Former Yankee Ben Rortvedt is embracing an unexpected World Series run with the Dodgers

TORONTO – The joke has always been that Ben Rortvedt was this fictional character who never actually existed in the flesh, at least for most of his time in the Yankees organization.

But there he was on Friday night, lined up on the first base line with the Dodgers in pregame ceremonies before Game 1 of the World Series. They were there because of their stars and a dominant rotation, but also because Rortvedt was actually there when the Dodgers suddenly lost both of their starters to injury in early September.

Rortvedt, who never caught any Dodgers pitchers after arriving from the Rays in a deadline trade, was thrown into action and more than held his own to help in the club’s divisional race, then started the first of four playoff games on the road to Rogers Center on Friday.

“It was crazy,” Rortveit said Thursday. “I tell people I haven’t thought about it as much as I should or will when it’s all over. I’ll hold onto that. I just try to stay focused and every day as much as I can. I think that’s why this team is so good: everyone’s not thinking too much every moment.”

“So, it was really cool to get to play a little role and then sit back and learn and watch everyone go about their business.”

Star catcher Will Smith returned to his starting duties through Game 3 of the NLDS, moving Roortvedt to the backup role he was accustomed to. But it was the hairline fracture Smith suffered in his right hand (which wasn’t diagnosed until a few weeks later) on September 3 that led to Rortvedt’s recall from Triple-A in the first place. Two days later, Dalton Rushing, a top prospect, fouled a ball off leg and left the game, suddenly leaving Roortvedt as the next man behind the plate.

Rortvedt’s first start for the Dodgers came on September 6 at Camden Yards. He caught Yoshinobu Yamamoto when he came close to throwing a no-hitter against the Orioles. Two nights later against the Rockies, he was behind the plate when Tyler Glasnow and Blake Treinen held a combined hit in the ninth inning.

“How it all happened was crazy,” said Rortvedt, who also hit some big hits along the way despite the lack of fame with his bat. “It happened really, really fast. I just tried to do my best and stay as present as I could and it ended up working out well. You don’t learn a lot when you’re not in the middle of the fire. I was kind of thrown into it. It was a lot in a short amount of time, but it was really cool, and I’m grateful.”

Somewhat surprisingly, Rortvedt was learning from the Dodgers how to pitch personnel quickly — and not just any employee. He was batting together Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Clayton Kershaw, Yamamoto, and Glasnow, a stacked rotation full of established stars.

Rortvedt returned for the 2023 season with the Yankees, when he essentially turned into Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher during the second half of his Cy Young campaign.

“He made me a much better play-caller, game-caller, game-scheme, how to navigate the lineup, how to navigate the ball game or prepare,” Rortvedt said. “I came here and had an understanding of how to respect older guys or how they might want to present or what to expect from people. It’s been really great. It’s made me so much better that I’m really grateful.”

The trade that brought Rortvedt to the Yankees on the eve of spring training in 2022, along with Isiah Keener-Faleeva and Josh Donaldson from the Twins, was mostly a flop. But in a twist of fate, either Rortvedt or Keener-Faleeva (now with the Blue Jays) will get a World Series ring this year after playing well in their roles. (Donaldson, meanwhile, is out of the game entirely, although he threw out the first pitch here before Game 2 of the ALCS.)

“Ben was an unsung hero,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the NL wild-card series. “Just coming in here trying to replace an All-Star, he has confidence in pitchers. He’s a server first. He receives well. He throws well. He just understands who he is as a hitter. … He’s been great.”