I grew up about 40 miles south of Quito. I finished school in Quito because there was no high school in the town where I was born, Cayambe. I became interested in radio when I was 15 years old. A cousin of mine was a very well-known radio announcer in Quito, and he would take me to the radio station with him, and I fell in love with the microphone. I was always a very good reader. So then I took a six-month course on announcing, and I won a contest to work at HCJB, the Voice of the Andes, a very, very powerful radio station in Ecuador. I started working there when I was 16 years old. Then I became the announcer for the National Congress of Ecuador, the Senate, and I did that for three years.

HCJB is a radio station owned by an American organization, so there were many English-speaking people there. The American consulate in Quito used to come to the station quite often, and we became friends. And one day—half-seriously, half-kidding—I told him I wanted to come to the United States. He said, 'Come and see me,' so I went to see him, and 24 hours later I had my visa as a permanent resident. I came to Los Angeles because I knew there was a large Spanish-speaking community here.

I came to L.A. on June 24, 1955, and I started looking for work in radio, but there was only one radio station in Spanish in those days, KWKW. I went there and applied for a job, but there were no openings, so I started working in a factory, doing physical work for about six months, and I kept going back to the station. Finally, in December of '55, I was able to get a part-time job at the station. In a few months they gave me more time, more time, more time. Finally, I had a full-time job. By 1958, when the Dodgers moved to the West Coast, I was the news and sports director.

I didn't see any baseball in Ecuador, because in Guayaquil they play a little bit, but in Quito baseball is not known at all. So when I came to this country, I saw people around TV sets and radio sets, watching and listening to the World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Yankees. And I said to myself, that must be a great sport, because there are so many people so intensely watching this game.

So I started going to the games in Los Angeles. We had two Triple-A teams, the Hollywood Stars and the Angels. They used to play at Gilmore Field and the Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. I started going on Saturdays and Sundays to watch, without knowing that eventually the Dodgers would move to the West Coast. So the Dodgers move to the West Coast, and I knew some baseball, and one day the owner of the radio station, Mr. William Beaton, called all employees to his office to let us know that he has signed a contract to do the Dodger games in Spanish.

He said they needed two announcers, and looking at me, he said "I want you to be one of the announcers." I said, "Mr. Beaton, thank you very much, but I think I'm not ready to be in front of the microphone and call a game." I was already doing boxing every Thursday night, and I was very successful doing boxing. He said, "You know, you have talent for doing sports," and I said, "Yes, I know, but give me some time." He said, "Okay, but next year I want you to be with the Dodgers." So he took me to meet Mr. Walter O'Malley, and by 1959 I was ready, and I was hired, and here I am 50 years later still doing the baseball games.

What was it like learning baseball as an adult? Did you find it difficult to catch on at first?

Of course, everything is difficult at the beginning, but after a while I caught on and it wasn't too difficult. I had the ability to do it, and it was a matter of knowing the game. So I started studying. In 1958 I started reading every book about baseball, and listening to every game, and watching. In those days there was only one game on TV, on Saturday, that was it. So I listened on the radio. That's how I started.

What has your relationship with Vin Scully been like over the years?

I don't have enough words to say what he has meant to me and my career. He has been, really, the greatest helper I have ever had. It was a blessing to have him next to me. At the beginning, we didn't travel with the team. We used to recreate the games, the first six or seven years we didn't travel with the team. So we used to have a line between the city where they were and the radio station. We used to go to the station's studio to do the game. We had cartridges with sound effects for a single, for a double, for a triple, for a home run… So we used to hear Vin and Jerry Doggett doing the game and we would translate simultaneously. [Other teams] used to recreate the games for years before that, but they were always at least half an inning or an inning behind. But in our case, we weren't behind, we were right there calling balls and strikes simultaneously. When there was a difficult play like a triple with men on base, then we had to wait until the play was over to come up with the narration, so it was difficult.

