It has been three years since Justin Turner last played a game with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he continues to make a positive impact in Southern California.
The ninth annual Justin Turner Foundation Golf Classic was held on Monday at Sherwood Country Club in Thousands Oaks, Calif., which saw several former Dodgers participate. All proceeds raised are going toward the Justin Turner Foundation.
Since leaving the Dodgers after the 2022 season, Turner has gone on to play for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs.
Now 40 years old, Turner recently said it is his intention to play at least one more season in 2026.
When he is ready to step away from baseball, Turner hopes to sign a one-day contract with the Dodgers and officially retire as a member of the organization.
“Yeah, I think it’s pretty obvious the biggest chunk of my career came in L.A., and it was nine years,” Turner said. “And the turning point in my career came when I put the Dodger uniform on.
“The one title I won was with the Dodgers. I don’t want to even get down to that yet, but it’s probably a slam dunk to happen that way. But I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. The beauty after L.A. is I’ve gotten to go and experience four other great organizations with a ton of great people. It’s hard to say.
“You don’t want to piss anyone off by choosing one organization, but if there was one, I think the obvious one would be the Dodgers.”
Turner first brought up the possibility of retiring with the Dodgers last year, when he returned to Dodger Stadium as a member of the Mariners.
Turner joined the Dodgers on a Minor League contract in 2014 after beginning his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets.
He ended up becoming a key contributor for the Dodgers and spent nine seasons with the team, earning two All-Star Game selections and winning a World Series championship in 2020, among other accolades.
Justin Turner enjoyed Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series
Turner was among the record amount of people who tuned in to watch the 2025 World Series between the Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.
Turner said he was impressed by the quality of the product on the field and that the teams certainly helped grow the sport.
“I think it had a little bit of everything,” Turner said. “It had extra innings, it had walk-offs, it had pinch-hit grand slams, it had four starting pitchers pitching in one game, crazy plays at the plate. It was just jam-packed, full of action.
“Literally had two countries of fanbases watching. I think it was one of the highest-watched World Series in 30 years. Really, three countries, with all the Japanese players the Dodgers are pulling.
“So it was just really good for baseball, really good for viewership. I think that World Series definitely helped grow the game, and I think that’s the point. We want to grow the game and we want to inspire young kids to fall in love with the game early, chase their dreams and hopefully they’re the ones playing in Game 7 of the World Series.”
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