"I don't want to leave the Dodgers..." The president's phone call in the middle of the night shocked me to think that it would be traded
"I don't want to leave the Dodgers..." The president's phone call in the middle of the night shocked me to think that it would be traded
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I was so nervous at a phone call from my boss that I got in the middle of the night. Veteran infielder Miguel Rojas (36) of the Los Angeles Dodgers told the behind-the-scenes story of the game before handing over his uniform number to Japanese monster pitcher Roki Sasaki (24), who joined the team.
Rojas told the story of his recent mental breakdown due to Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, on the 4th (Korea Standard Time) on the U.S. baseball podcast "The Chris Rose Rotation."
Rojas said, "It was a really weird text message. I almost lost my mind when I got that message. I thought I would be cut or traded. The worst-case scenario came to me first. I never imagined it was about changing my jersey number."
Here's the story. Sasaki, a Japanese pitcher whom the Dodgers acquired last month, wanted to wear No. 11. He wore No. 17 for the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese professional baseball league, but Shohei Ohtani was using this number for the Dodgers, which forced him to choose a different number.
Sasaki liked No. 11, the symbol of Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish (San Diego Padres), who he had longed for since childhood. Rojas was using this number at the Dodgers, and Friedman contacted him as a veteran courtesy.
However, Rojas received a text message from Friedman late at night without knowing what was going on, and was filled with ominousness. Rojas immediately replied, but Friedman did not reply. "There was no response from Friedman for an hour or two. I was in a panic because I didn't know what was going to happen," he confessed. After hearing about Friedman's call, I was able to relieve my anxiety.
Rojas recalled the dizzying memory of the night, saying, "We had achievements last year, and I wasn't ready to leave this team," adding, "I finally got in touch with President Friedman and knew it was about his jersey number. "I thought, 'Hey Andrew, you should have just texted me.'" 메이저사이트
Rojas, who gave up No. 11 to Sasaki, returned to No. 72 when he first started his major league career with the Dodgers in 2014. Ohtani became a hot topic when he presented a luxury sedan to the wife of pitcher Joe Kelly, who gave up No. 17 a year ago, raising questions about what kind of gift Sasaki would give to Rojas.
However, Rojas said at a fan festival held at Dodger Stadium on the 1st, "A lot of people ask me what I want from Sasaki, but I don't want anything. I've done a lot of things while playing baseball, and I just want to win," adding, "I wanted Sasaki to come to our team. I'm looking forward to seeing how this friend will affect our team. I hope Sasaki from different countries, different cultures, will be comfortable in our clubhouse," to help me adjust."
After his debut with the Dodgers in 2014, Rojas, a Venezuelan right-handed infielder, was traded to the Miami Marlins at the end of the season. After spending eight years with the Miami Marlins until 2022, he moved back to the Dodgers through a trade in January 2023. He played 1,182 games for 11 seasons until last year, posting a batting average of 260 (9012 hits in 3,511 times at bat) with 50 homers, 336 RBIs and 399 runs scored. Rojas, who can play shortstop in his main position to cover all positions, is strong in stable defense.
After returning to the Dodgers, he signed a two-year, 11-million-dollar contract extension with a two-year guarantee, and also implemented a 5-million-dollar team option in 2025. He contributed to winning the Dodgers World Series last year by playing a batting average of 283 (87 hits in 307 at-bats), six homers, 36 RBIs, and OPS.748 in 103 games, and will continue to accompany his team by executing team options. This year, when Mookie Betts is scheduled to play as the main shortstop, he will be on standby as an all-weather backup in the infield.