Vin was very, very helpful to us. He knew that we didn't have all the materials we needed, so before each game he was very kind—he didn't have to do this—but he was very kind to give us the lineup in advance, because when they gave it on the air it was too fast and you couldn't get the lineup. So he would take the time to say, 'OK, Jaime, here's the lineup,' and he would give me additional information about the weather, the possibility of a rainout, the attendance, things like that. He was extremely nice. Then when I started traveling with the team, we became very, very good friends. Quite often, we have a night off and we'll be dining together, myself, Vin, and the traveling secretary, Billy DeLury. So he has been my inspiration, he has been my mentor, he has been my teacher, my friend. He has meant so much to me. It has been very, very special.

Now you and he are the two longest-tenured broadcasters in all of baseball. Did you ever see that coming when you first started?

To be honest with you, I never dreamed I would stay this long. You know, I was doing boxing, and I was very successful. I was doing lots of boxing championship fights from all over the world, especially for Argentinian television. I did the Thrilla in Manila from Manila between Muhammad Ali and Frazier, I did fights from Rome, from Monte Carlo, from Milan. I think I've done between 40 and 50 championship fights. When I started doing baseball, I thought it would probably be a matter of six, seven, eight, 10 years at the most and then I would move to something else. Spanish TV was coming on in the '60s. I think Channel 34 in Los Angeles came on the air in 1963 or '64. So I thought probably I would move to television or something like that.

It never, never crossed my mind that I would last this long with the Dodgers. But I fell in love with the game, and I still feel privileged to be doing what I love to do, and to have the best seat in the house, and to be treated with respect. I respect everybody and they respect me, and so there has been no problem at all. The Dodgers have been great, from Mr. O'Malley to Fox and now the McCourts, they have been wonderful to me. So why change? I am a very steady person. I was with KWKW for almost 51 years. I have been with the Dodgers for 50 years. I've lived in the same house for 43 years. I've been married to the same woman for 50-plus years. So I've been steady. If I like something, I stay with that, and it has really been a blessing to be with the Dodgers all this time.

In 1981, you started serving as Fernando's interpreter. How did that come about?

When Fernando came to the major leagues in 1980, he became very, very well-known, not in '81 but in '80, when he came to the majors and pitched in the last series of the season against the Astros and did so well. In my book that's when Fernandomania started, not in 1981 but in 1980 with that series against the Astros. Then 1981 came along, and he had to be the starting pitcher in the first game because Jerry Reuss was hurt and Burt Hooton wasn't able to go to the mound. So they chose Fernando to start the game and he was so successful at the beginning that the press was all around him. It was very, very difficult for him because he couldn't speak any English.

The first game, I think it was Manny Mota or somebody else who helped translate his words for the press after the game because I was doing the game upstairs. But for his second start, Fred Claire approached me and said, "Jaime, I would appreciate it very much if you could help Fernando at his press conferences because you work for the Dodgers, you're with him everywhere, you're traveling with the team. So could you help him?" And I said fine, great. So when he was pitching I would leave the booth in the eighth inning and go down to the clubhouse to help him. That happened in Los Angeles and in every city where we were playing.

How long did that go on for?

That went on for, I think, about two years. Then he started speaking English and there was no need for me to be helping him.

What was your impression of his impact on the Dodgers and on the game of baseball?

Oh, that was an unbelievable thing. It was something sensational. I honestly think that we will never see a year like 1981 again. The impact that he had, not only in Los Angeles, but everywhere, was unbelievable. Being in Chicago, Montreal, New York, Houston… oh, it was a madhouse. Dodger Stadium was always sold out when he was pitching. I think he opened the doors for so many Latinos to come to the major leagues, because they saw this kid who didn't speak the language, and who was very young, become so successful.

I think he is the player who probably created more new baseball fans than any other player, because so many Mexicans, Central Americans, and South Americans who didn't care much about baseball, became interested in the sport because of Fernando. The impact that he had was unbelievable. He helped us very much, because thanks to him, we were able to create a very large radio network in Mexico. In Mexico we had almost 60 stations covering our games in every corner of Mexico. We became very successful because of that. Whenever Fernando was pitching, we had an audience in the millions.

