Ryan Wold almost had history within his grasp. Instead, it was just at his fingertips.
Max Matus actually had the story in his hands, but at some point he lost control.
Both were present at the Dodgers’ game against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park on Thursday, where LA superstar Shohei Ohtani became the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season.
You may have seen videos of the wild scramble in the left-center field stands after Ohtani’s 50th home run. Wold is the guy in the Marlins tank top who had the first two attempts to snatch the historic ball.
“It flew over us and I saw it bounce. I tried to catch it, but I was a little too far away at that point,” Wold told the Times in a phone interview on Friday. “And then it basically bounced right off the table in front of me, and when it was right there, I reached out my hand and it grazed my fingertips. When it fell off the table, there were three people lying right on top of it.
“It’s just such a crazy moment because it happens so fast. I thought I had the reach to do it – I didn’t. And then another guy made it, and at that point it was kind of too late to jump down and try to intervene in the scuffle.”
When asked if he thought he could have done anything more to catch the ball when it was so close, Wold laughed.
“Sure. I could have just fallen out, I guess – and definitely hurt myself,” said Wold, a resident of Palm Beach, Florida, who attended the game with a group of his colleagues from the Franklin Street real estate agency.
“It was just cool to be there in that moment.”
Matus was there celebrating his 18th birthday with his father, Greg Matus, a co-worker of Wold’s. Video footage shows Max Matus, wearing a red shirt and light blue cap, battling for the ball with a man in a black T-shirt.
The man, who appears to be in his 40s, eventually emerged with the ball as a visibly frustrated Max Matus looked on. Greg Matus told the Times on Friday that his son was “obviously upset about it, but he’s OK.”
“I think he was disappointed that he had a ball in his hands and somebody took it away from him,” Greg Matus said. “Of course, afterward, everyone talks about how the ball was worth millions of dollars or whatever they say. But in that moment, I think he was just a kid playing in the outfield trying to catch a ball.”
Overall, he said, the game was a positive experience. Ohtani put on a great show, hitting six for six, hitting three home runs, hitting 10 runs batted in and making two steals, and the Dodgers won 20-4, securing their 12th consecutive National League postseason berth.
“We had a great time,” Greg Matus said. “Obviously, I’m super disappointed now that I couldn’t catch the ball because I know how it’s going to affect history, but it was just a great, crazy atmosphere. When the ball was hit, it was just chaos. People were jumping over tables and landing on people. … I’m actually glad my son wasn’t hurt.”
The man who received the 50-50 ball was immediately escorted away by security. Darren Rovell of cllct reported that the fan was taken to an undisclosed location where the league verified the authenticity of his ball.
Craig Mish, senior baseball correspondent for the Miami Herald, reported that the fan kept the ball instead of giving it to the Dodgers. Ohtani said after the game that he did not receive the ball.
The Dodgers declined to comment for this story. The Marlins and MLB did not respond to messages from The Times.
Brendan Wells, vice president at SCP Auctions in Laguna Niguel, said Friday his company believes the ball is worth “half a million dollars, maybe even more given the significance of this milestone,” provided the owner acts quickly while Thursday’s events are still fresh in everyone’s minds.
Wold acknowledged that the ball was “very valuable,” but said he probably would have kept the souvenir if he had brought it in.
“My dad is a huge baseball fan and so are his brothers, so I definitely wanted to share this experience with them just because it’s such a big part of history,” Wold said.
He added: “I think something like this is unique. I mean, maybe I would sell it at some point, but my parents live in New Jersey, I live in Florida, so maybe I’ll give them a chance to touch it, something like that.”
