One of baseball's best relievers in 2023, Brusdar Graterol's journey to this point has been the realization of a dream in many ways, yet still felt incomplete until last night.
Pitching the eighth inning of Tuesday night's game against the Tigers, the Venezuelan international reflected on the opportunity of a lifetime as his mother got to watch him play live for the first time in seven long years.
“I was paralyzed in the moment when I first saw her. I didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what to do. And obviously, she said how beautiful I am, how big I’ve gotten. And then I just remember telling her it felt like home,” Graterol said.
Often emotional with excitement coming off the mound, emphatically shouting and pointing to the sky after each inning of work, Graterol's most recent appearance brought out emotions of a different kind in a moment his manager also shared much pride in.
“It was emotional. You sort of get into the game mode, but how can you not appreciate that emotional moment for Brusdar and his family?” said Dave Roberts. “It was a special one. One of the top moments I’ve ever been a part of.
The man known as Bazooka has been an integral part of the Dodgers bullpen after coming over in a trade with the Minnesota Twins for Kenta Maeda in 2020.
Pitching to a sub 1.50 ERA as one of MLB's best relievers this year, it's been quite the season for Graterol and the Dodgers as a whole.
With another 1-2-3 inning, thanks to some great plays by David Peralta in left field, the flamethrowing righty got to soak it all in as both he and his mother were reunited once again in one of the best moments of a magical LA season.
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