MLB fans melt over teary moment as Brusdar Graterol's mother sees her son pitch for the first time: "Stop cutting onions"

6-foot-1 Venezuelan reliever Brusdar Graterol has been a big part of why the Los Angeles Dodgers' bullpen has been the best in baseball this season. During a game on Tuesday night, his biggest fan finally got to see him in action.

On Tuesday night, Graterol made his 64th appearance of the season against the Detroit Tigers. Although he was only on the bump for an inning, he had a very special guest in attendance.

Graterol's mother, Ysmalia, had finally made it to the USA to watch her son. Ysmalia, who raised Brusdar in Venezuela alongside her parents, had been unable to obtain a visa to watch her son pitch stateside. That all changes on Tuesday.

"This is so incredible. Brusdar Graterol pitched last night in front of his mom for the very first time in the big leagues. After getting out of the inning… all of the emotions hit him." - Ben Verlander

While the performance was not, in itself, remarkable, Brusdar Graterol was wiping away tears as he strutted towards the dugout after retiring three Detroit Tigers in order. After embracing manager Dave Roberts, they both pointed towards Ysmalia, who was beaming in the stands. Understandably, fans loved the sequence.

Graterol, who recently turned 25, is a native of the central Venezuelan city of Calabozo. After gaining attention from American scouts for his ability to throw heat from a young age, the Minnesota Twins scooped up Graterol in 2014.

After posting a 4.66 ERA in 10 appearances during his rookie season of 2019, Graterol was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade ahead of the 2020 season. In the shortened 2020 campaign, Brusdar Graterol made 23 appearances, pitching to a 3.09 ERA, but still was not considered to be a valuable part of the Dodgers bullpen.

After winning the World Series with the Dodgers in 2020 over the Tampa Bay Rays, Graterol took his play to the next level. This season, he owns a 1.28 ERA in his 64 appearances, making him one of the most effective arms in MLB's strongest bullpens.

Brusdar Graterol has many more years of MLB glory for his mother to look forward to

Given the tense geopoltical situation between the USA and Venezuela, Ysmalia was unable to obtain a visa for many years. In addition to missing Brusdar's MLB debut, she also missed the birth of his daughter, Aria, this past April. Now, at long last, Ysmalia can look forward to sharing her son's future accomplishments on the mound with him.