TOKYO — Ten-year-old Sota Fujimori had the fortune of a lifetime during a baseball game at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday night. Occupying a seat in the right-center field, he witnessed an exhilarating moment when Shohei Ohtani hit a home run in the fifth inning. Initially, the ball slipped through another fan’s hands and tumbled back onto the field, a disappointment at first glance.
“I thought I had missed it,” Sota recounted in a brief interview with a few local reporters afterward. To his delight, Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong tossed the ball back into the stands, bringing joy to the young baseball enthusiast. Umpires paused to confirm the ball had indeed cleared the wall, allowing Ohtani to officially mark his first home run of the season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers triumphed over the Cubs with a 6-3 win, making Sota’s evening even more special. It was his maiden experience witnessing Ohtani play live. The Dodgers also secured victory the previous night, winning 4-1, thus concluding a successful two-game series in Tokyo to kick off the MLB regular season. Sota, hailing from Saitama, which lies just north of Tokyo’s metropolitan area, proudly wore a blue Dodgers shirt and clutched a baseball glove on his right hand.
Crow-Armstrong acknowledged during a postgame interview that he had thrown Ohtani’s ball into the crowd. Despite having doubts about whether it was a home run, he felt happy knowing the ball landed in Sota’s possession. “Absolutely, I’m glad,” he stated.
Sota’s parents opted to keep their son’s face out of the photographs and were hesitant to disclose additional personal details, though they permitted photographs of the treasured ball. The young boy, who is in the fourth grade and plays as an outfielder, expressed his disbelief and excitement. “I was really surprised,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. I’m going to keep it as the family treasure.”
