It was before the two standing ovations. It was not in the video tribute. It was a completely separate scene at a completely unremarkable moment, one that didn’t seem to matter.
But Justin Turner mattered as much as any Dodger in the last decade mattered, and what happened at Dodger Stadium late Monday afternoon is why.
Before the official celebration of Turner’s first game here since his nine-year tenure came to a shuddering end, Turner threw a party of his own.
With his Seattle Mariners cap on backward and his red beard flowing and few watching, Turner walked among the several hundred fans standing in a roped-off area behind home plate.
There, in the searing heat, he spent nearly 30 minutes signing autographs and posing for photos with seemingly everyone.
He hugged. He laughed. He charmed. This was him. This was what the Dodgers have been missing. This is what they need to get back.
“The fans here live and breathe and cry and sweat Dodger blue,” said Turner before the Dodgers 3-0 victory over his latest team. “I think Tommy [Lasorda] said it best, Dodger Blue is running through the veins of every single fan in the city. I can’t thank them enough for the support they gave me … they’ll always have a special place in my heart.”
That place was obvious Monday when Turner came to town with his Mariners and was honored like the returning hero, two seasons after he left here for the Boston Red Sox, six months after he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays and then was later traded to Seattle.
Yeah, he’s bounced around a bit. Certainly, he’s 39 and in the final innings of his career. As former Dodger homecomings go, this was not the triumphant march of Corey Seager or Cody Bellinger.
But the love from the ovations and the hugs of teammates who met him in a pregame ceremony in front of home plate screamed what the stats could not.
J.T. is a Dodger. J.T. will always be a Dodger.
“I wish he was a Dodger forever,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “That’s just not the way that sports works. But he’s always a Dodger to me.”
You hear that, Dodgers? So make it real. Bring Justin Turner home for good.
He seemingly wants to play one more season, so this winter they should sign him and ensure that the season is played as a Dodger, as a reserve infielder and veteran clubhouse presence.
He signs a one-year deal, finishes his career here, then remains here in some sort of leadership role.
He could be an assistant general manager, helping identify and acquire the sort of hardscrabble players that resemble him. He could be a special adviser, coaxing the best out of overachievers like himself.
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Or — and this seems too perfect — he could be on the coaching staff as the Dodgers’ manager-in-waiting, someone who would be a strong organizational representative if Roberts ever left.
Roberts himself gave Turner a vote of confidence, saying, “He’s probably the smartest player I’ve ever had. Understanding all the facets of the game, on the field, off the field. His responsibility as a professional athlete.”
Turner seems ready to come back. All the Dodgers have to do is ask.
“I’m from Southern California, I think it’s a great place to be,” Turner said. “It’s a great place to play. Obviously if that opportunity presented itself it would be something that I really, really would put under consideration.”
He belongs here. He fits here. He was the most popular Dodger during the 2020 championship run, his time spent connecting with fans in a way that no other player could match.
With his unkempt red locks and backward cap and untucked jersey, he looked like the sort of Dodger that the diehards saw in themselves.
Unconcerned with appearance, all about winning, filled with equal parts garrulousness and gratitude.
He was from here. He lives here. He gets it. He is forever thankful for it.
“It was one of the best things that ever happened in my career, getting a chance to put on this uniform that so many great players have worn throughout the years and be on some teams that have done some historic things,” he said. “It was really something that I was so honored to be a part of.”
He was brought here by Ned Colletti before the 2014 season as a New York Mets castoff. He had to make the team with a non-guaranteed contract in his first spring training here. He never stopped appreciating the distance and depth of his journey.
He not only propelled the Dodgers into the World Series with a walk-off homer against the Chicago Cubs in the 2017 National League Championship Series, but he did it on the 29th anniversary of Kirk Gibson’s World Series homer.
He not only saved the pennant in 2020, he did so with a diving tag in the NLCS Game 7 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
In 86 postseason games, he hit 13 home runs with 42 RBIs and an .830 OPS. He was not only clutch on the field, but also in the clubhouse, where he and Adrián González are credited with paving the way for new manager Dave Roberts’ credibility. The dynasty would never have happened without not only Justin Turner’s bat, but also his voice.
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“Justin and Adrián González were two of my biggest allies, advocates, for a first-time manager,” said Roberts. “To help me get the player buy-in and trust. For that, I’ll always be indebted to those two guys in particular.”
Off the field, his foundation worked giant wonders while he orchestrated tiny miracles, one of which occurred when the Dodgers would honor a veteran at every home game. As the veterans would leave the field, Turner would be waiting at the corner of the dugout to hand off an autographed baseball.
In his last official act as a Dodger, in the fall of 2022, Turner won the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award for community service. He wanted to stay here forever, and it really did seem like that would happen.
But, when the Dodgers declined his $16 million option after that season, it sparked a disagreement over his value that led him to signing with the Red Sox. The Dodgers offered him a one-year deal worth $10 million, he wound up signing a two-year, $21.7 million deal with Boston.
Turner was openly miffed, telling the then-Times reporter Jorge Castillo that, “I never pictured myself wearing another uniform. … I made it clear what I wanted. So I don’t know what happened, but it happened.”
What happened was that the Dodgers used Turner’s money on J.D. Martinez, and it proved to be a fortuitous decision, as he hit 33 homers with 103 RBIs.
It’s hard to argue with Turner for wanting more money. It’s also hard to argue with the Dodgers for wanting a younger bat with more pop.
On Monday, Turner also finally seemed at peace with the parting and eager to write a new chapter.
“What happened, happened,” he said. “I think it was pretty well-documented how I felt at the time. But nothing’s changed. I’m still super grateful for my nine years I’ve spent here.”
It was a night that felt like an ending. For the sake of Justin Turner and the city that loves him, here’s hoping it is merely a beginning.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
