Dodgers Dedicate Two World Series Legacy Projects in Pasadena

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Major League Baseball brought the spirit of the World Series to Pasadena on Tuesday morning — not with bats and gloves, but with hammers, nails, and gratitude.

Under a bright autumn sky at Pasadena Fire Station 37, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred joined city leaders, firefighters, and school officials to unveil two

“MLB Together World Series Legacy Projects” — one honoring first responders, the other aimed at helping young people heal from last year’s devastating wildfires.

The first project, a full renovation of Fire Station 37’s aging common areas, provides what Pasadena Deputy Fire Chief Tim Sell called “a much-needed refresh for a 70-year-old home.” The project replaced worn floors, modernized the kitchen and lounge, and created outdoor spaces designed for rest and recovery between 24-hour shifts.

“This station is our home,” Sell told the crowd, flanked by uniformed firefighters. “These improvements give us the space to recharge so we can keep serving our community. We are forever grateful to Major League Baseball, the Dodgers, and the Dodgers Foundation for making this possible.”

For the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF), the renovation is part of a broader effort to invest in public safety and community wellness — values that have taken on new meaning since the Eaton and Palisades fires tore through the region earlier this year.

The second legacy project, unveiled simultaneously, will transform the John Muir High School Mental Wellness Center, which serves hundreds of students and families still coping with fire-related trauma. The new center will feature expanded counseling rooms, upgraded furnishings, and private meeting areas intended to make mental health care more accessible and less stigmatized.

Dr. Lawton Gray, principal of John Muir High, spoke with emotion about the toll the Eaton Fire took on his students.

“Of our 1,200 students, more than 350 were displaced, and 178 lost their homes,” he said. “They came to the Wellness Center because they had nowhere else to turn. This renovation ensures they’ll have a safe, restorative space for years to come.”

Dodgers executive vice president Bob Wolfe, a Pasadena resident, recalled watching fire trucks stream up the foothills as the blazes raged.

“The way this community mobilized was inspiring,” he said. “It’s an honor for us to give something back to the people who were on the front lines — both the firefighters and the families they protect.”

Since January, LADF has distributed more than 1.5 million meals, 625,000 essential items, and refurbished two baseball fields at Altadena’s Loma Alta Park as part of its wildfire recovery work.

The morning ceremony, emceed by Dodgers team reporter Kirsten Watson, concluded with a ribbon cutting attended by Manfred, LADF CEO Nichol Whiteman, and April Brown, MLB’s senior vice president for social responsibility.

“This is what the World Series is really about,” Brown said. “It’s about legacy — not just in baseball, but in the communities that make this game matter.”