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LOS ANGELES — Brusdar Graterol never gave up hope that his mother would be able to see him pitch in person in the major leagues.
On Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, it finally happened.
Graterol’s mother, Ysmalia, was in a suite and saw her son pitch a scoreless eighth inning as the Los Angeles 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,” 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.”
Graterol saw his mother for the first time in seven years Sunday night when she arrived from Venezuela. The 25-year-old right-hander said he was overcome 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 and his mom reunited at last. pic.twitter.com/P8XSJA6Y0U
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 20, 2023
Graterol said the process of getting his mom to the United States started to gain momentum the past two weeks after getting one important document that sped up the process.
When Graterol came out for the eighth inning, 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.
Graterol 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…
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