That’s one of the reasons why I have lasted so long with the Dodgers, because she was supporting me. Despite that she never complained about me traveling so much. She didn’t care about baseball most of the time. She only came to games once a year – on Opening Day. She was always supporting me even though she didn’t care much about baseball. You’ve spoken so eloquently about your marriage and what her loss has meant to your family.īlanca was always one of the reasons why I lasted so long doing baseball. I’m going to be with my family, traveling more and working on the foundation to perpetuate the name of my wife, Blanca, helping kids go to universities in California. That had nothing to do with my decision to leave the Dodgers. After 64 years of doing this, it’s time for more time with my two sons, my daughter. … I think it’s time for me to change priorities. I don’t know if in the last days I will be suffering some. As that date approaches, how do you feel about your decision? It’s been a year since you announced your plan to retire at the end of the 2022 season. In a wide-ranging Q&A, Jarrín reflected on his long career behind the mic and what it takes to endure in broadcasting. Because of that, throughout the broadcast, he has an understanding of the humans he’s covering on the field.” “He takes the time to listen,” Mendoza says. Unfailingly, he always went out of his way to get to know players and others in the Dodgers’ universe. Following the death of Scully in August, Jarrín’s retirement cements a big generation transition for Dodger baseball.Īs inspiring as Jarrín’s professional accomplishments are, to friends and colleagues what stands out even more is his warmth and natural kindness. 1 with a ceremony at the stadium paying tribute to his longevity. Jarrín’s long tenure was saluted in July during Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. In recent years, Jarrín has been joined in the radio booth at times by his son Jorge and by Valenzuela, who followed his mentor into broadcasting. Over the decades, Jarrín has become a beloved figure in Southern California’s Hispanic communities. His presence on air helped ignite the rocket that was Fernando Valenzuela’s career with the team, when the 19-year-old pitcher from Mexico took baseball and L.A. Jarrín called nearly 4,000 Dodger games on radio from 1962-84, never missing a contest until he was tapped to oversee Spanish-language coverage of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Today, Univision-owned KTNQ 1020 AM is the team’s Spanish radio home. Jarrín, a native of Ecuador, moved to Los Angeles in 1955 at the age of 19 and wound up working as news and sports director of the city’s Spanish-language radio station KWKW.
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