This story was excerpted from Juan Toribio’s Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

LOS ANGELES -- An hour before Tuesday’s game against the Tigers, Brusdar Graterol stood near the camera well at Dodger Stadium. He took turns between smiling at his wife, his newborn daughter and his mother. 

For years, that’s been an image Graterol has dreamt about. Graterol has tried to get his mother, who still lives in Venezuela, approved for a visa for a handful of years. A few weeks ago, he finally got the news that the last document she needed was approved. She was coming to Los Angeles to see him. 

On Sunday night, Graterol and his mother, Ysmalia, had an emotional moment at Los Angeles International Airport. For the first time since 2015, when Graterol pitched in the Dominican Republic as a teenager, the Dodgers’ right-hander and his mother were finally reunited. 

“I’ve always been so proud to have him as my son,” Ysmalia told MLB.com. “For me, it was a joy that I don’t think I can ever explain. I was anxiously awaiting it, but I didn’t think it would happen so quickly because of all the things we’ve gone through. But it’s just a level of happiness I can’t describe, honestly.”

Being away from a child or a parent for that length of time is difficult, no matter the circumstances. In Graterol’s case, not being with his mother always meant he was away from his hero, the person who raised him and played the role of both parents. 

That’s why when Graterol retired the side in order on Tuesday, the first time his mother watched him pitch as a professional, it was impossible for him to hold back the tears. It had been a long time coming.

“An incredible moment,” Graterol said in Spanish. “There were a lot of moments she missed. When I debuted, she wasn’t here. When I got married, she wasn’t here. When my wife had our daughter, she wasn’t here. Those were difficult times.”

Over the years, Graterol came to terms with making the sacrifices needed in order to help his family but also make his mother proud. After all, Ysmalia made countless sacrifices for him when he was growing up and trying to pursue a baseball dream.

It was Ysmalia who served as his first coach. She was a softball star in her own right, which was evident as she fired a perfect strike at Dodger Stadium before Thursday’s game against the Giants. But even with what she did for him as a baseball player, Graterol credits his mother for saving his life on multiple occasions.

While still in Venezuela, Graterol remembers wanting to play soccer deep into the night. His mother, however, made it clear that she wanted him back home before sunset. Graterol, a teenager at the time, was upset with the decision, but he knew not to disappoint his mother. He had to leave his friends in the middle of a game.

As he got near his house, Graterol remembers seeing a black car from a distance. Moments later, shots were being fired.

“She fought with me through everything,” Graterol told MLB.com last October. “She’s my everything.”

Graterol doesn’t know how long his mother will be around, but he’s hopeful she’ll be next to him if the Dodgers win the World Series. But, for now, he’ll settle with his role model getting a chance to meet his wife and daughter for the first time.

When they first saw each other at the airport, Graterol made sure to tell his mother that she smelled like home. She also had a message for him, telling him how big and good looking he had grown up to be. It was even better than how they dreamt it.

“It’s been wonderful. This is his dream,” Ysmalia said. “He worked so hard to be here and that makes me so proud of him and everything he has become. He’s my only child. Being here with his family has been beautiful. I’ve been shaking for days because I still can’t believe that we’re finally together.”