League’s Starlit Journey To The Major Leagues

From the ocean blue to the Boys in Blue, former Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Brandon League’s time in the show was anything but. 

League grew up on Oahu, Hawaii, where he spent his childhood playing basketball, football and of course, baseball. 

“It was just something that my mom signed me up for because my other friends played and I just wanted to try it,” League said. 

His verdict? 

“Glad I did,” League said with a smile. 

Growing Up

League’s childhood was not one spent in stadiums or arenas cheering on big league teams. Though outdoor, club and recreational sports were aplenty, Oahu did not offer much in terms of professional sports. Instead, the locals turned their attention toward collegiate athletics. 

“We didn’t have a major league sports team on Oahu,” League recalled. “The people we looked up to were the college kids.” 

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa served as a source of elation, a place that provided to the community a group of talented athletes whom League came to idolize. 

“We’d go [to games] and be in awe of the players,” League said. “They’d be our rock stars, our guys to look up to.” 

Another source of motivation came in the form of League’s mother. 

League grew up in a single-parent household and his mother was the picture of dedication and tenacity. 

“She was also a huge mentor for me, as far as doing whatever it takes, putting your head down and just working hard. She definitely taught me a lot about work ethic,” League said. “She’s a very headstrong woman, and she taught me a lot about working on the mental side of the game. Visualizing was a huge thing that we always worked on and it translated big time, especially the higher up I got. I have to thank her for teaching me that, for instilling that in me when I was just a boy.”

Aside from teaching League the importance of the mental side of playing ball, his mother also stressed the importance of education. Most notably, college. 

League used his talent on the mound to make this dream a reality. 

“In high school, I didn’t look at taking the leap and getting drafted, signing a professional contract,” League said. 

“It was like, ‘I’m going to make the varsity team, and once I make the varsity team, maybe I’ll have the opportunity to go play in college and help my single mom with college tuition. Maybe I can get a partial scholarship or full scholarship somewhere,’” League said. 

That somewhere ended up being Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where League signed a letter of intent to play collegiate baseball. 

The Draft

League was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays as the 59th overall pick in the second round of the 2001 MLB Draft. 

“That was a huge part of my career,” League said. 

In 2004, he made his major league debut at just 21 years old at Yankee Stadium, playing against the team he grew up watching on TV as a child in Oahu. 

“To make my debut in the old Yankees Stadium, seeing all that history and actually being in that stadium that I watched on TV for so long — I was like, ‘Whoa, somebody pinch me because this is not happening,’” League recalled of his debut. 

And what a game it was. League remembered taking the mound that September night playing in front of a sold-out crowd and how completely surreal everything felt. 

“It was definitely nerve-wracking,” League said. “You can’t really put into words what that feeling is.” 

For League, it felt like an out-of-body experience.

“I remember being completely numb, like not even knowing what I was doing. I could feel myself running, and I’m like, ‘Oh my god, what’s going on? How am I going to pitch a ball, I can’t even feel anything?’ It was total autopilot,” League said. “Walking off the mound after I got the third out, I was like, ‘What just happened?’”

That first night turned into hundreds more, with League going on to pitch in a total of 498 major league games. 

His work on the bump was noticed by former Cleveland Indians’ CF Coco Crisp, who described League as one of the most challenging pitchers he’d faced during his career. 

“It’s definitely flattering. It definitely makes you feel good and feel like all the hard work you put in off the field is translating on the field. I guess my mask did its job, because I wasn’t feeling that way on the inside,” League added with a laugh.

An All-Star Is Born

Aside from being drafted and making his major league debut, another memorable moment in League’s career was his 2011 All-Star appearance. 

Emotions ran high for League during this time. Not only was he about to play in an All-Star game, but he and his wife were expecting. Very soon. 

“The All-Star game came around, and my wife [Sasha League] was pregnant at the time, and our due date was almost aligning with the All-Star break,” League said. “Trying to time it to where we have the All-Star break, we have four days off, let’s try to induce [Sasha] during the All-Star break so that I can at least be there.”

But then the unexpected happened.

“Then I made the All-Star team, and we were like, ‘What now?’” League added.

Luck was on their side. Their third daughter was born nearly immediately following the game. 

“Her name is Cali Sol. Her middle name is Hōkūleʻa,” League said of his daughter. “The story behind that is that she’s named after a Hawaiian ship, where they would navigate throughout the islands by the stars. Hōkūleʻa is navigating through the stars, and she was born on All-Star break.”

League spent his years shooting for the stars. It’s safe to say that through baseball and his family, he landed amongst them.

Cover photo courtesy of Jon SooHoo