At the request of one of our readers, I shall endeavor to bring back some not so good, and some good moments in Dodger history, the close, but not close enough games, and the ones where we snatched victory from defeat. And we will go back a few years to do so, and bring back some good, and not-so-good memories.
The Dodgers won pennants in 1916 and 1920. They played Babe Ruth’s Red Sox in 16, and the Cleveland Indians in 20. They lost both series but were never really close to clinching in any of the games. Memorable moments were the beginning of Ruth’s world series record scoreless inning streak, and an unassisted triple play pulled off by Indians’ second baseman, Bill Wambsganss. That happened in Cleveland’s 8-1 win in game 5. They won the series 5-2. For the next 21 years, Brooklyn was mostly a second-division team. They at times had good players, but not very good teams.
In 1941, led by Leo Durocher and their star CF, Pete Reiser, they won the pennant by 2 1/2 games over the Cardinals. The Yankees won the series 4-1, but there was a very pivotal play in game 4. With 2 outs in the 9th, no one on base, Hugh Casey threw a pitch that Tommy Henrich swung at and missed, but the ball got by Mickey Owen the catcher and opened the door for the Yanks who capitalized and scored 4 9th inning runs and won 7-4. Had that not happened the Series would have been tied. Instead, the Yankees were up 3-1 and ended the series the next game.
In 1946, the Dodgers tied the Cardinals for the pennant, and the first-ever playoff was held. They had lost 4-0 to the Braves on the last day of the regular season, had they won that game, they would have won the pennant by 1/2 game. They had a tie, and they ended up playing 157 games including the 2 playoff games. They lost both, and the Cardinals went to the series.
The first dagger to the heart came in game 155 in 1950. Playing Philadelphia’s Whiz Kids, the Dodgers were a game back, playing the Phil’s at Ebbets Field. Robin Roberts against Don Newcombe. The teams battled for 9 innings to a 1-1 tie. In the top of the 10th, the Phil’s got 2 runners on. With 1 out, Dick Sisler, son of Hall of Famer, George Sisler, hit a 3 run shot over the left-field wall to put the Phillies up 4-1. Brooklyn had no answer in the bottom of the 10th, and the Phillies went to their first Series. They would be swept by the Yankees.
1951, Dodgers cruising. On August 11th, the Dodgers were ahead of the second-place Giants by 13 games. What happened after that led to the playoffs against the Giants. New York got red hot. The Dodgers would go 26-22 over their last 48 games. The Giants caught them on September 28th when they lost to the Phillies, then they won the last 2 games of the year, but so did the Giants.
Game 1 of the playoffs was at Ebbets Field and the Dodgers lost behind Ralph Branca 3-1. Of note was a 4th inning 2 run HR he gave up to Giants 3rd baseman, Bobby Thompson. Game 2 at the Polo Grounds was not even close as Brooklyn clubbed the Giants 10-0 behind Labine. Game 3 at the Polo Grounds, Brooklyn scored in the first and the Giants tied it in the bottom of the 7th. In the 8th, the Dodgers scored 3 runs off of Sal Maglie. Newcombe got the Giants out in the 8th. The Dodgers went down without a run in the 9th, and the Giants came to bat.
The Giants quickly got a runner on, Alvin Dark. The Dodgers, were not playing for the double play, and Don Mueller singled to right.. Irvin made an out, then Whitey Lockman doubled off the wall sending Mueller to 3rd and scoring Dark. Mueller when he slid, hurt his ankle, and Clint Hartung ran for him. Dressen went out and pulled Newcombe from the game. He had two pitchers warming up, Carl Erskine and Ralph Branca. Both pitchers were ready, but Erskine had just bounced a curve in the dirt, so Dressen opted for Branca. Willie Mays was the on-deck hitter and had struck out 3 times against Branca in game 1. But Dressen opted for Branca to pitch to Thompson. Branca’s first pitch was a strike. Then he threw a fastball on the inner half that Thompson sent over the short left-field wall winning the pennant for the Giants. It was a dark day in Flatbush.
In 52 and 53 they went to the series losing both times to the Yankees. But the 52 series was not without drama. In Game 7, the Yanks were leading 4-2 in the 7th inning. The Dodgers loaded the bases with one out. Stengel replaced Vic Raschi with lefty Bob Kuzava. Kuzava got Snider out. Two outs Jackie Robinson at the plate. The runners took off and Robinson hit a pop up to the right of the mound, Kuzava hesitated, but Billy Martin charged in hard from his position at 2nd base and caught the ball at his shoe tops. Had it dropped, the game would have either been tied or all 3 runners would have scored. Kuzava then shut the Dodgers down in the 8th and 9th and the Yankees won their 4th series in a row. They would do it again in 53 for 5 straight.
The biggest moment in 1955 came in game 7 of the World Series, and it was not a hit, but a fielding gem that saved the day. In the 6th inning, the Yankees had 2 runners on base with one out. Yogi Berra was the hitter. Yogi slashed a ball down the left-field line at Yankee Stadium. It looked like a sure double, but Sandy Amoros, who had replaced Jim Gilliam in left field raced over stuck out his glove, and caught the ball. He then turned and fired the ball to Pee Wee Reese who relayed it to Gil Hodges and Hodges tagged Gil McDougald out before he could get back to first.
