Dodgers face more drama with caught HR ball but it might not be their fault this time

The Dodgers have had an intermittent run of pretty bad publicity over the past few years, ranging anywhere between Shohei Ohtani allegedly disrespecting a little leaguer and concrete falling onto fans at Dodger Stadium.

Last year — apart from the Ippei Mizuhara debacle — Ohtani's on-field Dodgers career started off of a somewhat sour note. After he hit his first home run at Dodger Stadium, the fan who caught it was allegedly coerced into giving up the ball for non-authenticated memorabilia, and the team refused to authenticate the ball, should she choose to keep it.

The Dodgers ended up rectifying the situation after the fan's story went viral, and they apparently learned their lesson, because the fan who caught Ohtani's 176th career home run ball (passing Hideki Matsui's record for most career homers by a Japanese-born player) kept the ball, had it authenticated, and sold it.

After rookie Alex Freeland's first career home run at Petco Park against the Padres on Aug. 22, the Dodgers and Ohtani once again found themselves involved in a potential recovery debacle — but this time it wasn't their fault.

The Dodgers fans who caught it, Eric Saldana and Alex Espinoza, were approached by Dodgers officials to make a deal for the ball. They asked for an autographed Ohtani ball, and officials said no. They offered a bat and ball signed by Freeland instead, which Saldana accepted with an incredibly classy, "Whatever."

Dodgers fans who caught Alex Freeland's first home run ball asked for a Shohei Ohtani autograph in return

Espinoza also added, "I have three daughters. I said we'd take a first-born son," which...doesn't exactly paint a flattering picture of Dodgers fans, either.

The Dodgers clearly mishandled the entire situation with Ohtani's first homer and a fair few things since then, but this one can probably be chalked up to some good, old fashioned entitlement.

Freeland followed up that first career homer with another the very next day, which made him the subject of a unique stat that doesn't reflect incredibly well upon his team: "He's the first player in MLB history to have his first two career homers come in back-to-back games for his team's only run of the game in each."

Saldana and Espinoza shot their shot for an Ohtani autograph, which is fair enough, but maybe we shouldn't be so dismissive of a rookie's first career homer? Just some food for thought.