We read about our baseball heroes all the time, but the game has unsung heroes as well. Two years ago this week, a Dodgers batboy saved Shohei Ohtani’s life and became an international celebrity for a day.
The ball boys in baseball have tough job. They arrive as many as eight hours before game time, clean the catcher’s gear, put out the helmets, the bats, the seeds, the gum and the towels. They are out there all game long and then do cleanup afterwards. Here’s a video of a day in the life of Boston Red Sox ball boy.
But on June 26, 2024, the Dodger batboy, Javier “Javi” Herrera, had a star turn. It was the top of the third inning, with Kiki Hernandez leading off with a 3-1 count. From 25’ away, Kike drilled a line drive at 90 mph into the Dodger dugout.
The ball was headed straight for Shohei’s face. But Javi just nonchalantly grabbed the ball with his bare hand, then calmly toss the ball back over his shoulder. Watch Shohei’s smile and the look of shock on the translator’s face. Click the image below for the video.
By the next day, Javi was front page news in Japan and LA. At the next game, he had to hold a press conference. Two dozen reporters from Japanese and Southern California-based news outlets surrounded Javi as he conducted an interview in the tunnel below the dugout.
(Javi is 38 years old and has been with the Dodgers for 18 years.)
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