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When the Dodgers brought Tommy Edman into the fold in a three-team swap ahead of last year's Trade Deadline, it quickly became apparent that the utility man was a great fit for the club's needs -- and the deal has only looked better and better as time has gone on. The trade also made his mom, Maureen, very happy. Not only was her son much closer to the family's home in San Diego, but she was a longtime fan of his new team. "She grew up in L.A. listening to Vin Scully," Edman said. "It was definitely a very cool, kind of full-circle moment, for me to get traded to the Dodgers and for her to be able to root for them again." It takes a figurative village to raise a big leaguer, and more often than not, mothers play an outsized role along every step of the way. Maureen has been that steady presence throughout Edman's baseball journey, from his days in amateur ball to his ongoing tenure as a professional. "She was always there, always willing to come to the games regardless of what time it was at, where it was at," Edman said. "Just always there, just cheering me on. I could always hear her screams." How could he tell his mom's voice apart from others in the crowd? She was usually the loudest, Edman said with a chuckle. It's harder to pick her out in packed Major League ballparks, but Maureen has nonetheless been there for some of her son's biggest accomplishments on the diamond. Notably, she was there to celebrate with Edman on the field when he took home NL Championship Series MVP honors, ahead of the Dodgers' eventual World Series victory. |
During his time in L.A., Edman has grown to understand what it means to represent the Dodgers as a Korean-American ballplayer. Maureen was born in South Korea before her family immigrated to the U.S. when she was a young girl, and last postseason, she saw how people responded to her son being part of the Dodgers' championship-bound team. “My mother says that her relatives have been contacting her a lot,” Maureen said last October. “Not just her relatives, but people she went to college with, people she went to grad school with. They're all contacting her and they're losing their minds.” |
Last month, when the Dodgers celebrated Korean Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium, Edman and his mother got to share another special moment on the field. Wearing that night's special event ticket item -- a Korean Heritage jersey with Edman's name and number on the back -- Maureen threw out the first pitch to her son. Maureen's throw veered well wide of the plate, and she seemed to realize her misfire as soon as the ball left her hand. Regardless, it still became another special shared memory for her and her son. "She was very nervous, definitely kind of held onto the ball a little bit too long," Edman said. "But it was cool for her to have the courage to go out there and do that. It's not easy doing that in front of 50,000 fans, so I'm proud of her for doing that." Even now, when Edman has long been grown up and independent, being in closer proximity to his mom makes a big difference. Maureen continues to be a key part of his support system to this day. "Just a really special experience for our family. It's been nice to be back home," Edman said. "We get to have her around to help out my wife and I with our son, Eli. So it's just a huge blessing to be that close to home." |
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One day after the Dodgers lost reliever Evan Phillips to the 15-day injured list with right forearm discomfort -- which is expected to be a minimum-length stint -- the team sent righty Michael Kopech out on a rehab assignment. The outing itself did not go very well -- Kopech, serving as the opener for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday night, walked all five batters he faced and landed only three of his 23 pitches for strikes. But he hit 98 mph with his fastball, a more encouraging sign than the results. Kopech was sidelined with right shoulder impingement to open the season and has since been transferred to the 60-day IL, a move that was more procedural than an indication of a setback. Manager Dave Roberts said Kopech will make at least four or five rehab outings before he becomes an option for the big league club. As a point of reference, Phillips -- who also opened the season on the IL and had to fully build up while on his rehab assignment -- made six appearances in the Minors before being activated by the Dodgers. He had been set for a seventh, but L.A. brought him back early when Blake Treinen landed on the IL. The team may not have the same plan for Kopech, but it wouldn't be surprising if there were similarities. |
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