Tuesday night's game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers may have seemed on the surface like just an ordinary baseball game in a string of 162 of them. But for one player and his family, it was the emotional apex of a journey that began decades ago in another country, on another continent, far far away.
Dodgers' pitcher Brusdar Graterol was born and raised in Calabozo, Venezuela under a violent dictatorship and extreme poverty. The town had a population of less than 100,000.
Graterol, now 25, often recalls a moment that took place a decade earlier when he says he watched a mother and her young child selling fruits and vegetables in the street.
Graterol was just 15 years old at the time, and was waiting with his mother at a local bus stop for tryouts in front of major league scouts. His mother, Ysmalia, told him at the time that if his dream of playing baseball didn't work out, that could be his family selling in the streets as well.
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"Look, son, if this blessing doesn't come true, we're going to be like that family," Graterol recalled, telling MLB.com at the time. "That was tough when my mom showed me that reality. I didn't say anything. Thankfully, here we are."
The "we" in that last sentence is more the focus of this story. You see, Graterol was raised by his mother. Ysmalia was not just his mother and protector, but his mentor and baseball trainer as well.
Ysmailia was a softball player in Venezuela, and she passed the game on to her son. When he was just 14 years old, the age that most kids just want to hang out with the friends and have fun, she asked him a life-altering question:
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She asked him if he really wanted to become a professional baseball player and do everything it takes to make that dream a reality, or if he would rather finish school. This question is not normal for young baseball players in the U.S., but it is in South America, where players are discovered at a very young age, or not at all.
Graterol chose baseball, and from that moment on he and his mother dedicated every day to working out and training for that goal.
Driven by his mother, Graterol woke up every day at 5 a.m. to run laps, lift weights, and go through baseball drills. His fastball velocity increased from 78MPh to 85MPH in a couple months. Finally, Graterol was able to get on the radar of MLB scouts. He signed with the Minnesota Twins in August of 2014 as an international free agent.
"She fought with me through everything," Graterol said. "She's my everything."
The last time Ysmalia saw her son play baseball was when Graterol made his professional debut in 2015 during the Dominican Summer League. Graterol underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016, appeared in 10 games in Single-A in 2017, and was promoted to double-A in 2018.
After beginning the season in Triple-A in 2019, Graterol made his major league debut in 2019 with the Twins against the Detroit Tigers on September 1, 2019. Ysmalia was still in Venezuela and was not able to watch her son make his big league dreams come true the way most mothers are able to.
In February of 2020, Graterol was traded to the Dodgers and was a big part of their World Series run inside the bubble in Arlington, Texas. As Graterol celebrated with his teammates on the diamond at Globe Life Field after winning the 2020 World Series, he thought about his mother, who was not there to celebrate with him.
Those celebratory moments without his mom in attendance would continue. Graterol got married that offseason to Allison Landa, and again, because of visas, travel restrictions, and things beyond his control, his mother was not able to be by his side.
Over the next few years, Graterol yearned to see his mother who he had not seen in person since 2016. In April of this year, Graterol and his wife welcomed their first child, Aria, a baby girl into the family. Ysmalia was not able to meet her granddaughter in person.
Until Tuesday...
In what many may seem serendipitous to many, or yet another example of how life comes full-circle, Ysmalia finally made it to Los Angeles on Tuesday to watch her son pitch in the big leagues for the very first time. As fate would have it, it was against the same team he made his MLB debut against five years prior.
After picking her up at the airport for an emotional reunion earlier in the day, Graterol drove his mom to Dodger Stadium where she watched Tuesday night's game in a suite with other players' family and friends. Unsure if she would be able to see her son pitch, Ysmalia jumped for joy when she saw Brusdar begin to warm up in the Dodgers bullpen.
Finally, in the 8th inning, the bullpen gates opened and Graterol entered the game. For most fans, it was just like any other moment when a pitcher comes into a game in relief, but for the Graterol family, and those in the Dodgers clubhouse who know the story, it was a special moment nearly eight years in the making, and one that tugs at your heart strings.
Not only did Ysmailia watch her son pitch in an MLB game for the very first time, she saw him throw a 1-2-3 scoreless inning of relief, becoming the first Dodgers' player this season to throw 21 consecutive scoreless innings, and most of all, she got to cheer him on with her daughter in law and granddaughter too.
As Graterol walked off the mound and headed towards the Dodgers dugout, he looked for his mom in the stands, and the emotions of the moment finally got to him.
"There was a lot of emotions," Graterol said through a translator after the game. "There was so many memories that went through my head in that moment. I've always wanted to pitch in front of my mom. It was so incredible...It was just so emotional and it was so nice to finally have her here."
Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts was also a part of that moment. He embraced his pitcher in his arms as he walked into the dugout overcome with emotion. Roberts then asked Graterol to point out to him where his mom was sitting and they waved to her together.
"That was really special," Graterol said about his manager and teammates reactions. "For them to watch and share that moment with me was really special."
Some moments are bigger than baseball, and this was one of them.
"It was emotional," said Roberts after the game. "You sort of get into the game mode, but how can you not appreciate that emotional moment for Brusdar, his mom, his family. You know, they haven't seen each other for seven years and a lot has happened in seven years. I don't know how they managed it...And so how he can compartmentalize his life and his career without seeing his mom, and they're tight. It was really a special moment, one of the top that I've ever been a part of."
Graterol told reporters after the game that he and his family have been trying to get his mother into the United States to watch him play baseball for over five years. He said she will remain in Los Angeles through the remainder of the regular season and into the MLB Playoffs where she can hopefully watch the Dodgers win another World Series title.
"It was tough," Graterol said of not seeing his mother for nearly eight years. "We never gave up, and we finally accomplished it and she was able to see me pitch. God's timing has been perfect."
