“We have to tell you something,” Josie Le Blanc’s parents said.
The 14-year-old felt a twinge of panic. Was she in trouble?
Her mom, Aleca Le Blanc, pulled out her phone and broke the news: Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had sent Josie a personalized video inviting her and her family to the ballgame the next day. They would witness the penultimate contest of the 2024 regular season — the Sept. 25 showdown between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres — from seats behind home plate, along with batting practice before the game.
But that was only the beginning of the surprises, for both Josie and her family.
Connecting with Kershaw
A high school freshman with a passion for ballet, Josie was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2023 and has been in one medical appointment after another since. She continues to experience auras — warning signs of an upcoming seizure — and occasional seizures. Her neurology team at UCLA Health is developing a treatment plan that aims to keep her seizure-free.
“For someone starting high school and looking forward to a driver’s license in the near future, this diagnosis is extra disappointing,” Josie’s mom says, “and one of the reasons she’s adamant about dealing with it now.”
Over the summer, Josie and her mom got to meet Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw during one of his regular visits to UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.
“My mom, like, screamed,” Josie said, recalling the meeting.
The Le Blanc family — including dad Paul and Josie’s 16-year-old brother, Leo — are devoted Dodgers fans. When they’re not attending games at Dodger Stadium, they’re watching them on TV. They even splurged on World Series tickets in 2017.
On Sept. 25, Dodgers and UCLA Health staffers led the family onto the field, where Kershaw — sidelined since Aug. 31 with a bone spur in his left big toe — came to meet them, bearing gifts.
He gave Josie a pair of signed ballet slippers and a personalized jersey, plus a special offer.
“I’m going to sign this jersey for you, but I have a question to ask first,” Kershaw said. “It’s my bobblehead night, and I need someone to throw out the first pitch. So I was wondering if you’d throw out the first pitch?”
“Yeah,” Josie said, cheeks flushing. Her brother stood nearby, filming the exchange on his phone.
“Have you ever thrown a baseball before?” Kershaw asked her. “You think you can handle it?”
“Yeah,” Josie said, grinning wide. Both she and her brother played at North Venice Little League, with their dad as their coach.
On a player’s bobblehead night — when fans in attendance receive a bobblehead doll in the player’s likeness — he chooses who gets first-pitch honors. A longtime champion for children’s well-being, Kershaw wanted to recognize a patient from UCLA Health, the team’s official medical partner since 2019.
He posed for photos with the family — each of them decked out in Dodger gear (dad, Paul, was even wearing sneakers branded with the LA logo) — and told Josie he’d help her warm up before taking the mound.
On the field
Wearing her signed jersey, Josie was about to practice her pitch when the Le Blancs got another surprise: They learned they’d be saying the five famous words that kick off every Dodger game: “It’s time for Dodger baseball.”
“We’re lifelong Dodger fans, so this is amazing,” Aleca Le Blanc said. “I know for these guys, this is just their normal life, but for us it’s a big deal.”
Josie was led to the field to practice her pitch. Her brother followed closely to offer a couple pointers. Then Kershaw returned for a few throws.
“He’s very impressed,” Josie told her parents after the warmup. “And he’s proud that I’m a lefty.”
She said he also told her: “Don’t be nervous. It’s a sellout crowd, so there’s only 55,000 people here.”
If Josie was nervous, it didn’t show as she confidently strode toward the mound. Kershaw assumed the catcher’s position as she launched her pitch.
Then it was time for another unforgettable family moment. The Le Blancs gathered just in front of home plate, and with microphones in hand, shouted, “It’s time for Dodger baseball!”
Their smiling faces broadcast on the big screen for the entire stadium to see, mom and dad spontaneously busted into dance moves. And after a brief moment of looking mortified, the kids joined in.
