BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Overwhelming...
That's how Bakersfield resident Troy Buenteo describes his experience after being in the right place at the right time.
On August 23rd, Dodger Outfielder Shohei Ohtani stepped to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs and the bases loaded.
Ohtani responded with a walk-off grand slam, becoming the fastest player in MLB history to reach the 40/40 club: 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases.
The ball sailed in the direction of Buenteo's seat, but didn't reach him.
It bounced off a fan's glove before falling back to the outfield.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
"I saw the ball going back towards us," Buenteo said. "I just reached my glove up, and I caught it initially. Then there was just a melee. I described it to somebody earlier. I'm a heavy metal fan, it's like being in a Slayer mosh pit for 3 to 5 seconds."
This is a dream scenario for any fan of the boys in blue. Except, Buenteo says he isn't a Dodger fan, but a lifelong Cubs fan.
However, he says he is now a big Shohei Ohtani fan after the moment that both he and his son will never forget.
Buenteo tells us one of the first things that popped into his head was some of the hardships he and his family has faced recently.
He specifically mentioned a long custody battle that he says cost them a lot of money.
"We finally got it finished on Wednesday," said Buenteo. "They told us that he was going to permanently be with us...I thought I finally got a load of my back."
What some might call easy money, now becoming hard work for Buenteo, as he's had challenges with getting the ball authenticated.
He tells us a security guard came over to him and told him to wait, but after 20 minutes of waiting, he was told the Dodgers weren't interested in authenticating the ball.
"I'd like to believe it was just a mistake, maybe, I'm not really sure. I called their offices earlier today, they recommended I send an email. I told the individual, people are asking me about what happened with the authentication and I'm telling them what happened."
Buenteo says his number one priority is to get the ball authenticated.
He doesn't know if he wants to keep it or sell it yet, however, he is willing to listen to offers.
Since this story aired, Buenteo gave us an update. He said he reached out to the Dodgers, and they told him the MLB typically does the authenticating. They said the ball wasn't selected as a milestone ball by either MLB authenticators or Ohtani himself. He says Ohtani didn't specifically request it to be a marked ball, but the MLB can designate balls to be marked if they choose.
Buenteo tells us the Dodgers rep offered him a signed ball and/or tickets to a game. He says he plans to reach out to the MLB to get the ball authenticated. He remains positive that this will all work out, and he is grateful for the experience.
