After nine years of what he calls a “dream” with his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers, infielder Justin Turner still can’t believe he left town to be completely out of town. other side of the continent.
Even if the transition to Boston was initially difficult morally, Turner has all in all adapted well with his new team, to the point where he now says he is “extremely happy” to be now with the Red Sox, training with which the slugger of 38 years will probably complete his career, according to his words.
It was at the wedding of his good friend and ex-teammate Chris Taylor, in December, that he learned that the Dodgers had signed JD Martinez, a news that appalled him. A day later, his agent called him: he had in turn agreed to a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox.
This is where a total change from his usual routine was needed.
Turner, who has long owned a home in Los Angeles and another in Arizona with his wife, now had to find two more: one in Boston, for the regular season, and another in Florida, home of training camp. of the team in the spring. He says it was with emotion in his heart that he had to make these changes.
“I never imagined myself wearing any other uniform,” he said, according to Jorge Castillo of the LA Times. “When my option [avec l’équipe] was declined, I wanted everyone to understand that. I said to several people: I want to come back. I want to complete all of this as soon as possible. »
I don’t know what happened. But it happened.
–Justin Turner
In retrospect, his teammate and longtime friend, Kiké Hernandez, remembers the movement he initiated, with his new team, to try to bring Justin Turner to Boston. It was he who, after a telephone discussion with Turner, contacted the team’s management, namely Chaim Bloom, head of baseball operations, and Alex Cora, manager, to inform them of the batting ace’s intentions. of the Dodgers and newly free agent.
They launched an aggressive pursuit of Turner, and were soon joined by Kenley Jansen, pitcher and another ex-Dodgers player, to eventually get their hands on the free agent.
To this day, Justin Turner still doesn’t understand why he isn’t back with the Dodgers. Even if he takes his departure from the second metropolis of the country with difficulty, he remains very satisfied with the treatment he has received since his arrival in Boston. He consoles himself by telling himself that he has always kept his Californian home, which he will be able to find when he returns during the offseason, and when the Red Sox are there to face the Padres and the Angels, as next week.
Justin Turner wouldn’t change teams for anything in the world – except maybe for the Dodgers.
