In September 2024, I attended my first Major League Baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. It was a matchup between the Dodgers and the Padres, both competing for the 2024 division title. I was fortunate enough to witness the Dodgers win on their home field. I was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic atmosphere in the stadium as the team and 50,000 fans came together in pursuit of victory. I was deeply impressed by American baseball culture, which has built a long history of entertainment through MLB. Moved by the moment, I immediately sent a message to my mother. “Mom, you have to come and watch the Dodgers games with me next year! You’d love it!”

My mother, Kazu, who turns 78 this year, loves baseball. She has been a Dodgers fan ever since Hideo Nomo, the Japanese pitcher with the iconic “tornado” windup, played for the team. In recent years, she’s also been following Shohei Ohtani. She enjoys watching Dodgers games on TV every day. After actually seeing a game at Dodger Stadium myself, I became convinced that she should be the one experiencing it in person.

I’m used to traveling to the U.S. and usually go to the Reno Air Races every year, but this time I planned a more relaxed itinerary so I could take my elderly mom on a stress-free trip. We stayed four nights at the Hilton Garden Inn Montebello, located next to a quiet, lush golf course not far from downtown Los Angeles, and planned to drive to Dodger Stadium each day. During immigration at LAX, we enjoyed talking about the Dodgers with the customs officer. He was surprised to hear that we were planning to watch all three night games between the Dodgers and the White Sox.

On the day we arrived, we checked into the hotel right away and went to bed early to recover from the fatigue and jet lag after the 11-hour flight from NRT. We wanted to be fully rested and ready for the games starting the next day.

DAY1 : White Sox vs. Dodgers (7/1/25)

Day 1. It was a memorable day for Mom – her very first time visiting Dodger Stadium. We started with a stadium tour led by a Japanese guide, where we learned about the history of the Dodgers and the ballpark.

The tour started at the Top Deck, where we had a panoramic view of the entire stadium. Then, we took the elevator down to normally off-limits areas such as the trophy gallery, press room, and dugout. At the entrance to the clubhouse, we were lucky enough to see Tommy Edman and Michael Conforto walk right past us! After the tour, we sat in the outfield and watched the Dodgers and White Sox players take batting and pitching practice until the night game began.

The game started at 7:00 PM, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the starting pitcher. We took seats near the Dodgers dugout so we could see him pitch up close. Yoshi threw seven solid innings and delivered a great performance. We were also lucky enough to witness Shohei Ohtani hit his 34th home run – right in front of us. We’ll never forget the sharp crack of the bat and the sight of that white ball arching high into the night sky. The Dodgers went on to win the game, 6–1.

DAY2 : White Sox vs. Dodgers (7/2/25)

Day 2. This day had some special highlights. First, it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto Bobblehead Day – the first 40,000 fans received a Yoshi bobblehead. We joined the Pregame Tour and entered the stadium two hours before the usual start time, so we had no trouble getting one. Having just watched Yoshi pitch seven fantastic innings the night before, we were thrilled to receive this special keepsake.

Second, we got to witness something truly special: legendary Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw recording his 3,000th career strikeout. With each strikeout — number 2,998, then 2,999 — the stadium erupted with growing excitement. And finally, the moment arrived: he reached 3,000. All 50,000 fans in the stadium stood and cheered, celebrating the historic milestone, and Kershaw responded with a wave. His family was seated just a few rows above us, and we could clearly see them celebrating with him. It was a legendary moment in MLB history.

Later, in the bottom of the ninth, Freddie Freeman hit a single that allowed Shohei Ohtani to score from second base for a dramatic “Sayonara” walk-off win. The final score was 5–4. It was a thrilling and unforgettable Dodgers victory for us.

DAY3 : White Sox vs. Dodgers (7/3/25)

Day 3, the final day. We went to see the ocean before the game started, driving about an hour in our rental car to Santa Monica. After parking, we walked along the broad pier stretching over the ocean and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

As we strolled, Mom told me about the TV drama series Route 66, which she used to watch when she was young. I shared a memory of my own – driving the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to San Francisco over the course of two days. We sat on a bench on the pier, gazing out across the ocean toward Japan, and talked about Tatsuo, my dad and her husband, who passed away on January 1st of this year.

Time flows slowly but steadily, as events unfold and fade before our eyes. The calm sea and gentle breeze brought back vivid memories of the past.

We entered Dodger Stadium at 3 PM for the pregame tour. The gates for night games usually open at 5 PM, with games starting at 7 PM, but this tour gave us early access — two hours before the official gate time.

We had bought pregame tour tickets for all three days, but after the first day, we ran into a small issue: Mom has trouble with her legs and finds it difficult to manage stairs and walk long distances. During the tour, participants move through various levels of the stadium at a pace suited for able-bodied people, which made it very challenging for her.

So we asked Robert, one of the staff members, “Would it be okay if we just stayed in the outfield to watch the Dodgers’ pitching and batting practice for the next two days, instead of joining the tour?” He replied, “That’s usually not allowed — you have to participate in the tour.” However, seeing my mom’s reaction, he said, “Let me text my boss. Just a second,” and began typing on his smartphone.

A few moments later, he came back with a smile and said, “OK, my boss gave the green light. Can I get your names?” Thanks to his help, we were able to watch pregame practice from the third-base outfield seats overlooking the bullpen.

On the field, the Dodgers were practicing. Some familiar faces we usually see only on TV were right in front of us, warming up and playing catch. There were Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was the starting pitcher on Day 1; Clayton Kershaw, who had set a great record yesterday; and, of course, Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani came toward us and then headed down into the bullpen below. He didn’t pitch today, but I’m sure he’ll be taking the mound as a starting pitcher soon. He practiced steadily, carefully checking each pitch, while Mom watched his every move with quiet concentration. As I looked around, there were only team staff and security officers nearby – no spectators – creating a calm and peaceful atmosphere. It was a deeply fulfilling moment in the relaxed atmosphere before the excitement of the game began. After Ohtani’s bullpen session, Mom seemed satisfied as she shared with me what she had noticed.

Suddenly, I noticed a staff member standing nearby. Her name tag read “Kayla.” I immediately realized she was the stadium tour manager — Robert’s boss who arranged the special permission for us. We walked over, greeted her warmly, and sincerely thanked her for her kindness. Mom shook her hand with a big smile and said, “Thank you very much!” Kayla seemed genuinely pleased to see that we were avid Dodgers fans from Japan, proudly wearing our 2024 World Champion hats. We are truly grateful to Kayla, Robert, and the security staff for making our experience unforgettable and wonderful.

The Dodgers won the game 6-2, completing a sweep of the three-game series against the White Sox. It was also nice to see Mookie Betts hit a home run for the first time in a while. Reflecting on our three wonderful days at Dodger Stadium, we drove through Los Angeles at night and returned to the hotel. The next day, we had to get up early to head to LAX for our flight home.

Mom’s great adventure ends safely…

The enjoyable Dodger Stadium tour flew by in a flash, and we returned to Tokyo on another long 11-hour flight across the Pacific. From there, Mom took a 4-hour bullet train ride back to our home in western Japan. I was at the platform at Tokyo Station to see her off as she boarded the train.

Her unforgettable adventure has come to an end. But her joy is far from over. From now on, every time she watches a Dodgers game on TV, the memories of the fun she had at the stadium will come flooding back. The world beyond the TV screen is no longer a distant place. The Dodgers will always be with her.

To Shannon, who gifted us these commemorative hats when the Dodgers were crowned World Champions last year — we were proud to wear them to the games at Dodger Stadium. Thank you so much!

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