It's not everyday that a bat boy or a ball boy makes the headlines, but that's exactly what happened with Javier Herrera. Herrara, one of the Los Angeles Dodgers' bat boys, was hanging out near Shohei Ohtani during their game against the Chicago White Sox. All of a sudden, a line drive was headed toward Ohtani and Herrera. Without even flinching, Herrera caught the errant ball, saving Ohtani in the process. You may have seen the clip, which has gone viral on social media.
Ballboy 😎 Shohei Ohtani 😳
Herrera went from being “just a bay boy” to THE bat boy in a matter of hours. He was rightfully praised for his quick and impressive reaction to that ball speeding their way. A few days after, Herrera was asked about the viral incident. Here's what he had to say about how it felt to do… that, per Mike DiGiovanna.
““I don’t know,” a reluctant Herrera said. “I was just doing my job.”
Asked about his quick reaction time, Herrera, who is in his 18th year with the club, said, “I saw the pitch all the way through. It hit the bat, and the ball pretty much found me. I was able to grab it.””
Herrera also said that he didn't realize that the incident went viral until well after the Dodgers' game.
““I saw it 100 times,” Herrera said. “It was pretty impressive. I was impressed. But in the moment, it was just like, ‘OK, let’s keep playing.’ ”
The Dodgers are surely thankful for Herrera's quick instincts. Ohtani did react to the ball as well by moving out of the way, but it still could've caught him. If they were unlucky, the Dodgers star could've caught a serious injury from that errant ball. Considering how integral Ohtani is to the team's success (and their current injury status), a long-term injury would be bad.
Ohtani's mean streak with Dodgers
In his first season with the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani is proving why he is considered a generational talent. The Dodgers star has a ridiculous .322 batting average with an equally impressive 1.043 OPS, along with 25 home runs and 61 runs batted in. He is the NL leader in the first three stats, and he is not far behind in the RBI department.
One could certainly argue that Ohtani's batting wasn't as well-regarded as his pitching in the last few years. Of course, we all knew that the Dodgers star was elite as a batter and pitcher. However, Ohtani's ridiculous pitching often took the spotlight (see: his iconic matchup against Mike Trout in the World Baseball Classic).
With Ohtani unable to pitch due to an elbow injury, the world is seeing just how ridiculous his hitting is. In a lineup featuring two other elite hitters in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, Shohei stands out as the best. He is a big reason why the Dodgers are currently on top of the NL West and the entire National League.
Ohtani and the Dodgers are looking to sustain this hot streak well into the playoffs. This will be the Japanese star's first experience in the MLB playoffs. How good will this team be when the lights are bright?
