Dodgers legend Jaime Jarrin reflects on life, superstar-laden team

Heโs 89 years old and has been retired for two years, but Dodgers broadcasting legend Jaime Jarrรญn looked like he was ready to call another season or three as he strode into Galeโs Restaurant in Pasadena.
The mellifluous tenor that narrated Dodgers games for generations of Spanish-language listeners hasnโt weakened. His magnificent head of hair remains full. His capacity to tell tales is still worthy of Gabriel Garcรญa Mรกrquez.
It was the lunch rush earlier this week, yet every Galeโs server, busboy and cook stopped what they were doing to shake Jarrรญnโs hand. Wearing a crisp outfit of brown khakis, an Ecuador soccer jersey, Harold Lloyd-style glasses and a 1988 Dodgers World Series championship ring that was simultaneously brilliant yet understated, he greeted them all by name.

Jaime Jarrin greets fans at Galeโs Restaurant in Pasadena on March 25, 2025.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)
โIโve eaten here over 20 years,โ Jarrรญn said in Spanish as we made our way toward his regular spot near a wall of glass block windows. โWhen my wife was alive, weโd come in at least four times a week. If I like something, I stay with it.โ
Ya think?
The Hall of Famer called Dodgers games for 64 years, the second longest tenure for one team of any baseball broadcaster after his dear friend, Vin Scully. Jarrรญn and his late wife, Blanca, were married for 65 years. He has lived in the same San Marino home since 1965. Heโs still a spokesperson for the Los Defensores legal firm, a relationship that goes back 41 years.
Jarrรญn never misses a Dodgers game on television and attends home games whenever possible, โbecause I do miss a little bit the atmosphere of the stadium.โ
But his big project these days isnโt baseball.
He serves as the name and face of a scholarship fund that has awarded more than a quarter million dollars to students. His sons Jorge and Mauricio founded it in 2019 to honor their mother, who died of a heart attack during spring training that year.
โMy name is the only thing I have,โ Jarrรญn said as he sipped on an Arnold Palmer and nibbled on complimentary bruschetta. Jorge, himself a broadcaster of note, joined us. โItโs not necessary to have our name [on the fund], but to be able to be associated with something that helps others is wonderful because the need is so obvious and large.
โThe community has been so loyal to me, so kind,โ he continued. โAnd in our business โ radio, television โ if you donโt have followers, itโs over. So the least I can do is give back.โ

Jaime Jarrin shakes hands with chef Leonardo Castillo at Galeโs Restaurant.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)
A waiter came over to take our order. โDenos unos minutitos, por favor,โ Jarrรญn said. Please give us a few minutes, sir.
There were stories to tell.
He remembered as a teenage radio reporter in the 1950s going into the newsroom of El Comercio, the largest newspaper in Quito, Ecuador, in the early morning to swipe stories from desks, โbut since we were the same company, it didnโt matter.โ
Then there was the time in the 1970s when Sears was expecting 500 people to show up at its landmark Boyle Heights store for a live broadcast with Jarrรญn, Davey Lopes, Steve Garvey and Ron Cey. About 15,000 people showed up instead: โWe told the players, โHereโs your check โ go! Go! Weโre not responsible for your security.โ
Above all, Jarrรญn praised his โextraordinary teacher,โ Scully.
โWhen Blanca died, he called me,โ he said. A small bowl of corn chowder was now before him. He tucked a large napkin over his Ecuador soccer jersey. โAnd they were the most beautiful 20 minutes of my life. Listening to Vin talking in that melodious voice โ his mastery of the language, that vocabulary, that intonation, that heart. He spoke from experience, because he had lost his wife too.โ
Scully passed away in 2022, just a few months before Jarrรญn called his last game. Jorge said Scully inadvertently served as an inspiration for him and his brother to start their family foundation.

