It was a family reunion seven years in the making. Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol pitched in front of his mother Ysmalia for the first time in his career on Tuesday night, reuniting with her after seven years earlier that day. Graterol, 25, was in tears after pitching a 1-2-3 scoreless eighth inning, walking off the mound and pointing to the skybox where his mother watched and celebrated her son’s performance. The Dodgers pitcher hasn’t seen his mother, who lives in Venezuela, in seven years.
“It was so incredible,” Graterol told reporters after the game through a translator. “I always wanted to throw in front of my mom. Being so successful lately, it was so emotional and nice to have her here. We never really gave up on any situation, and luckily we found a way to get her to the States. ”
Brusdar Graterol.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty
Ysmalia last saw her son play baseball in 2015 when he played in the Dominican Summer League, according to local NBC Los Angeles. Graterol then soon came to the United States and made his Major League Baseball debut in 2019 with the Minnesota Twins.
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Graterol’s mother missed milestone after milestone as their family tried to find a way for her to travel to the U.S. for the better part of the past decade. Graterol was traded to the Dodgers and helped them win the World Series in 2020. That offseason, Graterol got married. And in April, he and wife Allison Landa welcomed their daughter, Aria — until Ysmalia couldn’t be there to celebrate with her son. However, on Tuesday night, it did.
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Brusdar Graterol and mother Ysmalia Graterol.
Brusdar Graterol/Instagram
Graterol told ESPN that he had picked up his mother from the airport earlier in the day and that she would stay in the U.S. until the end of the regular season and the playoffs. here. When I got married, she wasn’t here. When I had my daughter, she wasn’t here,” Graterol said. “These are very difficult times. But to be able to share it now and be with her is special.”
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As he walked off the mound Tuesday night, Graterol began to cry as he waved to his mother in the crowd. He was then greeted by manager Dave Roberts, who hugged him and told him to look up to see his mother sitting in the stands watching him play for the first time in years.
“It was emotional. How can you not appreciate that moment for Brusdar and his family? It was one of the best moments I’ve been a part of,” Roberts said after the game. “The players rallied around it and it was good to see.”
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