BILLINGS — Emily Sauvageau loves catching Colorado Rockies games with her family.
"Basically, I grew up at Coors Field. I went to my first game when I was seven months old," she explained to MTN Sports with a smile during a Zoom interview.
See Emily catch Ohtani's milestone home run and hear her reaction:
Her father, Dan Sauvageau, is a lifelong Rockies fan who grew up in Three Forks, graduated from the University of Montana, married and then packed up and drove to Denver for work.
And when Emily was born, Dan wanted to — half seriously — take her to Coors Field on the way home from the hospital.
"I kind of jokingly asked my wife (Julie) if I could take her in just to show her to everybody and she looked at me like I was an idiot," Dan recalled with a laugh.
Season ticket holders since 1997, the Sauvageaus have front-row seats in left field, setting a stage for the most memorable snag of Emily’s life just three weeks ago: her first MLB game home run catch on the fly.
"I kept telling myself not to reach over (the left field wall) because I was terrified that I was going to get too excited and lean forward," said Emily, who was determined to avoid fan interference.
And this wasn’t just any home run. Including his long shots in Japan, it was career No. 300 for Major League Baseball mega-star Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I kind of stuck my glove out and basket caught it at the last second," Emily described.
In a twist of fate, Dan said before the game, “I just have a feeling Ohtani is hitting one over here and you need to catch it.”
However, he admitted it happened so fast that once the ball was caught, “We didn’t know it was Ohtani’s. To be honest, we had no idea.”
Moments after the catch, Emily found herself surrounded by Japanese media.
"It wasn’t even 30 seconds. I hadn’t even sat down yet," she said.
While the Dodgers did not reach out for the ball after the game, some fans did.
"Jokingly, like, ‘Hey, can I pay you for that?’ But it was just like, 'Here’s $10 … can I have Ohtani’s home run?'" said Emily.
So, now what?
“It’s an important home run ball for me, being the first one I’ve caught," Emily said. "Obviously I have an attachment to it, but …”
But … an auction company has made the Sauvageaus a proposal they couldn’t refuse, and the ball could sell for big bucks at the upcoming 45th National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemont, Ill., from July 30 to Aug. 3.
“They keep thinking it will level off, the interest in Ohtani merchandise and memorabilia, and he was like, it’s just going up and up and up,” Dan explained.
Emily, a college softball first baseman at Adams State University who earned conference Gold Glove honors, ironically didn’t use her college mitt for the catch.
"The pocket, the way it’s laced, I’ve had a baseball go through it before when I was playing catch with my brother. The other one is a little tighter and a little more put together," she said.
Having attended the Rockies-Red Sox World Series at the age of 4, Emily didn’t hesitate when asked about the number of Rockies games she’s seen in person: 835 on the number.
Whatever number the ball fetches at auction, big sister says she’s splitting it with her “little brother” Ryan. Talk about a home run in more ways than one.
