PASADENA, Calif. — Deputy Fire Chief Tim Sell walked into Pasadena Fire Station 37, and as he took in the brand new sleeping quarters, kitchen, recreational room and patio, all he could think to himself was, “This is awesome.”
“This is our home,” Sell said. “And it offers a chance, when the firefighters come back, to have a respite. And for a station that’s 70 years old, a little update was definitely warranted and greatly appreciated.”
The renovated historic fire station was one of two MLB Together World Series Legacy Projects unveiled in Pasadena on Tuesday morning as part of the 2025 World Series Legacy initiative between Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation.
The other part of the community renovation project included a revitalization of the John Muir High School Wellness Center, which provides counseling and mental health resources for students and families affected by the Eaton Fire in January. Muir also happens to be the alma mater of Jackie Robinson, who grew up in Pasadena.
“I think for those of us who live on the other coast, you see it on TV, but it’s hard to imagine what these fires were like,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said at the podium during the unveiling ceremony. “And it’s also hard to comprehend the tireless effort and acts of bravery that people like you engaged in in order to help the community. So we really, truly thank you for your service.”
Muir principal Lawton Gray describes the school’s Wellness Center as a refuge for his students, especially those who lost their homes or were displaced due to the Eaton Fire, which destroyed over 9,000 structures — 6,116 of which were residential — and killed at least 17 people in what became the fifth-deadliest and second-most destructive wildfire in California history.
Whenever the students have needed a moment to decompress or feel better about themselves, the Wellness Center is where they go.
“We’re in for a marathon,” Sell said. “The rebuilding, what this community endured, isn’t gonna be fixed in a month, two months, a year. It’s going to be several years for this community, and that’s really what true resiliency is to me. How you bounce back, and how you approach that bounceback. We’re in for a marathon, but we’re here to support the community.”
The message Gray wants to drive home is to tell his students that they’re not forgotten. Disasters happen. Things, and people, go away. But he hopes that the new and improved Wellness Center can be something that stays for a long time.
“There may be something else that’s going to occur in someone’s life,” Gray said. “Someone’s going to need this space, and it’s going to be there for them.”
Both projects came together quickly, as they can’t be decided on until both teams playing in the World Series have clinched. MLB begins prepping the work with clubs throughout the postseason, and on the Dodgers’ side, they already knew they wanted to keep building on the work they’ve done in the community all year.
In 2025, the Dodgers Foundation has provided over 1.5 million meals, 4,200 educational resources and 600,000 basic essentials to families affected by the wildfires. They built two new Dodgers Dream Fields at Alta Loma Park and in Altadena.
“I come from communities that needed a lot of support,” said Nichol Whiteman, CEO of the Dodgers Foundation. “Nonprofit organizations and individuals supported me throughout my life, and I know that’s why I stand here. … So to continue to be able to pay that forward on a day-to-day basis, using this platform that is the Dodgers to provide that access and that opportunity and those resources to marginalized communities, it means everything.”
And for people like Gray and Sell, who have experienced the impacts of the fires firsthand, the Dodgers have also provided a source of hope on the field, as well.
Just under 11 hours before the ceremony on Tuesday morning, Gray was watching Game 3 of the World Series at dinner with his wife, but they left as their table had a two-hour time limit. When they got home, the game was still going. They watched the rest of what would end up being a six-hour, 39-minute game — the longest in World Series history — until Freddie Freeman walked it off for the Dodgers with a home run in the 18th inning.
“It’s a special thing for the community,” he said. “Seeing what this community has gone through — and it’s not just us. It’s Altadena. It’s Palisades. It’s everywhere in Southern California as a whole — what we’ve gone through this last year. It’s awesome when your local team is excelling and playing with the heart of a champion.”
