Dodgers Fan Who Caught Shohei Ohtani HR to Get On-Field Experience After Controversy

The Dodgers fan who grabbed Shohei Ohtani's first-ever home run in an L.A. uniform will be invited back to Dodger Stadium for an on-field experience, per Sam Blum of The Athletic.

That news emerged one day after the fan, Ambar Roman, and her husband, Alexis Valenzuela, told Blum about a less-than-pleasant experience with Dodgers security personnel, who allegedly pressured Roman to give up the ball for an underwhelming offer while separating her from her husband in the process.

Roman also told Blum that the Dodgers said they would refuse to authenticate the ball should she decide to take it home.

"They really took advantage of her," Valenzuela told Blum. "There were a bunch of (security) guys around her. They wouldn't let me talk to her or give her any advice. There was no way for us to leave. They had her pretty much cornered in the back."

"They didn't want him to influence my decision," Roman added. At least that's how I took it.

"… It was a little pressuring. Especially because it was like, 'I need you to give me an answer like right now. You gotta make up your mind.' It was a lot of pressure."

Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage Auctions, posited to Blum that the home run ball could be valued at $100,000 or "well beyond it, absolutely."

The Dodgers initially offered two signed hats to Roman and Valenzuela in exchange for the home run ball. When Roman asked if the team could do more, the Dodgers added a signed bat and ball. Ivey estimated that the items would be valued around $1,000 apiece, although Roman and Valenzuela said the team did not authenticate them before they left Dodger Stadium.

"Where was the Dodger love that we see every day, every time we go?" Valenzuela said to Blum. "It just disappeared. We were kind of left stranded. It's not necessarily that we wanted a million. Just something nice. Take care of your fans. Especially when they got something that's way more valuable."

A Dodger spokesperson told Blum that the team was "open to a further conversation with the fan about the transaction." Now Roman and Valenzuela will apparently be treated to an on-field experience of some sort.

Ohtani's blast occurred on Wednesday, when the Dodgers defeated the rival San Francisco Giants 5-4. The seventh-inning homer ended up being the game-winning run for L.A.