[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5537-S5538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JAIME JARRIN

 Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I submit the following statement 
to the record in recognition of the lifelong career of Jaime Jarrin, 
the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers en espanol for over half a 
century.
  A native of Ecuador, Jaime moved to Los Angeles in 1955 at the age of 
19 and worked as a news and sports director for KWKW, a Spanish 
language radio station that is now the Spanish radio home for the Los 
Angeles Dodgers. Soon after, in 1959, Jarrin called his first Dodger 
game, launching what would become an over six-decade career with the 
Dodgers that would make him the longest tenured announcer in Major 
League Baseball, second only to the legendary Vin Scully, and earning 
him the respect of generations of Angelenos whose fandom will forever 
be measured by Jarrin's play-by-play and home run calls, ``Se va, se 
va, se va, y despidala con un beso. Se fue de cuadrangular!''
  Among his long list of accomplishments from a lifetime in baseball, 
some of his most impressive include his streak of nearly 4,000 
consecutive games called between 1962--84--spanning 22 seasons without 
missing a single game. And they include any number of games he has 
called that read like headlines straight from baseball's history books: 
he has called three perfect games--Sandy Koufax in 1965, Tom Browning 
in 1988, and Dennis Martinez in 1991--as well as 22 no-hitters, 30 
World Series, and 30 All-Star Games.
  In 1998, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 
Cooperstown, NY, as the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award for 
``major contributions to baseball,'' becoming only the second Spanish-
language announcer to achieve the honor.
  And during ``Fernandomania,'' the young Dodger pitcher Fernando 
Valenzuela's rise to become the first and only player to win both the 
Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in one season, Jarrin was there 
side-by-side, introducing Valenzuela to Los Angeles and to the world. 
``Fernandomania'' also helped introduce Jarrin to an English-speaking 
audience--not only in Los Angeles, but across the country--helping 
bridge communities through a shared love of the game.
  Through years of hard work, dedication, and passion for the game he 
loves, Jarrin will have gone on to call games for 64 years in the booth 
after he retires at the end of this season. Five of those years were 
alongside his son, Jorge Jarrin, forming the first father-son duo to 
broadcast baseball on MLB Spanish-language radio. Jaime truly brought 
Dodger stadium to life inside the homes of Californians each and every 
night. He has become a legend in his own right, and the entire baseball 
community will miss his voice once he retires this year.
  Outside of baseball, it was clear that Jaime was listening to the 
community that supported him. With the love and support of his late 
wife Blanca Jarrin--who is survived by Jaime's sons Jorge and Mauricio, 
three sisters, and three grandchildren--they launched the Jaime and 
Blanca Jarrin Foundation committed to serving and supporting 
educational and athletic programs in the Los Angeles area.
  On behalf of the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area and the 
worldwide baseball community that listened to Jaime's voice for 
decades: thank you Jaime, ``y gracias,'' for your lifetime service to 
the Dodgers and to the beautiful game of ``beisbol.''

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