Shohei Ohtani typically plays the hero for whatever team he’s playing on, so he definitely knows one when he sees one. And there’s no question he’s fully aware that bat boy Javier Herrera saved the day on Wednesday.
In the third inning of the Dodgers’ 4-0 win over the White Sox, Herrera made a heads-up snag of a Kiké Hernández foul ball that was making a beeline for Ohtani in the dugout. A relieved Ohtani subsequently thanked Herrera for the assist.
Herrera, 38, met the media (as detailed by the Los Angeles Times) before the Dodgers opened their set against the Giants on Friday night, and Ohtani posted a photo on Instagram of the scene overlaid with the all-caps proclamation, “MY HERO !!”
Herrera has received many plaudits for his quick reflexes; manager Dave Roberts quipped, for example, that the team should extend Herrera’s contract and give him a raise. But don’t expect the whirlwind fame to go to Herrera’s head.
“I was just doing my job,” he said Friday.
