John Lindsey’s life is a baseball movie. He is a symbol of what happens when you never give up on a dream.

 

After 16 seasons of riding buses in the minor leagues, living out of a suitcase and seeing others get their chances, Lindsey’s perseverance paid off.

 

First Major League at-bat, then first start, then first hit. For Lindsey, it must have felt like a lifetime.

 

“It’s truly a blessing to be out here,” said Lindsey. “I know where I’m coming from and where I’ve been to get here. So I’m just enjoying it. I believed it would happen sooner or later.”

 

Lindsey got the call that he would be brought up to the Dodgers on Sept. 5 by Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti. Prior to that, the 33-year-old first baseman played 1,571 games in the minor leagues.

 

The journey began in 1995 after he was drafted by the Colorado Rockies. Some 15 years later, he finally stepped into the batter’s box.

 

On Sept. 9, in front of family and friends, he pinch-hit in the top of the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. He flew out. Two days later in Houston, he got his first start and went 0-for-3. On Sept. 12, he finally got that first hit. Pinch-hitting again against the Astros, Lindsey singled in the fifth inning.

 

“It was awesome,” said Lindsey. “It was a breaking ball, and I saw it. I wanted to be ready when I got something to hit, and it was there and I put a good swing on it. It fell in for me.”

 

It wasn’t a home run or a game-winning hit — the kind of thing you’d see in a movie — but it was real. And finally, after everything he’s been through, his dream became reality.