Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

At a little bit after 7 PM on Monday night at Dodger Stadium, Lorri Bernson threw out the first pitch prior to the Dodgers-San Diego Padres game. Like dozens of other first-pitch honorees before her this season, Bernson was surrounded by family and friends.

Dodger catcher A.J. Ellis was behind the plate, yelling instructions to Bernson, who arched the ball and got it to him on one bounce. Then, Dodger starter Clayton Kershaw headed to the mound to warm up for his start. Ellis and Bernson shared a celebratory hug, and walked off the field awash in a warm ovation from the crowd. It was just another routine first pitch ceremony in Chavez Ravine.

Not quite. It was undoubtedly the first time Kershaw took the mound after someone who can’t see.

Literally.

What made the night extraordinary is that Bernson is blind, having lost 98% of her vision at age 33 due to complications from Type 1 diabetes, which is why Ellis was talking with her throughout, allowing his voice to guide her throw. It was the first time in Dodger Stadium history that a person who has virtually no sight tossed the ceremonial pitch. And the story becomes even more intriguing with the fact that Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti and the organization itself are the sponsors of Bernson’s guide dog, Carter.

“When I signed my last contract with the Dodgers,” Colletti said, “I added a clause that I would donate X amount of money to help charities of my choosing. I added the clause with the stipulation that the Dodgers would match it. I had done some (charitable) work in Chicago and San Francisco, but here I wanted to try to make more of an impact, even if it was just one person at a time.

(Link to Video here if you can’t see it)

“(Former Dodger) Wes Parker does some baseball teaching at the Braille Institute, and he talked to me about coming over there and talking to some of the students. I did, and that along with the fact that I have some friends who train guide dogs intrigued me a little bit. Then I met Lorri, learned about her story, and went out to the Guide Dogs of America complex in Sylmar (where Bernson is a public relations and community liaison). I saw the program and the great things that they do providing guide dogs, and I immediately committed to it.”

On many game days, Colletti also auctions off special items at the tables you see throughout Dodger Stadium, with the highest bidder being able to go on the field to meet Don Mattingly, then spend some time with the GM during the game. “All the money raised goes directly to the guide dogs,” Colletti proudly reported. “I have great respect for what they do at GDA, the people who raise the dogs on their own, and how it adds so much to the lives of people who are really in need.”

Bernson and boyfriend Matt Kells have been practicing daily for about six weeks, with Bernson wearing her baseball glove and wearing a Dodger blue T-shirt while she goes through her pitching workout. She was joined on the field by other visually challenged people, guide dog trainers and their puppies, and during the game there were more than 300 GDA benefactors and beneficiaries in the stands. It was a huge moment for the GDA, and being the first person to have a guide dog sponsored by Colletti and the Dodgers is an honor for Bernson, something that helps make the whole experience as rewarding for Colletti as it is for Bernson.

“No doubt,” he said. “No doubt.

“I never forget where I’m from, and how when I was growing up we always had to have people helping us out. I think that’s the way the world should be, and I want to be able to help a person, make a positive impact on their life. Half of it is knowing you can help them, but the other half is that it lets someone know that you really care.

(Story Continues…)

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