A dream come true: Highland grad Luke Raley soaking in big league opportunity

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Luke Raley did not have much time to think about the gravity of the moment that was unfolding right in front of him. It was a culmination of a lifetime's worth of work, and the 2013 Highland graduate had all of 15 minutes for the news to sink in that he had made it onto a Major League Baseball team before he and the rest of the Dodgers had to hit the field for pregame warmups. "Honestly, it was such a whirlwind that I didn't think about much other than I need to get out there," Raley said Monday in a phone interview. "I was just so focused on what was coming in the next couple of minutes and the only thing I thought to myself was, 'Wow, holy crap, I'm here.'" Once the game began on Friday, he had a little more time to think about the moment. Then, when Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts called his name in the eighth inning, reality really sunk in that Raley's boyhood dream was coming true. "It was extremely exciting, but also extremely nerve-wracking at the same time," Raley said. "Obviously, I was extremely happy when I ran out there (to right field) and I wouldn't change it for the world." Once the game began, the sights and sounds of Dodgers Stadium blew Raley away as the 15,036 fans allowed to be in attendance watched Los Angeles players receive their 2020 World Series rings in a pregame ceremony. "These guys are bringing back these massive World Series rings that are beautiful," Raley said. "The stadium just seemed extra loud that day. Because of that, (my debut) couldn't have happened on a more awesome day. "I was looking around the stadium, and all I kept think was if this is what it's like at 30% capacity, I can't imagine what it's like when it's full." Raley became the first position player from Medina County to play in the majors since Wadsworth great Scott Fletcher retired in 1995, and the first player overall since pitcher Andy Sonnanstine in 2011. After entering the game in right field in the top of the eighth inning of the Dodgers' 1-0 victory over the Washington Nationals, Raley grounded out to shortstop Trea Turner on the fourth pitch he saw, a sinker from Sam Clay. Raley spent the first week of the regular season on the road with the big league club as a member of Los Angeles' taxi squad, extra guys that travel with the team in case players are needed this season due to COVID-19 protocols. When 2019 National League MVP Cody Bellinger injured his calf during the final series of a seven-game road trip to start the season, the team told Raley to stay in Los Angeles in case he was needed. Bellinger went on the 10-day injured list Friday and the 26-year-old Raley was promoted. "It was kind of a rush to get out there," Raley said. "I got to call my mom for about 30 seconds and then send a text to about eight of my friends, and then I was rushing onto the field." Since that brief phone call and short text message, Raley's phone has gone into overdrive, with people near and far reaching out to congratulate him. "My phone's been extremely busy," Raley said. "It's been a lot of congratulations, 'So happy for you', 'So proud of you' and stuff like that. "It's been old friends, new friends, family members, parents of friends. It's been everybody, and it's really nice, awesome to see people reach out." Being caught in a whirlwind is nothing new for Raley, as that has been a trademark of his entire second tenure with the Dodgers, who drafted him in the seventh round in 2016 out of Lake Erie College and then reacquired him in a trade with the Minnesota Twins two days before spring training began in 2019. Raley arrived at spring training on the first day of big league camp in 2019 and was assigned No. 62. That's the same number he is wearing this season for Los Angeles, as the team did not have time to ask what available number he preferred at the major league level. "Honestly, I don't care," Raley said. "I wouldn't care if I was a three-digit number or a four-digit number, as long as I have a number. It was everything you could dream of." A day off Monday allowed Raley to fully appreciate the road he's traveled to become only the third player from the county to make it to the majors in the last 98 years. "After the game I thought about it more, thinking about coming where I came from, going to a Division II school (Lake Erie) and to make it to the big leagues," he said. "Regardless if I'm here the rest of my career or I'm only here for the next six days, I can always say I made it. It's a surreal feeling." Contact John Urchek at sports@medina-gazette.com.