Geraldo Perdomo asked Shohei Ohtani for an autograph and was given a challenge, revealing a funny story about not meeting the criteria.

Geraldo Perdomo, an infielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks, is a noted fan of Shohei Ohtani and had learned Japanese to ask for his autograph. He recently shared on a program that Ohtani imposed signing conditions: “Both conditions must be fulfilled: I must win the game and successfully get you out (either by striking you out or overpowering you).” In the end, Perdomo went 1-for-3 in that matchup, and although the Diamondbacks won, he didn’t meet Ohtani’s autograph requirements.

“Ohtani is my brother!” Perdomo openly praised him on the show, saying, “He’s on a completely different level, and he shouldn’t even be limited to this league.”

Last year, Perdomo sparked buzz by asking Ohtani for an autograph in Japanese while on base. He revealed that he learned a few Japanese phrases from the team’s Japanese-speaking trainer in hopes of getting a signed bat. “Ohtani understood, but replied, ‘If I win and get you out, then I’ll sign it for you.’”

In that game, Ohtani was the starting pitcher, throwing six innings with only five hits allowed, no runs, and eight strikeouts. Perdomo was retired in his first two at-bats but got a hit in his third. The Dodgers held a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, but relief pitcher Tanner Scott faltered, allowing Perdomo to deliver a walk-off hit.

Perdomo admitted the hit came off Ohtani’s curveball: “That was the only pitch I could handle. With runners on base, Ohtani’s fastball is extremely quick, reaching up to 100 mph (about 161 km/h) and placed on the corners, making it almost impossible to hit. But with no one on base, I read his setup and timed it perfectly to get that hit.”

He concluded, “In the end, the Dodgers lost, and I got a hit off him, so he didn’t give me the autograph. He clearly stated that both ‘team victory’ and ‘getting the batter out’ had to happen.”