A Dodgers mega-fan became an overnight sensation after catching Justin Turner's game-winning home run in the second game of the team's National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs.
Keith Hupp was at the game with his son when he made the catch seen 'round the world. The retired police captain from South Gate has been to every Dodger home game this year, plus another 30 or so away games.
The catch, a dramatic, three-run, walk-off home run, happened 29 years to the day of the famous Kirk Gibson walk-off home homer in 1988. But while Hupp is usually a collector of sports memorabilia, he doesn't sell baseballs and often tries to meet the player who knocked one out of the park toward him.
That's what happened Sunday night as Hupp, who says he's caught 18 home run balls in just the last two years, handed the game-winning ball back to Turner.
"This should all be about him," Hupp said of Turner. "He's a fantastic player and a really good person, too. I got to meet him and that was a really fun thing to do. Justin wanted the ball probably more than I did, and it was kind of cool to be able to give it back to him."
Hupp is headed to Chicago next, where he hopes to see his beloved Dodgers sweep the Cubs. With his luck, he'll probably catch a few more homers while he's at it.
