Brusdar Graterol never gave up hope that his mother would be able to see him pitch in person in the major leagues and on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, it finally happened.
Graterol’s mother, Ysmalia, was in a suite and saw her son pitch a scoreless eighth inning as the Dodgers rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
“It was so incredible. I’ve always wanted to pitch in front of my mom. Being so successful as I’ve been pitching lately, it was so emotional and nice to have her here,” Brusdar Graterol said through an interpreter after the game. “We never really gave up on any situation and luckily we found a way to get her to the United States.”
Photo: AFP
He saw his mother for the first time in seven years on Sunday when she arrived from Venezuela. The 25-year old right-hander said he was paralyzed with emotion the first time they saw each other.
“All I heard my mom say was that I was very big and very beautiful,” he said. “And the only thing that I told her when I calmed down, I told her that she smelled like home.”
Brusdar Graterol said that the process of getting her to the US started to gain momentum the past two weeks after getting one important document that sped up the process.
Brusdar Graterol was signed to a contract by the Minnesota Twins in 2014 after a tryout in Venezuela. He was traded to the Dodgers in 2020.
When he came out for the eighth inning on Tuesday, he said there were plenty of emotions and memories going through his head, but that once his music started playing and he went through his warmups, he was feeling calm.
He retired the Tigers in order on 13 pitches, including nine strikes. After getting Jake Rogers to ground out to end the inning, he pointed to where his mom was sitting and then used his mitt to hide his tears as he was walking to the dugout.
“It was emotional. How can you not appreciate that moment for Brusdar and his family? That was one of the top moments I have been a part of,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The players rallied around it and it was good to see.”
Brusdar Graterol’s mom missed her son getting married and the birth of her granddaughter, but she is making up for lost time.
He said that his mother would be in the US through at least the end of the end of the post-season.
“There have been a lot of things that have been very hard. When I made my debut, she wasn’t here. When I got married, she wasn’t here. When I had my daughter, she wasn’t here,” Brusdar Graterol said. “Those are very difficult times, but to be able to now share that and be there with her is special.”
Elsewhere on Tuesday, it was:
‧ Astros 5, Orioles 9
‧ Athletics 2, Mariners 7
‧ Braves 9, Phillies 3
‧ Cardinals 3, Brewers 7
‧ Cubs 14, Pirates 1
‧ Diamondbacks 8, Giants 4
‧ Marlins 4, Mets 3
‧ Nationals 4, White Sox 3
‧ Padres 2, Rockies 0
‧ Rangers 6, Red Sox 4
‧ Rays 6, Angels 2
‧ Reds 0, Twins 7
‧ Royals 7, Guardians 6
‧ Yankees 1, Blue Jays 7
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
RSS