Why former Dodger Justin Turner is playing for the Tijuana Toros
TIJUANA — Justin Turner did not wear the correct jersey one day, and now he would pay for his sin. His teammates formed two lines, one facing the other. Turner snaked through the gauntlet, as his teammates playfully slapped and shoved him around. Turner is 41, an All-Star and World Series champion, one of the most beloved players in Dodgers history. Yet there he was on a gloomy Saturday afternoon in a 50-year-old stadium in Tijuana, subjecting himself to a mashup of a kangaroo court and a hazing ritual, three hours before he would play in a uniform with six advertisements on the jersey and four more on the pants. “Justin doesn’t have to be here,” said former major leaguer Roberto Kelly, the manager of the Tijuana Toros. “He doesn’t need this to continue his life.” For the first time in 17 years, Turner is not playing in the major leagues. No team wanted him. In Tijuana, whether he decides to end his career here or elsewhere, he has nurtured a special bond with his son and …
