Zachary, long burdened with a mouthful of metal, was told by his parents Friday that he could leave his fifth-grade class early because he had an orthodontist appointment to have his braces removed. The shaggy-haired 10-year-old assumed he would be up in time to watch Game 1 of the World Series on television.

After all, Zachary had worn Dodgers gear to school, drawing from a wardrobe that included several jerseys bearing the name of his favorite player, Freddie Freeman.

When his father picked him up and – surprise! – showed him tickets in the pavilion on the right and headed straight to Chavez Gorge, Zachary was more than thrilled. They met his mother in Echo Park for pregame tacos at Guisados ​​and were soon in their seats.

But Zachary’s elation was nothing compared to what he felt in the bottom of the 10th inning when Freeman’s game-winning grand slam came right at him.

“When he hit the ball, we knew it was going to leave the park, but we had no idea we were going to catch it,” Zachary told NBC News. “The ball hit the seat in front of us and rolled a little on the floor. Then I understood.”

Fans in the surrounding courts were happy for Zachary, a die-hard fan who keeps a scoreboard at games. And which games: He was in attendance when Fernando Valenzuela’s No. 34 was retired in 2023, and this year he was at Opening Day, Clayton Kershaw’s Bobblehead Night and Game 1 of the National League Division and Championship Series .

“Everyone wanted to see the ball,” he said. Everyone wanted to take a photo with me. I was just bullied.”

Parents with Zachary with Freddie Freeman’s great home run ball

(Courtesy of Nico Ruderman)

Kudos to the Dodgers faithful that no one tried to rip the ball out of his hands.

“He had tears of joy streaming down his face and a big smile,” said Zachary’s father, Nico Ruderman, whose family lives in Venice. “He probably had his picture taken with 100 different fans. Everyone was really excited about it. Even Yankees fans gave him a high-five. It was surreal.”

Early the next morning, Zachary accompanied his mother Anne on a business trip. He was wearing a Dodgers T-shirt and a flight attendant asked him if he had seen the walk-off home run.

“Yes,” Zachary replied, “I caught it.”

The flight attendant turned on the plane’s public address system and announced Zachary’s good luck to the other passengers. “I stood in my seat and everyone cheered,” he said.

Needless to say, the entire episode feels like a dream, but Zachary has one final wish: he’d like to have the ball signed by Freeman.

And finally, no one could blame him for at least considering selling. The ball that Freeman’s teammate Shohei Ohtani hit into the seats made him the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season and was auctioned for $4.4 million.

That would more than cover the orthodontic bill.