Sports

Local Man's Catch at Yankee Game Makes ESPN

Kyle Folkers leaped over seats to catch a ball at the Yankees-Mariners game Thursday night.

Pascack Valley and Northern Valley residents who watched the Yankees game Thursday night may have spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

Northvale resident Kyle Folkers — who didn't play baseball past rec leagues — made it on TV diving over seats at Yankee Stadium to catch a ball hit by Chris Stewart during the game against the Mariners. The catch was also featured on ESPN's "top 10 plays" and was compared to Derek Jeter's famous 2004 catch against the Red Sox in which he ran up into the stands.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime catch," Folkers said. "It's a great feeling."

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He started getting calls almost immediately from friends who had seen the catch at home. Then, some began sending him videos they'd shot of their TVs and someone he didn't even know uploaded it to Youtube. 

Folkers said he had often joked that getting on ESPN's top plays was a personal goal, but he never thought it would really happen. 

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"The best part was being compared to Jeter," he said.

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