It’s been three months since Miguel Rojas saved the Dodgers’ 2025 season.
And yet the thank yous from fans keep coming.
“It was overwhelming,” Rojas said. “Just like in Italy (during the offseason), I’m walking through Rome and I see Dodgers fans there saying, ‘Thanks for hitting that home run.’ It’s crazy.”
The Dodgers, of course, had many heroes emerge last fall in their quest for a second straight World Series title. There was Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s World Series MVP effort. Shohei Ohtani’s two-sided showcase. The four scoreless innings that little-known reliever Will Klein produced in a Marathon Game 3 victory in the Fall Classic. The game-winning extra-inning home runs that Freddie Freeman and Will Smith hit in Games 3 and 7, respectively. The list goes on.
However, no one had a moment as unforgettable (or unexpected) as Rojas.
When he came to bat in the ninth inning of Game 7 last year, the Dodgers were two outs away from defeat and on the brink of a brutal end to their repeat title dreams. At that point, Rojas himself wasn’t even 100% healthy and was playing through a side injury that nearly sidelined him for the winner-take-all occasion at Rogers Center that night.
But when Jeff Hoffman hung a two-stroke slider on him, the 12-year veteran didn’t miss it.
“I just felt like everything that happened happened for a reason,” Rojas said three months later. “And I was ready for this opportunity.”
Rojas not only saved the Dodgers with his game-tying home run – which was so stunning that Fox broadcaster Joe Davis just shouted, “No way!” could release. as the typically light-hitting, glove-first infielder rounded the bases. But Rojas also etched his name in immortal October history, from an oft-overlooked veteran who was part of the Dodgers’ star-studded roster to one of the most celebrated and recognizable faces of a team that would go on to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy and cement a modern dynasty.
“Now,” Rojas joked, “I just have to live with the consequences.”
Rojas felt all that love again Saturday, receiving some of the loudest ovations from the crowd at the Dodgers’ annual Fanfest event at Chavez Ravine. And ahead of what will be the final season of his MLB career, he has embraced his sudden celebrity with his own sentimental gratitude, grateful for every encounter (at home and abroad) he has had with Dodger fans over the course of what he described as a life-changing offseason.
“The most important thing is that everyone keeps saying this is one of the best moments they’ve had in their lives, and the best sporting moment they’ve seen,” he said. “That makes me feel really good because we were part of something bigger than just a home run for ourselves.”
On Saturday, Rojas was quick to note that he was “not done yet” after re-signing with the Dodgers to a $5.5 million free-agent deal early in the offseason. Despite last fall’s exploits, “I have to keep proving myself and proving to everyone that I can still play,” he said.
But he already knows what his longer-term future holds, having also agreed in his new contract to remain with the Dodgers organization in a player development role once he officially retires.
“I want to be a coach, but maybe I’ll be good at something else,” he said. “That’s something I want to realize about myself. Coaching a little bit of everything. TV maybe. Working a little bit in the front office with Andrew and his company. And definitely learning a little bit from Doc and what they value as a team, as a player.”
But for now, he can continue to bask in the glory of his memorable home run last year – one that saved the Dodgers’ season, elevated his stature and brought him many thanks that won’t stop anytime soon.
“I’ve been waiting 20 years in professional baseball for that moment, and it happens to me at the end of my career,” he said. “I mean, my life has changed a lot. Especially the way I’ve been perceived on the streets and outside of baseball, it’s just something else (that) has happened with my career and my life. But I’m not going to move away from it. It’s something that I always wanted… I’m definitely going to share those moments forever.”
Dodgers shuffle the roster
The Dodgers made a notable roster move this week, designating infielder Andy Ibáñez to assignment less than a month after signing him to a $1.2 million free-agent deal, and claiming outfielder Mike Siani off waivers just two weeks after DFA’ing him.
Ibáñez was expected to give the Dodgers depth in the field, especially early in the season if Tommy Edman is not initially ready to return from offseason ankle surgery. He could still remain with the organization in the future, but will now have to clear waivers first.
Siani returns to the Dodgers after being DFA’d to make room for the signing of Kyle Tucker in mid-January. He was claimed by the Yankees, but was quickly DFA’d again by New York this past week.
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