TORONTO — Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas learned about 40 minutes before the Dodgers’ game against Blue Jays on Tuesday that his father, Miguel “Micky” Rojas, was being rushed to the hospital.
Just that afternoon, the elder Rojas had sent his son a photo of himself lying down in bed, ready to watch the game. He was excited to see him play, Micky wrote.
Then, as the younger Rojas prepared to play, he started getting calls and texts from family members.
“There’s nothing I could do being this far,” Rojas said Wednesday afternoon. “Just support my family, and trying to understand a little bit of what’s going on. I found out that my dad, on the way to the hospital, passed away. He couldn’t live through the heart attack that he had. So it was suddenly that he passed away; he was feeling good. [It’s] really hard to understand. I’m still trying to process the whole thing.”
Micky Rojas’ funeral was scheduled for Wednesday. But being in Toronto complicated travel options back to Venezuela for his son. The younger Rojas would have had to fly back through the United States, on an extremely tight timeline.
“That’s how they do things in Venezuela,” Rojas said of the timing of the funeral. “It happens quick because they have to. They don’t have many places to hold these funerals.”
Rojas plans on returning to Los Angeles with the team, and then he may travel to Venezuela from there to be with his family.
“That hasn’t been decided yet,” Rojas said. “But the most important part for me today was showing up [Wednesday] and playing, and then after that, I’ll be a family man on the off day and see what’s the best way to do things after that.”
Rojas had planned to play Tuesday as well. But he said he was thankful that manager Dave Roberts and first baseman Freddie Freeman took that decision out of his hands. The Dodgers scratched Rojas from the lineup, and he returned to the hotel and got in touch with family and friends of his father.
On Wednesday, Rojas asked to play.
“It’s going to be emotional, yes, for me, I understand that,” Rojas said. “But I’ve been through moments like this before with my mom, my grandparents. I know what they want me to do is play baseball.
“… They raised me up and they gave up everything in their life for me to be a baseball player. This is what they want me to do. They know how much pride I take in showing up every day, and not letting my teammates down.”
Rojas’ father was one of the reasons he played in the Venezuelan Winter League year after year. He never got to come to the United States to see his son play in the majors. But he became a fixture around the Tiburones de La Guaira. He even had his own locker when his son wasn’t there, Rojas said.
“When we won the championship in 2024 in winter ball, that was a pretty special moment for us because we got to live it together,” Rojas said. “And he was with me, alongside, and he was lifting that trophy with so much pride.”
As proud as the elder Rojas was of his son for his baseball career, which had been a shared dream, he had a special appreciation for his impact off the field.
“Every time he read news about me being good in the community and being good around the guys — that’s what he was,” the younger Rojas said. “He was a guy that was always there for people. He put other people ahead of himself and his good or benefits. He wanted to help every time.
“That’s what I got from him. I always want to put my teammates and the people ahead of me. I don’t really care about my personal success. I just want other people to be successful because I know if they’re good I’ll be OK too.”
That’s exactly what the Dodgers saw as Rojas took the field Wednesday.
“We all love him and we support him,” third base coach Dino Ebel said. “And to see him out here, it’s truly a blessing. Dad in the sky’s going to look over him today, guaranteed.”
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