Houston Astros fan Shaun Dean (above, right) achieved every fan’s dream by catching a home run ball from the bat of one of his heroes – and then caught a second in the same game .
The 25-year-old Dean made his once- twice-in-a-lifetime catches from his position in the stands during Sunday’s staggering 18-inning Game 4 between the Astros and the Atlanta Braves.
First he caught Lance Berkman’s (above, left) grand slam, then got his hands around Chris Burke’s series-winning (not to mention historic) homer – Burke’s home run granted Houston a 7-6 victory and ended the longest postseason game in baseball history. Dean admitted, “I never caught one in a game before.”
Berkman’s eighth-inning homer flew straight at Dean’s seat in the second row of the boxes above the left-field wall at Minute Maid Park. “It came right at me,” Dean told the Houston Chronicle . “I just reached over and caught it.”
His second catch, from Burke, was not as straightforward. Dean said the ball “came more toward my father-in-law, and he just leaned over and I reached down and caught it.”
In an admirable gesture, construction worker Dean isn’t selling the balls for a ridiculously inflated price on eBay – instead, he’s handing them in to a Hall of Fame representative later this week.
In return for his goodwill, the Astros are giving him four box seats for Saturday’s game against St. Louis. Dean added:
“It’s cool to be able to give them back. It’s awesome. Without the home runs, these baseballs would mean nothing. They hit them. I just caught them. I’ve got no interest in cashing in.”
