In a stunning twist of fate, David Flores, a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan and professional boxing coach from Santa Fe Springs, California, found himself in the right place at the right time during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) on October 17, 2025. Flores caught Shohei Ohtani’s third home run of the game—a performance that has been hailed as one of the greatest in MLB postseason history.
Ohtani’s remarkable feat included hitting three home runs and striking out 10 batters over six scoreless innings, leading the Dodgers to a 5-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and securing their spot in the World Series.
The third home run ball, launched into the stands during the seventh inning, was caught by Flores, who described the moment as “life-changing.”
“I knew it was going to ricochet off the people in front of me for some reason,” Flores said. “When it did, I stayed nice and calm, and I caught the ball like a baby and just gripped it nice and tight.” His intuition and calm temperament in the heat of the moment turned a routine game outing into an extraordinary personal milestone.
The significance of the ball extends beyond its physical presence. Experts estimate its value could range from $3 to $5 million, considering Ohtani’s unprecedented dual performance in a postseason-clinching game.
Michael Keys, COO at SCP Auctions, remarked, “It was the most historic, I think, single player performance in any baseball game, let alone an NLCS-clinching game.”
Flores, who had initially hesitated to attend the game due to budget constraints, now finds himself at the center of a potential windfall. “My phone is going off. My phone is, ‘ding, ding, ding, ding’… nonstop,” he shared, expressing his excitement and disbelief.
Plans are underway to authenticate the ball through image verification and a lie detector test, as required by auction procedures. SCP Auctions intends to include the ball in their upcoming November event, providing Flores with a platform to potentially secure a life-altering sum for this piece of baseball history.
As the Dodgers prepare for the World Series, Flores’s unexpected catch has added another layer of intrigue to an already historic postseason. Whether he chooses to sell the ball or keep it as a cherished memento, his role in this unforgettable moment is now etched into the annals of Dodgers lore.
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