Shohei Ohtani's 100th home run ball was caught by a female college student who said selling it would upset her dad!

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani visited the Pittsburgh Pirates today (3rd) and hit his 46th home run of the season. This homer also marked his 100th since joining the Dodgers. The lucky female fan who caught the ball happily said she would keep it safe, adding, "If I sell this ball, my dad will be mad!"

In the top of the 3rd inning, with his team trailing by three runs, Ohtani connected on a 99.2 mph (about 159.65 km/h) fastball from Pirates reliever Bubba Chandler, sending it deep into the right field stands. The fortunate catcher of this home run ball was 20-year-old college student Maya Hogan from Richmond, Virginia. She said in an interview, "At first, I couldn't believe I caught it. When I looked up and saw everyone yelling at me, I realized, ‘I really caught it!’ It was Ohtani’s first hit of the day, which made it feel very special."

Ohtani’s hit left the bat at a speed of 120 mph (about 193.12 km/h) and reached the stands in less than four seconds. Hogan admitted, "It was really scary. The ball came right into our midst at an incredible speed." Although a Yankees fan, Hogan praised Ohtani, saying, "I’ve always said he’s the modern Babe Ruth. He truly is as great as Babe Ruth."

Regarding whether she would sell this highly memorable ball, Hogan said, "I will keep it carefully. If I sold it, my dad would be upset. This ball is priceless, and selling it would make catching it meaningless, so I won’t sell it."

It’s worth noting that this home run ball later sparked a small incident. Security staff at the Pirates’ PNC Park signed the ball with “Ohtani’s 46th homer.” Although Hogan agreed to this, the act was quite unusual and caused some discussion.