AceShowbiz -

Patrick Dempsey is overjoyed as his proposal to acquire Tully's Coffee is approved in a bankruptcy auction that included Starbucks and Global Baristas LLC. The "Grey's Anatomy" actor broke the news to his Twitter followers, "We met the green monster, looked her in the eye, and...SHE BLINKED! We got it! Thank you Seattle!"

"I'm thrilled that we won and I'm even more excited about saving Tully's Coffee and its hundreds of jobs," he said in a longer statement. "Tully's is a great company with committed employees, and with its base in Seattle, one of the world's greatest cities, I'm confident we will be able to successfully build the brand and help grow the economy."

He added, "Seattle has been very good to me over my career, and I am honored to have the privilege to own Tully's and work closely with the company’s employees."

Although his bid has prevailed, the Dr. Derek Shepherd depicter still has to wait until January 11 for a bankruptcy judge to give the final say on the matter. The 46-year-old actor will have to spend more than $9.15 million on the Tully's buyout and complete the purchase later this month after the court hearing.

A 20-year-old coffee chain that has become a Seattle icon, Tully's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October and subsequently closed 19 unprofitable locations. Last month, Dempsey said he was seeking to potentially save 500 jobs with the buyout, reasoning that it's one of his ways to give back to the Seattle community.

It's not Dempsey's first effort to help the Seattle community. The race car driver was once honored by the King County Council for his contribution to raise fund for Seattle Children's Hospital.