LOS ANGELES – It all happened so quickly for Ambar Roman. A lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan, she watched as her husband dived to the ground with others in search of Shohei Ohtani’s home-run ball at Dodger Stadium on April 3.

Then she looked down, near her feet, and there it was. She picked up the ball, Ohtani’s milestone first homer with the Dodgers, and pumped her fist.

“Sitting in the pavilion, you always hope that you’ll be able to catch a ball,” she said after the win over the San Francisco Giants. “But never in a million years would I have thought it would have been his ball.”

Within minutes, however, that storybook moment turned into a stressful and chaotic one that left Roman and her husband, Alexis Valenzuela, feeling pressured and possibly swindled by members of the Dodgers’ security staff.

As is customary with a significant home-run ball, there is a negotiation between the team and the fan who catches it. The fan will generally receive memorabilia and have a meet-and-greet session with the player in exchange for a ball that represents a meaningful personal achievement.

In this case, though, the couple say members of the Dodger Stadium security staff separated them, pressured her and left them little choice but to hand over the baseball for what they considered a lowball offer.

The Dodgers initially dangled two caps signed by Ohtani in exchange for a ball that an auction house representative later said would be worth at least US$100,000 (S$134,500).

Roman said the hardball tactics by team officials included the threat of refusing to authenticate the baseball if she decided to take it home. This was no trivial matter – a lack of authentication could significantly reduce the ball’s value, and place the onus on Roman to prove its authenticity.

“We’re not trying to extort anyone; it’s not that we’re money hungry,” Valenzuela said. “It’s just that it’s a special moment, it’s a special ball. I just think it’s fair for it to be equally rewarded.

“I was just disappointed that a team that I hold so dear pulled a, quote-unquote, quick one on us.”

They left the stadium with two signed hats and a signed bat and ball, a slight bump from the opening offer.

A day after Roman and Valenzuela told their story, the team invited the couple to an on-field experience at Dodger Stadium. Roman confirmed that they will be back on April 12 – her birthday – when they will be permitted on the field before watching the game from seats at the field club level.

The team also said they will review their ballpark processes for retrieving milestone baseballs.

Roman and Valenzuela are not upset about what they received (or did not receive) as compensation for the valuable baseball. Roman expressed more contentment, while her husband believes they could have been offered a fairer deal.

“They really took advantage of her,” he said.

Soon after the ball landed, a dozen or more security officials came to the couple’s seats. Surrounding fans told the couple to be smart. Many told them not to give the ball up easily. A security official then told them they would “reward them” for catching the ball, according to the couple.

“There were a bunch of guys around her,” Valenzuela added. “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.”

Roman said of the situation: “They didn’t want him to influence my decision.

“It was a little pressuring. Especially because it was like, ‘I need you to give me an answer like right now. You got to make up your mind’.”

The initial offer of two signed caps left her flustered, but she did follow up by asking if there was anything else the team could include. They offered a bat and a ball, which she said she felt pressured to accept.

Those items were brought into the room, and the Ohtani home-run ball was taken away.

The Dodgers have a memorabilia store which offers an autographed foul ball hit by Ohtani in 2021 for nearly US$15,000 – providing a barometer for the value of Ohtani’s first home-run ball.

This ball’s value, at minimum, is US$100,000, said Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage Auctions. He said the items that the Dodgers gave Roman would be valued at around US$1,000 each.

However, they would need authentication to be sold, and the couple said they did not receive authentication Ohtani actually signed them. The Dodgers will now authenticate the couple’s merchandise when they return on April 12.

Both Roman and Valenzuela are big Dodgers fans. With it all said and done, they are happy that Ohtani has his ball. He hit the homer – it is his memento to have.

But the reality is also not lost that the ball is valuable. Valenzuela said he felt the team could have shown them the same type of affection that they have given the club for years.

“Where was the Dodger love that we see every day, every time we go,” he said.

“It just disappeared. 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.” NYTIMES