A baseball fan caught a home run and shared the joy with everyone around her.
Japanese woman Yuma Akatsu caught a homer hit by Shohei Ohtani at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome. Following her catch, Akatsu allowed nearby fans to borrow the baseball and take photos with it. They passed it all around the stadium, but sure enough, the ball made its way back to Akatsu in the end.
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The heartwarming moment came in Japan’s game against Australia on March 12.
“According to Akatsu, she wanted to share the excitement she felt after catching the ball with others by passing it around to the fans around her. Groups of fan can be seen snapping a quick photo of the ball before passing it along to the next, before eventually handing it back to Akatsu,” Pubity wrote in its Instagram post sharing the story.
A woman caught a home run ball hit by Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani during the World Baseball Classic. Someone next to her wanted to see the ball, and it eventually got passed around the stadium to whoever wanted to see it. The baseball was returned to her after… pic.twitter.com/o4WjeUOcWD
— Good News Dog (@goodnewsdog) April 21, 2023
It’s not every day you see a baseball fan share a homerun ball with someone else, let alone all the people sitting around them. Akatsu is an example that baseball truly is the people’s sport. (RELATED: ‘I’m Cancer Free’: Chicago White Sox All-Star Closing Pitcher Liam Hendriks Announces He’s Officially In Remission)
Could it happen in America? Maybe. All I know is I certainly wouldn’t pass my prized game ball around a stadium.
Japan went undefeated in the entire World Baseball Classic Tournament, beating the USA to mark its third time winning the competition, according to the MLB.