I grew up in El Paso, and I was four years old in 1981. I think within the next year or two, the Dodgers had a radio affiliate there, but it wasn't an English-language broadcast. It was in Spanish—it was you. I'd listen to the games at night, even though I didn't speak Spanish fluently. That's how I got to listen to Dodger games as a kid, because Fernando was so popular.

Yeah, because of Fernando, it happened to you, and it happened to thousands and thousands. I was invited to speak to Spanish classes at UCLA, at USC, because all of a sudden they were very interested in our culture and everybody wanted to be bilingual and learn some Spanish. It was really amazing. So many Anglos started listening to us because they wanted to polish their Spanish, or they wanted to learn some Spanish, and that was a very good way to do it.

What are your thoughts on the growth of the Dodgers' Latino fan base over the years since then?

That's one thing that I am very proud of. I think we planted the seeds, and we are now seeing the results of that. When I started doing baseball in 1959, the Latino fans coming to the Coliseum were probably six to eight percent. Now at Dodger Stadium, the Latino attendance at Dodger Stadium is between 38 and 40 percent. Thirty-eight to 40 percent! The same thing goes for cities like San Diego, Houston, Miami, Chicago, New York. The Dodgers were the first organization to have bilingual coverage on a regular basis. So we were the first ones to do it, and I think because of our success, some other ball clubs started respecting the Hispanic market in the United States, particularly here in Southern California.

What's your favorite thing about Los Angeles?

The weather! The weather is unbelievable. I love it.

Who was your favorite player to watch over the years?

Well, at the beginning, it was Roberto Clemente, even though I didn't get to see him much because he was with the Pirates, but he was in the National League. He was really something to see. His presence… it was amazing. His way of playing, hitting, and throwing was a delight to see. He was my first idol.

On the Dodgers, not an idol, exactly, but the player I liked the most when I was first starting was Willie Davis. He was extremely nice to me. He knew that I was very green, he knew that I was very young, so he took me under his wing and he helped me a lot. He was very special to me. And Don Drysdale, also, was an extremely nice person. Later on, of course, we became colleagues when he started doing the television for the Dodgers. We became very good friends also. And then, of course, Fernando Valenzuela, who is now working with me. I admire him as a ballplayer and also as a person. He has taken advantage of the opportunity that he had, he's invested his money very well, he's a very decent person. He's a gentleman all the way. And as a ballplayer he was really very special.

What's it like working with him now, and were you disappointed that for many years he didn't want to be associated with the team?

You know, Fernando will always be a very special friend of mine because I have been with him from the very beginning. The first game he pitched was in Atlanta and the first batter he faced was the catcher, Bruce Benedict. He hit a fly ball to center field. So I have been with him all the time that he was with the Dodgers, then he left the Dodgers and he didn't want to be associated with the Dodgers until Derrick Hall was able to convince him to come back. I don't know the reasons why he was away, but I was very pleased when he decided to come back to us because he is so, so well-liked in Los Angeles. He's so popular. It's amazing, really. That's why he doesn't stay until the end of the game. He leaves in the eighth inning because if he leaves when everybody's leaving he'll be mobbed and he won't be able to leave the stadium. It's been great to have him with me. I saw him when he was a player, and now he's starting another facet of his career with me also.

He always seemed very shy. Has he overcome that as a broadcaster?

He's always been shy. He's still very shy. He is some type of an introvert. He doesn't like the spotlight on him, and he's a very reserved person. He's more vocal now. He has improved in that regard. He just started with us—well, five years ago. Time flies. He was really very nervous. But little by little he's been opening, opening, opening, and now he's more relaxed. He's doing a very solid job.

Of all the games you've called over the years, which was the most memorable, or what was your favorite call that you've made?