3 innings later, Elston Howard grounded a ball to Pee Wee who threw him out and the Dodgers won 2-0 behind Podres. Thus earning their first World title. Hodges drove in both runs with a single and a sac fly. The next season they would win the pennant again. But their time in Brooklyn was winding down. Unable to get a new stadium built in Brooklyn, owner Walter O’Malley moved the team west after the 1957 season. Major league baseball on the west coast began.
1958 was a down season. They would finish 7th. The team was getting old. Jackie had retired, Campy was paralyzed in a car accident in January. Snider, Hodges, Gilliam, Reese, Erskine were all still there. Newcombe was not the same guy, and he would be traded to the Reds. There was some new blood coming, but they were not much help. And they played in a converted football stadium, so the dimensions were crazy. 251 feet to the left-field screen which was 30 feet high. The right-field fence was 390 away, bad news for Snider. Centerfield was about 410.
If they were going to contend in 1959, they would need an influx of new talent. They got some solid years from their vets, and contributions from a couple of players acquired in trade, most notably, Wally Moon. Maury Wills took over at SS mid-season. Reese had retired, and Zimmer was playing very badly. At the end of the season, they were tied with the 58 pennant winner, the Milwaukee Braves. So for the third time in their history, there would be a playoff. Game 1 was in Milwaukee and they won 3-2 with Larry Sherry getting the win. Game 2 was at the coliseum.
The Braves were leading 5-2 going into the 9th. But the Dodgers got off of the mat and tied the game with 3 in the 9th. Stan Williams came in and pitched the 10th, 11th, and 12th innings allowing only 3 walks. In the bottom of the 12, Bob Rush, the Braves pitcher got 2 quick outs. But then he walked Hodges and Pignatano singled. Carl Furillo came to the plate. He had entered the game earlier and was playing right field. Furillo hit a grounder up the middle that was fielded by Braves SS, Felix Mantilla. Mantilla hurried his throw to first, but it sailed past Adcock and Hodges scored from second sending the Dodgers to their first series in LA. Furillo was credited with a single and an RBI.
We have discussed the events of 1962 numerous times, so I will not rehash them again. Needless to say, another heartbreaking playoff loss. 63 and 65 Championship years, 66 a pennant winner, but no drama at all in the Series as they get swept.
A few down years followed. Koufax and Big D retired, all of the former Brooklyn players were gone. New GM after Bavasi left for San Diego. New kids in the system. And the draft in 68 would yield a ton of future stars. From 67-69 the team finished in the second division. In 1970, they finished 2nd, 14.5 games out. In 1971, they finished 1 game back of the Giants. They won 5 of their last 6 but only picked up 1 of the 2 games they needed to tie the Giants.
They finished second again in 72 and 73 before cracking through and winning the Division and the Pennant in 1974. They beat the Pirates 3 games to 1 in the playoffs, and of course, lost the series to the A’s 4 games to 1. 1975 and 76 belonged to the Big Red Machine and the closest they got was a 10 game deficit in 1976.
Alston retired, Lasorda took over, and for the next 2 years, the NL West was their domain. They won 193 games and lost 131 in those 2 seasons. Beating the Reds by 10 games in 77 and 2.5 in 78. In 1979, they finished 3rd, 11.5 games back.
In 1980, Houston led for most of the year. Houston came into LA with a 3 game lead and 3 to play. On the 3rd of October, they went into extra innings and Joe Ferguson hit a walk-off HR with no outs off of Ken Forsch. Valenzuela, a rookie, got the win. The next day, Jerry Ruess pitched a complete game 7 hitter winning 2-1. That set the stage for game 3. The Dodgers had to rally from 3 runs down, and took the lead on Ron Cey’s 2 run blast off of Frank LaCorte in the bottom of the 8th. Steve Howe got the win, but Don Sutton got a save pitching 1/3rd of an inning and the teams were tied. A one-game playoff on Monday, the 6th of October would settle the issue.
The Astros scored 2 before the seats were warm. Dave Goltz, the starter gave up 4, and Rick Sutcliffe 3 more, and the game was basically over by the 5th inning. LA managed one run off of 20 game-winner, Joe Niekro, yeah, Phil’s kid brother.
In strike-shortened 81, the Dodgers had a win against Montreal in the NLCS that was won on a late HR by Rick Monday. They lost the first two games of the 81 series in New York, but won the next 3 in LA, all by one run. Valenzuela won 5-4 with a complete game, then 8-7 with Howe getting the win in relief. Jay Johnstone hit a clutch 2 run HR off of George Frazier to tie the game, they got 2 more off Frazier in the 7th. Jackson hit a solo shot off of Howe in the 8th, but that was it. In Game 5, Jerry Ruess pitched a complete game 5 hitter to beat Louisiana Lightning, Ron Guidry. Both the Dodgers runs were on solo shots, first Guererro, then Steve Yeager’s solo shot was the game-winner. Back in New York, they blasted the Yanks 9-2 for the series win and their 4th title in Los Angeles.
