Leave it to LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke to get to the bottom to the second biggest mystery in Dodgers history – identifying the fan who ended up with Charlie Culberson’s extra-inning, game-winning, division-clinching walk-off home run ball on Sunday, September 25, 2016.

On the very day that ThinkBlueLA ran a story on this ‘up-to-this-point’ unsolved mystery, the LA Times ran a follow-up to Plaschke’s original January 7, 2017 story in which the veteran columnist identified retired Navy Petty Officer and lifelong Dodger fan Alan Hampson as the lucky person who ended up with what Dodgers historian Mark Langill called “the most important regular-season home run in Los Angeles Dodger history.”

Witnesses? You want witnesses that lifelong Dodger fan and Navy veteran Alan Hampson ended up with Charlie Culberson historic home run ball? Well how’s this for witnesses?
(Photo courtesy of Alan Hampson via LA Times)

“I was tracking it, tracking it, coming close, coming closer, then my wife was ducking and I was jumping,” Hampson told Plaschke. “It bounced off my hands and landed two seats over, but those seats were vacant, so I just grabbed it.”

The 41-year-old Oxnard, California resident, who saw action in both Iraq and Afghanistan, is well aware of the significance of the home run ball. In fact, knowing its important role in Dodger history, Hampson immediately informed Dodger Stadium security that he got the ball in case they wanted it back.

“Not many people have the opportunity to have that kind of memento to pass down to their children, having that family heirloom would be significant,’’ Hampson told Plaschke. “But the ball that clinched the division and sent Vin Scully off in the right way, I know that’s really important to the Dodgers.

“With so much going on, it was crazy, I totally understand why they might not be able to get down there for the ball,’’ Hampson added. “But we waited and waited just in case. Finally, a security guard said they probably didn’t want it, and we should just go home and enjoy it.”

According to Plaschke, he received an email from Hampson’s wife Sonia shortly after the January 7 LA Times story ran. Upon contacting Hampson, Plaschke learned that he had purchased a “home-plate-shaped glass case” from Amazon.com and the ball is proudly displayed on a dresser in the bedroom of his Oxnard home.

Plaschke says that he will be forwarding Hampson’s contact information to the Dodgers and there is a very good chance that the club will make the lifelong Dodger fan and Navy veteran an attractive offer in exchange for the ball, say… maybe… a personal meet and greet with Charlie Culberson and Vin Scully, among other treasures.

“I know it would be really cool to have that ball signed by Scully and Culberson and sitting in a museum somewhere,’’ Hampson said. “But it’s a really great memory for a lot of people. Right now, it’s my ball, but you never know.’’

Now, about that Kirk Gibson home run ball…

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(Author’s note: I strongly encourage every Dodger fan to read both of Bill Plaschke’s articles on this great story and to keep an eye out for later updates to it … which I suspect will happen very soon.)