Signing with his hometown team nearly nine years ago changed Justin Turner’s life.

He and his wife, Kourtney, have been changing other lives ever since. Turner’s work in the community through his Justin Turner Foundation as well as the Los Angeles-based Dream Center has been recognized with Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award for 2022.

Turner was named the winner of the award — given annually since 1971 to a player who represents the game “through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field” — on Monday afternoon. Turner had traveled to Philadelphia for a presentation before Game 3 of the World Series, but the game was postponed due to rain.

“Honestly, I think with the way the season ended and how everything went, this award actually was probably as far away from being on our mind as it could get,” Turner said, referring to the Dodgers’ early exit from the playoffs. “When we got the phone call informing us, it was quite the surprise and obviously very exciting news for us. My wife and I are very, very proud of it.”

The Dodgers’ nominee for the award in five of the past six seasons, Turner becomes the third Dodgers player to win the honor, joining Clayton Kershaw (2012) and Steve Garvey (1981).

“It’s crazy looking back and seeing how everything on all fronts kind of took off for me once I became a