Jaime Jarrin flaunts his World Series championship ring.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)
โWe started to discuss, โHow are we going to maintain and perpetuate his legacy and not let it fade away?โโ he said. โItโs wonderful the love that people had for Vin Scully. But in another generation or so, itโll just be, โOh yeah, I heard of that guy โ they say he was a great announcer.โ
He looked at his dad, who was busy forking through a small house salad with extra garbanzos, and smiled. โMy father doesnโt want to write a book because he doesnโt feel that the story is over. But this, heโs proud of.โ
Jorge joked that the Jaime and Blanca Jarrรญn Foundation is โdone on our laptops out of the houseโ with the help of his brother and sons. Theyโve yet to ask the Dodgers to donate โ โbut the wife of [Dodgers CEO] Mark Walter sends us a check,โ Jaime noted. Students of all backgrounds and interests can apply, but two scholarships are set aside for students pursuing law and journalism โ the former as a nod to the Jarrรญn Foundationโs primary sponsor, Los Defensores, the latter in honor of Jaimeโs career.
Not that heโs happy about the state of journalism.
โMaybe Iโm a dummy, but I donโt get it,โ he said, his voice suddenly sharp. โIn all industries, when the competition is hard, you try to better yourself. You try to offer something special. The news industry, instead of fighting to do that โ offering better editions, more reporters, more columns, something to attract people to pay attention? No, they gave up against social media.
โItโs an embarrassment,โ he added.
Jarrin said that young people long would approach him to share that they wanted to get a communications degree in the hope of breaking into journalism, โand Iโd say, โPerfect. Very good. Wonderful.โ But in the last two years, Iโve said, โNo. Take language classes.โ If you speak three languages, the world is at your feet. This country is behind the rest of the world in two fields specifically because we donโt have enough bilingual people: politics and the economy.โ
Our time was nearly up, so I tossed three more questions. First up: How are the Dodgers going to do this year?
Jarrin praised the recent contract extension for manager Dave Roberts โbecause he has the respect of the clubhouse,โ and said he has no problem with huge player contracts because โit would be unjust if the owners kept all the money. โฆ Dodger Stadium is a gold mine. Do you know how much money you get from feeding 50,000 people every night?โ
He thinks this yearโs team is the strongest Dodgers squad heโs seen since the 1977 and 1978 ones that made it to the World Series only to lose to the New York Yankees. โOn paper, they have the most powerful unit, above all with pitching, which is extraordinarily good,โ Jarrรญn said, going as far as to say theyโll win the National League. โIf they donโt win, itโs going to be an absolute and total failure.โ

Jarrรญn working a game at Dodger Stadium in 2022, the final season of his 64-year career with the franchise.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Next was a change-up: What do Latinos need to do to now that weโre nearly half of the population in Southern California?
โEven though the numbers favor us, we remain a minority,โ he replied. โWe need to better ourselves more and do a little bit more than what a white person would do to excel. And the foundation for this is to learn English.โ
Jarrรญn blamed himself for not speaking English as well as heโd like on account of his career and talking only Spanish at home so his sons could be bilingual โ โI sacrificed my knowledgeโ for them, he claimed.
Would he have had a more successful career if his English were better?
For the first time all afternoon, Jarrรญn seemed unsure of himself.
โMaybe?โ
He reflected on all of the accolades and accomplishments of his career. โI donโt know if I wouldโve been able to achieve all of that in English.โ
A chuckle.
โThe competition wouldโve been harder, no?โ
Finally, a softball: What did he want people to say about what his legacy is?
Jarrin didnโt hesitate: โOnly that they think and say to others, โI want you to be like Jaime Jarrรญn in your commitment to whatever you want to do. Follow his way and his discipline, and youโll achieve what you want.โโ
Throughout our conversation, he waved or gave a thumbs up to admirers who didnโt want to interrupt our conversation. The moment we got up from our table, the floodgates of fans opened. Soon came photos, more handshakes, more conversations. The lunch rush was over, so most of the Galeโs workers looked on in admiration.
โA lot of people do that,โ said server Francisco Perez in Spanish. โHeโs such a loving man. Refined and loving. Heโs what we say in Mexico is gente de raza.โ
Man of the people.
Chef Leonardo Castillo stood behind the counter. Heโs worked at Galeโs for 20 years.
โHeโs never been someone who comes in and says, โIโm Mr. So-and-So,โโ said the native of Puebla, Mexico. โHe comes in like anyone else, even though heโs Jaime Jarrin! What an honor that heโs one of us.โ