Diaz thrills Dodger Stadium with trumpet entrance, first save

Los Angeles–When Friday’s ninth inning came and the bass drums started playing, teoscar hernandez Waited in the dugout.

He needed to take his place in left field, but first he wanted to take a closer look Edwin Diaz Take your first walk from the bullpen at Dodger Stadium to his mound. Hernandez wanted to take inspiration from Timmy Trumpet, who turned Diaz into an icon 3,000 miles away. Hernandez wanted to see dodgers Fans experienced Diaz’s electric entrance for the first time. And he was not alone.

Hernandez said: “Everyone was waiting for it.”

a few moments later kyle tuckerThe Dodgers’ big-name offseason acquisition, having put his new team ahead with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth, Diaz, in his other big offseason addition, closed it out in the top of the ninth, retiring three out of four. Arizona Diamondbacks He faced hitters to get his first save and give the Dodgers the lead win 5-4.

Diaz spent the last seven years in New York and became a star by accumulating 144 saves mets While turning into a fan favorite at Citi Field. Then he opted out and saw the Mets bring in a potential replacement devin williams And he took the opportunity to join the Dodgers, who signed him to a three-year, $69 million contract, which was very close to what the Mets had offered to bring him back.

“I was in New York, but now I’m here,” Diaz said, downplaying the strangeness of hearing his entrance music on the other coast. “I’m enjoying my time with this team. We have a really good team. I’ve got to keep doing my job. And I’m here now at Dodger Stadium hearing the trumpets.”

Diaz hit his glove twice as he reached the left field warning track just as the lights went off. He sat down jogging, and the bass drums started. As he reached the middle of the outfield, a Long Beach-based trumpeter named Tatiana Tate sat just behind the left-field wall and began to imitate Timmy Trumpet’s part of the song “Narco”.

“I was a little surprised,” Diaz said of the live performance. “Before I came out I heard a trumpet sounding. I said, ‘There’s no way they found a live trumpet.’ It was a lot of fun.”

Twelve pitchers recorded a save for the Dodgers last year. When the playoffs started, roki sasaki It was converted into a closer to solidify a tired bullpen. And when the stakes were highest, in Game 7 of the World Series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts relied only on his starting pitchers to hold off the powerful toronto blue jays.

It was clear that the Dodgers needed to address the ninth inning, and yet, Roberts did not think they had any chance of landing Diaz. It seemed like he was too involved with the Mets. Then, while Roberts was on vacation in early December, one of the Dodgers’ front office members asked him to get on a videoconference call and help recruit Diaz. He spoke for about 45 minutes, telling Diaz about his culture and his city.

“Afterwards, I told my wife, ‘We’re going to get him,'” Roberts recalled. “I felt really good about it.”

Now, Diaz gives the Dodgers their first established, true closer Kenley Johnson Left after the 2021 season. This highlights his only glaring weakness. And on just the second day of their season, it was already on display.

“I think it’s a really good team,” said Diaz, who kept the ball in his first Dodger save. “I think we have a lot of good players here. I think if everyone stays healthy, this team has a chance to win a three-peat. Let’s make sure everyone stays healthy and keep winning baseball games like we did today and yesterday.”