Dodgers’ Matt Beaty joins Walker Buehler with grand tornado relief gesture

When Tennesseeans found themselves at the mercy of a natural disaster, the Los Angeles Dodgers answered the call.

Of course, it helps when there are a few prominent Dodgers stars who haven’t forgotten their Tennessee (or Kentucky) roots and can help rally the cause.

First, Walker Buehler entered the fray. After devastation reigned in the wake of tornadoes that leveled several communities, Buehler donated a set of expensive bourbons from his personal collection (as well as an autographed jersey) to a charity auction.

We also can’t forget that Nashville’s own Mookie Betts stepped in and paid the Kroger bill for a number of Tennessee shoppers last spring, when COVID-19 was devastating the region (in addition to several more tornadoes). Fun time to be alive.

As we approach the Christmas holiday, plenty of Tennesseeans are very much still in need of something that goes beyond holiday cheer. That’s why slugger Matt Beaty and his wife Jesica have stepped forward to create a recovery fund, targeted specifically at their hometown of Dresden.

Dodgers’ Matt Beaty and Jesica Beaty raising money for Tennessee tornado victims.

It won’t be a merry Christmas, but thanks to the Beatys, we can at least get back on the right track.

Beaty’s story, shared above, is heartbreaking. As a kid, he was raised on the myth that because Dresden is situated on a hill, it was destined to always be missed by incoming tornadoes. Tragically, in the wake of the latest round of devastation, Beaty was unable to connect with his wife Jesica’s parents or grandparents, and knew something was different this time.

The video above details the devastation, but the Beatys’ story helps to provide a relatable depressing local angle on the tragedy. Their favorite pizza place is gone. Their local newspaper is gone. Any semblance of the infrastructure that typically represents “home” is gone. Countless lives have been affected, forever changed, or far worse.

Now, the Beaty family is doing their part to ensure they can at least take care of those less fortunate, and start to rebuild. If you’d like to donate even a small portion, the link is below:

Beaty and Buehler have proven themselves to have hearts of gold in recent weeks, no matter what the right-hander’s inexplicable trolls had to say about his participation.

It will be a long winter in Dresden and the surrounding area, but that doesn’t mean these Dodgers stars will stop fighting for the places that nurtured them.

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