Dodgers 'invite fans who caught Shohei Ohtani's first home-run ball back for an on-field experience'... as team looks to make peace after lifelong supporter claimed she was pressured to hand $100,000 item over

The Los Angeles Dodgers fan who claimed she was pressured into handing over Shohei Ohtani's first home-run ball has been invited back by the team for a special on-field experience.

Lifelong Dodgers supporter Ambar Roman, 28, got her hands on Ohtani's prestigious first homer ball on Wednesday night, after the $700million recruit finally got off the mark in his ninth appearance for LA.

Yet in an interview with The Athletic, Roman explained how her jackpot moment quickly turned sour when she was forced to give the ball to Dodgers officials, who threatened to not authenticate the $100,000-valued item if she chose not to comply.

Two days on from the game against the San Francisco Giants, The Athletic are now reporting that Roman and her husband, Alexis Valenzuela, have been invited back to Dodger Stadium for an 'on-field experience' as LA looks to make peace with the couple.

The team also said that it will review its ballpark processes for retrieving milestone baseballs in the future.

The Los Angeles Dodgers fan who claimed she was pressured into handing over Shohei Ohtani's first home-run ball has been invited back by the team for a special on-field experience

Ambar Roman, 28, got her hands on Ohtani's prestigious first homer ball on Wednesday night

But she claims her jackpot moment quickly turned sour when Dodgers security forced her to give it back after threatening not to authenticate the $100,000 memento

Straight after Ohtani's home run, Dodgers security staff are said to have swarmed Roman and Valenzuela, with other fans in close proximity urging them to not give up the ball easily.

Security told them they would be rewarded for catching the ball, with give-and-take negotiations between fans and players looking to retrieve meaningful objects custom in the sport.

However, after being separated from Valenzuela, Roman says she was pressured into handing the ball over after LA officials, who resorted to ruthless measures to get it back for Ohtani.

One of those tactics included the threat of refusing to authenticate it, a move which would render the ball - which is valued at a minimum of $100,000 - worthless if she chose to take it home and sell it.

They also dangled two Dodgers caps signed by Ohtani in front of Roman, before she eventually accepted a trade which also included a signed bat and ball. The five items she left with are understood to be worth a combined $5,000.

'We’re not trying to extort anyone. It’s not that we’re money hungry,' Valenzuela said. 'It’s just that it’s a special moment, it’s a special ball. I just think it’s fair for it to be equally rewarded.

'I was just disappointed that a team that I hold so dear pulled a quote-unquote quick one on us.'

After the game, Ohtani is quoted as saying through his interpreter that he had managed to get his first Dodgers homer ball back after speaking with Roman himself.

Ohtani claimed he spoke with Roman, but she denied ever meeting the $700m signing

She has now been invited back to Dodger Stadium as LA chiefs look to make peace with her

'I was able to talk to the fan, and was able to get it back,' he is quoted as saying. 'Obviously it’s a very special ball, a lot of feelings toward it, I’m very grateful that it’s back.'

According to Roman, though, they never met LA's new two-way sensation on the night. It is unclear whether Ohtani's interpreter mistranslated his comments.

Instead, she was ushered into a room without her husband and forced into the trade after being left with no other option but to accept the Dodgers' offer.

'They really took advantage of her,' Valenzuela said. 'There were a bunch of (security) guys around her. They wouldn’t let me talk to her or give her any advice. There was no way for us to leave. They had her pretty much cornered in the back.'

In a memorabilia store at their ballpark, a foul ball Ohtani hit back in 2021 is reportedly on sale for a whopping $15,000 - speaking volumes about the amount Roman could have generated by flogging his first home-run ball.

According to Chris Ivey, director of sports auctions at Heritage Auctions, it would command a fee of at least $100,000.

Though without authentication or confirmation that Ohtani signed it, which Roman did not obtain, a sale of that size would not be possible.

Roman and her husband, Alexis Valenzuela, accepted $5,000 worth of souvenirs in a trade for Ohtani's first homer ball

Roman and Valenzuela, who met in college and work together at a pipeline company, purchased their tickets for the game in the pavilion, which is a regular spot for the couple.

Despite agreeing with fans who appreciated their selfless gesture to ensure Ohtani kept his memento ball, Valenzuela says they were more disappointed by the aggressive treatment from their beloved team before doing so.

'Where was the Dodger love that we see every day, every time we go,' he added. 'It just disappeared. 

'We were kind of left stranded. It’s not necessarily that we wanted a million. Just something nice. Take care of your fans. Especially when they got something that’s way more valuable.'