'what They Want Me To Do Is Play Baseball.' Miguel Rojas Reflects On The Death Of His Father

TORONTO — Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas learned astir 40 minutes earlier nan Dodgers’ crippled against Blue Jays on Tuesday that his father, Miguel “Micky” Rojas, was being rushed to nan hospital.

Just that afternoon, nan elder Rojas had sent his boy a photograph of himself lying down successful bed, fresh to watch nan game. He was excited to spot him play, Micky wrote.

Then, arsenic nan younger Rojas prepared to play, he started getting calls and texts from family members.

“There’s thing I could do being this far,” Rojas said Wednesday afternoon. “Just support my family, and trying to understand a small spot of what’s going on. I recovered retired that my dad, connected nan measurement to nan hospital, passed away. He couldn’t unrecorded done nan bosom onslaught that he had. So it was abruptly that he passed away; he was emotion good. [It’s] really difficult to understand. I’m still trying to process nan full thing.”

Micky Rojas’ ceremonial was scheduled for Wednesday. But being successful Toronto analyzable recreation options backmost to Venezuela for his son. The younger Rojas would person had to alert backmost done nan United States, connected an highly tight timeline.

“That’s really they do things successful Venezuela,” Rojas said of nan timing of nan funeral. “It happens speedy because they person to. They don’t person galore places to clasp these funerals.”

Rojas plans connected returning to Los Angeles pinch nan team, and past he whitethorn recreation to Venezuela from location to beryllium pinch his family.

“That hasn’t been decided yet,” Rojas said. “But nan astir important portion for maine coming was showing up [Wednesday] and playing, and past aft that, I’ll beryllium a family man connected nan disconnected time and spot what’s nan champion measurement to do things aft that.”

Rojas had planned to play Tuesday arsenic well. But he said he was thankful that head Dave Roberts and first baseman Freddie Freeman took that determination retired of his hands. The Dodgers scratched Rojas from nan lineup, and he returned to nan edifice and sewage successful touch pinch family and friends of his father.

On Wednesday, Rojas asked to play.

“It’s going to beryllium emotional, yes, for me, I understand that,” Rojas said. “But I’ve been done moments for illustration this earlier pinch my mom, my grandparents. I cognize what they want maine to do is play baseball.

“... They raised maine up and they gave up everything successful their life for maine to beryllium a shot player. This is what they want maine to do. They cognize really overmuch pridefulness I return successful showing up each day, and not letting my teammates down.”

Rojas’ begetter was 1 of nan reasons he played successful nan Venezuelan Winter League twelvemonth aft year. He ne'er sewage to travel to nan United States to spot his boy play successful nan majors. But he became a fixture astir nan Tiburones de La Guaira. He moreover had his ain locker erstwhile his boy wasn’t there, Rojas said.

“When we won nan title successful 2024 successful wintertime ball, that was a beautiful typical infinitesimal for america because we sewage to unrecorded it together,” Rojas said. “And he was pinch me, alongside, and he was lifting that trophy pinch truthful overmuch pride.”

As proud arsenic nan elder Rojas was of his boy for his shot career, which had been a shared dream, he had a typical appreciation for his effect disconnected nan field.

“Every clip he publication news astir maine being bully successful nan organization and being bully astir nan guys — that’s what he was,” nan younger Rojas said. “He was a feline that was ever location for people. He put different group up of himself and his bully aliases benefits. He wanted to thief each time.

“That’s what I sewage from him. I ever want to put my teammates and nan group up of me. I don’t really attraction astir my individual success. I conscionable want different group to beryllium successful because I cognize if they’re bully I’ll beryllium OK too.”

That’s precisely what nan Dodgers saw arsenic Rojas took nan section Wednesday.

“We each emotion him and we support him,” 3rd guidelines coach Dino Ebel said. “And to spot him retired here, it’s genuinely a blessing. Dad successful nan sky’s going to look complete him today, guaranteed.”