The one and only Justin Turner joining us here in the Mariners dugout Man, what a beautiful night last night at Dodgers Stadium.
JT. Yeah, it was. It was something that was pretty special, and uh, you know, I want to thank the whole Dodgers organization for uh putting so much thought and time into that and and making it in a night that uh myself in court and one day boll uh we'll always remember.
So I know you had some idea that Dodgers were going to honor your first return back here, But did it exceed your expectations?
Yeah? I knew, I knew something was going on. They told me that they were going to do a presentation after the anthem, and then UH didn't know what. Obviously go out there and uh the tribute video was was amazing. Had me, uh, you know, in all my feels and running back all the memories, all the great memories we've had here. The check presentation to the foundation, I think, uh was certainly spectacular. I think everyone here knows how much the foundation means to court and I how much work,
especially Courtney puts into the foundation. So that was definitely a nice, nice touch. But the thing that got me the most, and you know, thinking back and I actually wrote text to a bunch of the guys this morning. But you know, I've been a part of that on the other side. You know, when guys make their return to Dodger Stadium, and usually it's one or two guys come out and give a gift or a jersey or
a picture or something. When I turned around and saw ten guys coming out of dugout, you know that that kind of got me a little bit. And I don't know if that was planned. I don't know if that's how I was supposed to go, But you know, I wrote all those guys this morning and that that meant the world to me. And that was at that point I started getting a little little mode. I was doing great until I saw all those guys walking out. I'm like, oh man, this is this is cool.
Well I'm happy you got to experience that because you were one of the most inclusive teammates I've ever seen with the Dodgers, and you were such a big part of the success of this organization for the nine years that you were here. Like you said, to have the respect of the fans is one thing, but to have the respect of your peers, I'm sure is another level.
Yeah, I think, uh, you know, I talk about it quite a bit. You know, there's a lot of things you can accomplish in this game, and a lot of awards and stats and accolades and you know, rings and whatnot. But at the end of the day, the impact and the respect that you have of the guys that are in the room with you, that are you know, going out to to fight and to play and to compete for championships every day. You have their respect. That's something that that will last a lifetime and no one will
ever take away from you. So, you know, that was that was a touching moment.
I know you still have a lot of baseball left in you, but like you said, all your moments and the Dodger uniform were flashing up there within two minutes. I mean, what's that like to see you in those moments with those teammates just flash on Dodger vision before first pitch? I mean, how do you process all that, because, like you said, you're still going forward.
Yeah, I think, you know, obviously there was there was a few individual moments up there. You know. Obviously the
walk off home run played and the tag played. But I think the more special thing about that that, however long it was you said, two minute tribute, was all the guys that were in it and seeing the photos with everyone and flashing back all the memories of that and you know that at the end of the day when you go back and think about it and you think about all the ups and downs, the emotions of everything, and the guys in that room that you go through
it all with, and that's what that's what means the most.
Honestly, a lot of players put on the Dodger uniform, but they never even have one signature moment. What makes Justin Turner's nine years special is your signature moments were great, you accomplished it, you did it, but it was in the process of winning. Not many guys get that.
Yeah, like I said, it was a special nine years and a lot of big moments, you know, not just for me. A lot of guys had big swings, big plays, big pitches. That was so cool to be a part of it. And I think obviously one of the biggest ones out of all of them was I guess my last act as a Dodger, and that was winning the Clemente award in twenty two So at the time I had no idea that that was going to be the
last accolade I achieved as a Dodger. But looking back on it, if I'm going to go out and not put the uniform on again, accepting that award on behalf of court and I and the foundation is something that is probably the greatest accomplishment I had in the doubt uniform.
Well, that's the reason why fifty one thousand plus at Dodger Stadium and the whole city loves you, is because not only did you perform on the field, but you cared about people off the field, especially during the pandemic, spending your own money to be able to feed people and keep people employed. I think everybody realizes that and doesn't forget, and it resonates with all of us.
Yeah, man, I think you know, just in twenty fourteen, getting the opportunity to come back home, being from southern California, putting on the Dodger uniform with something special, and then coming here every night lean the league in attendance, having the people of this great city of la come out
every single night supporting us. And you know, I'm one of the few guys that live here, lived here year round and got the opportunity to see the fans, whether it's in a mall, at a movie theater, down by the beach, whatever it is, and to see the love. I can't say it enough. To see how much love
the city has for the Dodgers is special. So being able to give back, being able to start our foundation, being able to impact people's lives who are in need or who are going through the unthinkable with something that you know, Court and I don't take lightly, and something we're going to continue to do, and something that we're very very proud of.
Well, even though he's only a couple of months old, baby Bo, when he gets older, he's going to realize how much this city loves Justin Turner because not of what he did on the field, but who he is as a person. So thank you for the time. And I don't believe it's going to be a one day contract situation. I'm holding out hope Justin Turner's final act is wearing a Dodger uniform in his final season whenever that is. So I'm not thinking about some ceremonial thing.
I'm thinking about really playing You're the next, David Freezer, Chase Utley one day.
Right, the door's always open, man, We'll see what happens. It's a crazy game, a lot of moving pieces, crazy business, but that would certainly be the cherry on top of hopefully a really long.
Career, no doubt. Great to have you back here. It was special seeing you in Boston, but extra special being here with you and seeing the way the fans received you last night. So thanks a lot for the time.
Yeah, I was so great to be home. Fans. Love you, guys. That was awesome. I felt your energy, felt your love, and yeah, I miss you guys.