Before Sunday, it had been seven years since Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol had seen his mother, Ysmalia. She had missed so many moments in his life, including his first 176 games as a major leaguer. But when Graterol finally got to pitch in front of his mom for the first time on Tuesday, he made the most of it.
Ysmalia had been unable to travel to the United States from Venezuela due to a visa issue. Graterol had worked for years to try to get her to Los Angeles, but it took until last week for her to finally get the green light.
“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,” Graterol said through an interpreter. “Those are very difficult times. But to be able to now share that and be there with her is special.”
