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DETROIT — Everything bounced just right for the Mariners on Tuesday night.
For their luckiest fan, too.
Jameson Turner, decked out in a custom-designed teal T-shirt, the only Mariners fan amid a sea of Tigers fans in the front row of the left-field stands, leaned over the fence, extended his glove and, after one bounce, caught Cal Raleigh’s home-run ball in the ninth inning of Seattle’s 8-4 victory in Game 3 of the American League Division Series.
It was the 61st home run Raleigh has hit during his record-breaking year and — my, oh, my — he hit it right to the Mariners fan wearing a shirt with DUMP 61 HERE in glittery block letters on the front.
Dart throwers couldn’t dream of hitting a more perfect bull's eye.
“What are the odds?” Raleigh, the Big Dumper, said later.
Mariners team officials introduced themselves to Turner and invited him to meet Raleigh after the game.
In the Comerica Park basement, Turner walked with the team officials to the entrance of the visitors’ clubhouse, where a group of media members had been waiting for clearance to enter the locker room.
Turner agreed to an impromptu interview, surrounded by cameras and reporters. He ended up talking before Raleigh or anyone with the team even met with the media.
“This is just overwhelming,” Turner said.
Turner has lived in Las Vegas for the last 25 years, but he was born in Longview and attended Auburn High School and (obviously) is a die-hard M’s fan.
He made the 61 shirt last week and attended the Mariners’ final regular-season home game, sitting in right field and hoping to catch Raleigh’s 61st.
No such luck.
He didn’t give up.
“I decided to fly out (to Detroit) to see if I could give it one more shot, and it’s unbelievable,” he said.
He said he made a prediction to the woman next to him in the left-field stands.
“I told the lady next to me: ‘OK, this is my shot. He’s going to hit me a home run right now,’” he said. “And it landed in the bullpen and bounced right up to me. I’m still in shock.”
He said he had waved to Raleigh before the ninth-inning at-bat.
“Maybe he saw me,” he said with a laugh. “(That’s) Babe Ruth over there.”
Mariners relief pitchers in the bullpen reacted just as excitedly for Turner’s catch as they did Raleigh’s home run.
“That was so freaking cool,” bullpen catcher Justin Novak said. “One of the craziest things I’ve ever seen.”
Mariners general manager Justin Hollander, exiting the clubhouse just after Turner’s interview session wrapped, spotted the Mariners’ newest most famous fan and immediately got his attention.
“I have to get a picture with our MVP of the night,” Hollander said.
Soon after, Raleigh emerged from the clubhouse. He posed with Turner for pictures and presented Turner with one of his custom bats.
“Jameson, Thanks for cheering us on & catching 61!” Raleigh wrote on the bat.
Late Tuesday, Turner changed his flight schedule and secured a ticket from Mariners officials for Wednesday’s Game 4.
He already has a new shirt ready to go: DUMP 62 HERE.
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