Tuesday night’s eighth inning by Brusdar Graterol against the Detroit Tigers was a one-two-three affair, but as soon as the Dodgers reliever went off the field with his face buried in his glove, the floodgates started to open.

In front of the third-base dugout, Dave Roberts approached the bulky right-hander, and Graterol fell into his manager’s arms. The two pointed at Ysmalia Graterol, who had flown in from Venezuela on Sunday and was witnessing her son pitch as a big leaguer for the first time, as they glanced up to a club-level suite in Dodger Stadium.

Graterol then skipped into the bench and sobbed as he hugged his teammates, especially his fellow Venezuelans, designated hitter J.D. Martinez, outfielder David Peralta, and shortstop Miguel Rojas.When Martinez singled with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning after hitting a solo home run in the fourth, his third in as many games, pinch-runner Chris Taylor stole second base unassisted, and Peralta sliced a ground-rule RBI double down the left-field line, the Dodgers rallied to tie the game at 2-2.

Before a raucous crowd of 42,223 fans in Chavez Ravine, Mookie Betts singled with one out in the bottom of the ninth, advanced to second when Will Smith was hit by a pitch, raced around third base on Max Muncy’s two-out blast to right field, and slid head-first into the plate to give the Dodgers a dramatic 3-2 walk-off victory.

Another solid outing by rookie right-hander Ryan Pepiot, who is vying for a more important playoff role, was also featured in the contest. Pepiot pitched six innings, allowing just one run on five hits, four strikeouts, and one walk while striking out four.

While other Dodgers contributed more significantly to the victory, this night will always be remembered for Graterol, the 6-foot-1, 265-pound pitcher with the nickname “Bazooka” to go with his 99 mph fastball and the heart and warmth of a “teddy bear,” as Martinez so aptly put it after Tuesday night’s family reunion.

There was “a lot of emotion, so much emotion that I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know how to control it,” Graterol said in Spanish. “I only cry when I’m happy. I grew up in Calabozo, Venezuela, with my mother. She simultaneously held the roles of father and mother. I’ve spent every second and minute thinking about her so she can be proud of me.

Since the last time Graterol had seen Ysmalia in person, seven years had passed. During that time, Brusdar had made his major league debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2019, won the World Series with the Dodgers in 2020, married Allison in 2021, and welcomed their daughter Aria this past spring.Graterol, 25, has been attempting to bring his mother to the United States for years. After the squad returned from Seattle on Sunday night, Ysmalia finally obtained the necessary documents two weeks ago in order to go from Venezuela. Brusdar met her at LAX.

The moment of the reconnection, according to Graterol, “left me paralyzed.” “I was at a loss for words. I only overheard my mother complimenting my size and beauty. And the only thing I said to her after I collected myself was that she reminded me of home.

Graterol’s thoughts was filled with childhood memories of how his mother, a former softball player, encouraged him to pursue other sports and how she frequently tracked his workouts as he took the mound to begin the eighth inning with the Dodgers behind 2-1.

Zach McKinstry and Spencer Torkelson, who each hit a solo home run off Caleb Ferguson in the first inning, and Jake Rogers both grounded out as a result of his ability to control his jitters, allowing him to extend his streak of scoreless innings to 21 innings.

However, the pitcher was struck with emotion as Ysmalia waved to her son, a moment that was filmed on the stadium television monitors, and as Graterol hugged Roberts and discovered his mother, wife, and daughter in the audience.

Graterol, who has a record of 4-2 with a 1.28 ERA and seven saves in 64 games this season, called it “an incredible moment.” She missed a lot of important occasions. She wasn’t here when I made my debut. She wasn’t here when I got married. She wasn’t here when my wife gave birth to our daughter. Those were challenging times. Thank God, we succeeded, and now she is here.

Even Graterol’s teammates and manager were caught up in the excitement.

You sort of slip into game mode, but how can you not feel sad for Brusdar, his mother, and his family at that touching moment? Roberts uttered. “Seven years have passed since they last saw each other, and a lot has transpired during that time. I have no idea how they did that. One of the best [moments] I’ve ever been a part of, it was truly special.

Political unrest, socioeconomic unrest, extreme poverty, hyperinflation, high crime, and high death rates have plagued Venezuela. The nation severed diplomatic ties with the United States in 2019, making it more challenging for people to immigrate or visit the country.

Peralta added, “Knowing what she endured to get here to watch him, especially seeing him play for the first time, it’s a lot of emotion. “I got a bit sad, too, because — thankfully — I have my mom here in the U.S., but — and I want — — my elder sister is in Venezuela and she can’t come.You all need to be aware of the struggles that Latin players, particularly Venezuelans, face. We find it difficult to bring our family. You’ll never forget the moment when you finally get the chance to accomplish it.

Martinez continued, “There are many things in the world over which men have no control. I believe that every parent should be able to see their son at this level in order for that dream of his to come true. I understand how upsetting it must be for them to witness.

Graterol claimed that Ysmalia last witnessed him perform live in person in the summer of 2015 in the Dominican Republic. Ysmalia will now watch her son throw for the National League West-champion Dodgers over the final two weeks of the regular season and in the playoffs, which will begin in October.

The intention is for her to join us in celebrating the World Series, and when she decides to return, she will.

Rib rattler Smith revealed in a radio appearance over the weekend that he shattered a rib on April 30 when he was struck by a pitch from Jake Woodford of St. Louis. The injury required months to heal and may still be having an effect on the catcher at the plate.

Smith hit.279 with an.889 OPS, 13 home runs, and 46 RBIs in 66 first-half games to earn a spot on his first All-Star team, but as of Tuesday, he had only hit.244 with a.697 OPS, five home runs, and 26 RBIs in 52 games following the break, including a.184 average with a.614 OPS, one home run, and six RBIs in 13 games in September.

Yes, the previous few months haven’t been fantastic, Roberts admitted. “Our guys basically kind of tidied up the mechanics and looked at where he got hit in the ribs. He veered off course, and as a result, many pitches in the hitting zone were missed.

“The issue wasn’t the discomfort. Initially, there was definitely some guarding, and when you talk about the rib and the oblique, that sort of ties into some modified mechanics, in my opinion.Health reportDaniel Hudson, a reliever who sustained a right knee sprain on July 5, pitched to batters in a practice inning on Tuesday, but it is unlikely that the veteran right-hander would make another start this year.

“It was encouraging to see him get some hitters, and I think we’ll revisit this in another four or five days,” said Roberts. The most crucial thing, in my opinion, is to keep passing the predetermined markers. “Our expectation is to play through October, so if we can continue to build him up… you know, it’s a long shot.”