The perfect games are always very unique. I did the perfect game by Sandy Koufax, the perfect game by Tom Browning of the Reds against the Dodgers, and another perfect game by Dennis Martinez against the Dodgers. … Those games are really special. And the no-hitter by Ramon Martinez also. And of course, the game in 1988, the Gibson home run in the first game of the World Series, that's very special to me. And more recently, the game that we had two years ago against the Padres when the Dodgers hit four home runs in a row to tie the game, and then Garciaparra hit another home run in the 10th inning to win it. That game was really unbelievable.

The perfect games were very exciting in the eighth and ninth innings, and the same with the four-home-run game. And when Hershiser had his streak of innings, when he erased Drysdale's record, those games were unbelievable. The entire '88 year, Hershiser had a year that… my goodness. Very few people will match that. He won the Cy Young Award, he set the record for scoreless innings… he even helped win a game in relief against the Mets. So that entire year was great for Hershiser. And he is one of my favorite, favorite players.

Do you remember the words you used to describe Gibson's home run?

To be honest with you, no, I don't remember. I did exactly what I always do, but probably I was more excited. But I don't remember anything in particular.

I know you used to cover other news events. What were some of the most memorable things you covered?

When I came to the United States I started doing news on KWKW. I was able to create a complete news department at the station, and I did the special events. I was the first one to go to Mexico to broadcast the grito ceremony on the night of September 16 from the national palace there. I was at Shea Stadium when the Pope came for the first time to America. I was with President Johnson when the United States gave a piece of land along the border, the Chamizál, to Mexico. I attended the meetings between President Díaz Ordaz of Mexico and Richard Nixon in Puerto Vallarta, then another one in Coronado, California. I was also able to attend the meetings between President López Mateos of Mexico and Lyndon Johnson in Los Angeles. Then I was assigned to cover the funeral of President Kennedy from Washington. That was the most challenging job I have ever done, because in 1963 when I was assigned to go to Washington, my English was extremely limited, and I didn't know anybody in Washington. It was very cold, I arrived there without knowing anybody, and I was able to cover the funeral from the cathedral and from Arlington Cemetery. That was a very difficult job to do, and also the most exciting job I have ever done. I got invited to the White House three times. Twice by Nixon, and once with Fernando to lunch with Presidents Reagan and López Portillo of Mexico. So I had a very exciting career in news before I dedicated myself full-time to sports.

When did you start doing sports exclusively?

I went full time with sports… oh, probably in 1974.

Do you have any regrets about that?

I have always been a journalist, and I loved that. Sometimes I miss it, but I don't regret leaving it in favor of baseball because, you know, I'm a very practical person. When the kids started to grow up and they were in high school and getting ready to go to college, I had to improve my income. And doing news, I was getting the union scale, plus a bonus because I was news director of the station, but that's it. No other way to make more money, and in sports it's wide open. Then I fell in love with baseball and I said this is my cup of tea, and I decided to leave the news. Also, the news was more difficult for me because of all the traveling.

How old were you when you learned English, and how difficult was it for you?

When I was in Ecuador, I took English in school for eight years, and I thought I knew some English before coming to this country. But when I got here, I was lost, to be honest with you. It's so different, you know, to learn English in this country compared to school over there. It was very difficult. So my advice to anyone who wants to come to this country is to really hit the English and try to learn as much as possible because that's the main barrier that we have, those of us who come here as immigrants.

Yet now you speak it well enough that you could broadcast in English.

No, no, no, I don't speak it well. My problem is that I speak Spanish all day long. I spoke it at home because I wanted my children to be bilingual, and thank God they are. And then I speak Spanish in my job all the time. If you want to learn a language, you have to isolate yourself from your own language. Go someplace where nobody speaks your language. Then you will be able to learn. So it's very difficult, and I tried to do my best. That's why I don't do any work in English. They have offered me jobs doing English, and I said no, no, no, no. I prefer doing Spanish because I like to be perfect in my work, and I don't command the English language the way I should in order to be in front of a microphone.

Any final thoughts?