given time to think about what just happened. Some experts have speculated the ball Roman caughtwould have been worth six figures.

“As far as regrets, I honestly don’t regret it,” she said. “Just the experience of it all, as a lifetime Dodger fan, that meant so much. I’m really grateful with what I got. … It makes you think damn, did I really miss out on those hundred thousand dollars but what’s done is done.