Rafael Furcal was re-signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers on December 19, 2008, for a three-year, $30 million contract.

The president of the Atlanta Braves, John Schuerholz, believed he had an agreement in place to sign the 31-year-old infielder earlier in the week, prior to Furcal coming to terms with the Dodgers.

Schuerholz declared that his team will never work with the Wasserman Media Group again and characterized the contract negotiations for Furcal as dishonest.

Furcal played six seasons in the Major Leagues with the Braves, where he started his career in 2000. In 2003, he was named an All-Star and won the National League Rookie of the Year award.

Furcal chose to rejoin the Dodgers, whom he had first signed a three-year, $39 million contract with during the 2005 offseason, as opposed to returning to his former team.

Furcal had a great first season with the Los Angeles Angels, but the next year he had what was possibly his worst season. Despite playing in just 36 games, he recovered from a back injury that kept him out of the game for the majority of the 2008 campaign.

Furcal’s performance improved with his second Dodgers contract, as he was named to his second All-Star squad in 2010. Furcal did not, however, play out the whole contract because, in 2011, he was dealt at the deadline to the St. Louis Cardinals.

After being chosen for his final All-Star Game in 2012, the gifted shortstop went on to win a World Series with the Cardinals that season. However, he missed the entire 2013 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.

Furcal had a brief appearance with the Kansas City Royals before retiring next year. In 2014, Furcal rejoined Major League Baseball as a member of the Miami Marlins; however, he only played in nine games.

Furcal played 617 games for the Dodgers in portions of six seasons, hitting.283/.351/.406 with 122 doubles, 27 doubles, 44 home runs, 228 RBI, and 109 stolen bases.

Rafael Furcal’s L.A. Dodgers record was equaled by Mookie Betts.On May 25, 2022, Mookie Betts and Rafael Furcal tied for the franchise record for the number of consecutive games with a run scored in the Dodgers’ game against the Washington Nationals. In the second inning, Betts hit a single home run to tie Furcal’s Dodgers record.

But Betts did not shatter the record because the next game, in a pinch-hit appearance, he failed to score. On May 26, the six-time All-Star made his way back into the starting lineup, going 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored.