Manny Mota inducted into Legends of Dodger Baseball

Baseball legend Manny Mota, who spent the majority of his playing career with the Dodgers before spending 34 as a coach with the franchise, was inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball on Saturday. 

"I love you all, and thank you for your great support," Mota said during his induction speech. "I'm proud to be Dominican, I'm proud to be Latino and grateful to be part of this great nation."

Mota, now 85, has remained with the team since 1969, when he was traded to the Boys in Blue from the Montreal Expos. Since then, he's worked as a player, coach, Spanish broadcaster and team ambassador. 

Saturday's ceremony was held prior to their game against the St. Louis Cardinals, hosted by Mota's son Jose, who also works as a broadcaster for the Dodgers. He was joined by retired broadcaster Jaime Jarrín, who retired last season. 

The ceremony saw a slew of fellow Dodger legends take the field, including the likes of Adrián Beltré, Orel Hershiser, Steve Garvey and former owner Peter O'Malley.

Beltré gifted Mota a bicycle, which was a reference to Mota's frequently riding a bike through Dodgertown, where the team used to hold spring training in Vero Beach, Florida. 

"This is a great honor and a great privilege, and I'm very grateful to the Dodgers for selecting me as a Legend of Dodger Baseball," Mota said in a statement from the Dodgers. "I don't consider myself a legend, just another person who always tried to contribute to the Dodgers and give my best. I am humbled and really appreciate what the Dodgers are doing for me. I consider Dodger Stadium my home away from home, and I consider myself to be an adopted son of the Dodger organization."

Mota and fans were treated to video tributes prior to the game, before he threw out the first pitched and uttered every Dodger fan's favorite words: "It's time for Dodger baseball!"

On top of the ceremony, the first 40,000 fans received a bobblehead of Mota. 

The Dominican Republic native began his professional baseball career in 1957, signing a contract with the then-New York Giants. He officially broke into the big leagues in 1962, but would spend just one season with the Giants before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Mota spent six seasons with the Pirates before he was selected second overall in the MLB expansion draft by the Montreal Expos in 1969. Just months later, he was shipped to the Dodgers and he hasn't left since. 

He officially joined the team on June 11, 1969 and played his final 731 games with the Boys in Blue. Mota finished his playing career with a .315 batting average, still second-highest in the the team's history, and is considered to be one of the best pinch hitters of all time, finishing with a then-MLB record of 150 pinch hits. 

Over 20 big league seasons with four teams, Mota sported a .304 batting average with 31 homers and 438 RBIs. He was an All-Star in 1973 and was inducted into the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988, the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum in 2003, Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2013 and Latino Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022. 

Following his time roaming the outfield at Dodger Stadium, Mota joined the team as a coach in 1980, first starting as a first base coach and batting instructor. He remained as a coach until 2013, making him the coach with the second-longest tenure with a team in the history of MLB, second only to the Washington Senators' Nick Altrock, who spent 42 years with that franchise. As a coach, Mota has won two World Series Championships — 1981 and 1988.

On top of being a coach, Mota was a Spanish broadcaster for the Dodgers from 2010 until 2017 and has been a member of the franchise's Alumni Group since 2018, making public appearances for the team since. 

Mota is the sixth inductee of the Legends of Dodger Baseball, which was established in 2018 to recognize legends that impacted the team and community both on and off the field. His plaque, which will be on permanent display at Dodger Stadium, will join the likes of Don Newcombe, Steve Garvey, Fernando Valenzuela, Kirk Gibson and Maury Wills. 

Orel Hershiser is set to be inducted later this season on July 29.