LOS ANGELES — As Friday’s ninth inning commenced and the bass drums resounded, Teoscar Hernandez lingered in the dugout.
He was required to assume his spot in left field, yet his initial desire was to observe closer Edwin Diaz undertake his inaugural stroll from Dodger Stadium’s bullpen to the pitcher’s mound. Hernandez yearned to absorb the melody from Timmy Trumpet, the individual who had transformed Diaz into a legend three thousand miles distant. Hernandez also wished to witness Dodgers supporters encounter Diaz’s electrifying walk-up song for the very first time. And he was not solitary in this.
Hernandez remarked: “Everyone was anticipating that moment.”
Shortly after Kyle Tucker, the Dodgers’ prominent offseason recruit, propelled his new squad into the lead with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth, Diaz, their other significant offseason signing, sealed the victory in the top of the ninth. He accomplished this by sending down three of the four Arizona Diamondbacks hitters he confronted, thus recording his initial save and delivering the Dodgers a 5-4 triumph.
Diaz passed the last seven years in New York, where he rose to prominence, amassing 144 saves and evolving into a beloved figure among supporters at Citi Field. Subsequently, he exercised his opt-out clause, observed the Mets enlist a prospective successor in Devin Williams, and then seized the chance to align with the Dodgers. The latter organization inked him to a three-year, $69 million deal, a sum quite similar to the Mets’ proposal to retain his services.
“I was in New York, but presently I am here,” he stated, minimizing the unusualness of listening to his walk-up song on a different seaboard. “I am relishing my tenure with this squad. We possess a truly strong team. I must continue performing my duties. And now, I am listening to the trumpets right here at Dodger Stadium.”
Diaz slapped his mitt twice upon reaching the left-field warning track, precisely as the illumination ceased. He commenced a light run, and the bass drums then began. As he proceeded approximately halfway across the outfield, a trumpeter from Long Beach named Tatiana Tate positioned herself just past the left-field wall and started to emulate Timmy Trumpet’s segment of the track “Narco.”
“I was somewhat astonished,” Diaz stated regarding the in-person rendition. “I detected a trumpet blaring before I made my appearance. I exclaimed, ‘Impossible, they couldn’t have a live trumpeter!’ It was quite enjoyable.”
Last year, twelve pitchers registered saves for the Dodgers. Upon the commencement of the postseason, Roki Sasaki was transformed into a closer to fortify an exhausted bullpen. Moreover, when the pressure was most intense, in Game 7 of the World Series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts relied solely on his starting hurlers to contain the formidable Toronto Blue Jays.
It became evident that the Dodgers had to resolve their ninth-inning situation when their offseason commenced, yet Roberts believed they had no chance of acquiring Diaz. He appeared too deeply rooted with the Mets. Subsequently, while Roberts was on holiday in early December, one of the Dodgers’ management personnel requested his participation in a video conference to assist in persuading Diaz to join the Dodgers. They conversed for approximately 45 minutes, convincing Diaz about their team’s ethos and metropolitan appeal.
“Subsequently,” Roberts remembered, “I informed my spouse, ‘We will secure him.’ I had a strong positive feeling regarding it.”
Presently, Diaz provides the Dodgers with their first proven, unwavering, genuine closer since Kenley Jansen left after the 2021 season. This fortifies their sole evident vulnerability. And on merely the second day of their season, its impact was already apparent.
“I believe this is a truly strong squad,” stated Diaz, who retained the ball from his inaugural Dodgers save. “I think we possess numerous skilled athletes here. I believe, should everyone remain in good health, this team has the opportunity to clinch victory, to three-peat. We should hope fervently that everyone stays healthy and continues to secure baseball triumphs as we accomplished today and yesterday.”