SLU grad catches Jeter's 3,000th hit

Tara Johnson wanted to give her boyfriend, 2010 St. Lawrence University graduate Christian Lopez, a memorable gift for his 23rd birthday.

She decided on a ticket to watch his beloved New York Yankees play Tampa Bay on Saturday afternoon.

Derek Jeter, the Yankees captain, needed just two hits to reach 3,000 for his career. Lopez, a former SLU football player, just wanted a snapshot of the swing that produced it.

Instead, he caught the ball.

"I tried to take a picture of Jeter," Lopez said in a phone interview of Jeter's home run. "My dad dropped it and I picked it up. I just jumped on it."

Lopez fought to secure the piece of baseball history among the fans fighting for it in left field. His white polo ruffled, Lopez emerged triumphantly hoisting his trophy for all of Yankee Stadium to see.

His idol, Jeter, stepped on home plate with his third home run of the season.

"It happened so quickly," Lopez said. "It's spectacular."

Yankee Stadium security immediately protected Lopez, his family and his prized possession. They pulled him from his seat, put him on television and Yankees radio.

"They protected me from everything," Lopez said.

From there he was whisked into the privacy of a box seat where he decided what next to do with the ball. Sell it? Keep it? Give it to Jeter?

The answer was simple.

"I'm handing it to Jeter," Lopez said while still at the game.

Lopez didn't want the money for the ball some estimated would fetch up to $250,000, and he didn't want to keep it for himself.

The man who has spent 17 seasons with New York and is the first Yankee to collect all 3,000 hits with the team deserved the ball.

For his generosity, the Yankees have reportedly offered Lopez four tickets to a suite for every remaining home game, including the playoffs, first row Legends Suite tickets to today's game and an assortment of bats and jerseys along with a chance to give Jeter the ball.

"(The game) was a birthday present," Lopez said. "This is just awesome."

It was only the second time the lifelong Yankees fan attended a game in the new Yankee Stadium.

He grew up in Highland Mills and attended St. Lawrence University to play football. In four seasons, he saw limited action for the Saints before graduating last year. Lopez graduated with a degree in governmental studies, and is employed as a cell phone representative in Middletown.

Now, his name is linked with only the 14th captain in Yankees history and the 28th member of the 3,000-hit club, cementing Jeter's place in Cooperstown at the Baseball Hall of Fame.

"I can't even describe it," Lopez said. "It's incredible."