In 1982, they were neck and neck with the Braves, who were still in the West at that time. 1 game back in game 162. They had beaten the Braves and then won 2 against the Giants to get to that point. Since the game was on the West coast, they knew early in the game that the Braves had lost. A win would force a playoff. Bill Laskey started for the Giants, and Fernando went for LA. Fernando allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, striking out 9 but walking 5. Laskey allowed 2 runs on 6 hits, striking out 2 with no walks. The big blow against him was Cey’s 24th HR, a 2 run shot in the 2nd inning.
In the bottom of the 7th inning, Tom Neidenfuer came in for LA. He got one out but allowed 2 hits. Terry Forster came out of the pen, he got his first hitter, then former Reds star, Joe Morgan came to the plate. 2 outs, Forster hung one and Morgan hit it over the RF fence to put the Giants up 5-2. The Dodgers scored 1 more in the 8th, but the Giants had knocked them out of the race.
In 1983 and 1985 they would win the division again, only to lose in the NLCS. First to the Phillies in 83, 3-1. And then a really heartbreaking loss to St Louis in 1985. They won the first two games fairly easily and then lost the next 3 in St. Louis. Game 5 on a walk-off by Ozzie Smith of all people. Then in game 6 in LA, Tommy Lasorda, sticking with Neidenfuer, who had surrendered the Smith blast, chose to pitch to former Giant, and now Cardinal slugger, Jack Clark. The Dodgers were up 5-4. There was an open base, and Andy Van Slyke was on deck. He was also 0-4 in the game at the time. Needless to say, Clark ripped one deep into the left-field seats and the Cardinals won 7-5. Even years later Lasorda would say he would have still pitched to Clark. Me, I would have walked him. He was the one guy you did not want to beat you. It was Clark’s only HR of the series, and he was hitting .381 for the series at the time. Van Slyke was hitting .091.
In 1988, they signed Kirk Gibson as a free agent, and he would go on to have an MVP season. They got great pitching from Orel Hershiser, who won the Cy Young with a 23-8 record. Facing the Mets in the playoffs, it seemed a mismatch. The Mets owned the Dodgers during the season going 10-1 against them. They had Ron Darling, David Cone, Sid Fernandez, and Doc Gooden in their rotation.
They split the first two games in LA. And the Mets won game 3, scoring 5 runs in the 8th to erase a 4-3 lead. Game 4 was started by Doc Gooden. The Dodgers countered with mid-season pick-up, John Tudor. Tudor allowed 4 runs in 5 innings giving up 2 HRs. John Shelby had driven in 2 Dodger runs in the first. Leading 4-2 going into the 9th, Gooden went back out to the mound. Shelby singled, bringing up Mike Scioscia. Scioscia connected for a game-tying HR to deep RF and after getting the next hitter, Gooden was out of the game.
Randy Myers pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless ball and was replaced in the 11th by Roger McDowell. Alejandro Pena pitched the 9th, 10th, and 11th innings not allowing a run. After getting the first two outs, McDowell served up a pitch that Gibson blasted into the Right center field seats and LA led 5-4. Tim Leary came in to pitch the 12th. He got one out, but gave up 2 hits. With the Mets threatening, Orosco came in and got an out. Lasorda then went to his ace, and Orel Hershiser got the last out for a save.
They won game 5, 7-4 behind Belcher. Lost game 6, 5-1 and won game 7, 6-0 behind Hershiser to advance to the Series. We all remember what happened in game 1. Gibson’s walk-off shot against Eckersley. It would be their last World Series for many years.
In 1991, they would finish 1 game back of the Braves. They lost 3 of their last 5 games to finish 1 back after leading by 1 on the 1st of October. After two bad seasons, they were leading the NL West when the strike came in 1994. At that time they were in the midst of their run of 5 straight Rookies of the Year. In another truncated season after the strike was settled, they finished 1st but were knocked out in the NLDS 3-0. In 1996, Lasorda was replaced as Manager mid-season after a heart attack and Bill Russell took over. They lost the NLDS again to the Reds in 3 games.
The managerial carousel started in 1998. Russell was let go and Hoffman took over in the interim. FOX now owned the team and traded Piazza. Davey Johnson took over as the skipper in 99 and Kevin Malone became the new GM. But the results were not good. After 2 years of Johnson, Jim Tracy took over in 2001 and Dave Wallace became the GM. They finished 3rd in 01, 3rd in 02, and 2nd in 03, but they were 15.5 games out. No drama there. Finally, in 2004 they returned to the playoffs winning the West by 2 games. There was some drama though. They were trailing the Giants, 3-0 in the next to last game of the season. In the bottom of the 9th, they scored 7 runs to pull 3 games ahead and clinch the division. Steve Finley, a mid-season pickup hit a walk-off Grand Slam to win it. Again they were punched out in the NLDS 3-1 by the Cardinals. They also had a new owner, one LA fans would come to despise, Frank McCourt.
In 2006 they made the playoffs via the wild card. Grady Little was the new manager, and Ned Colletti had become the GM. Some new blood was filtering into the system and players who would have an impact were being signed and traded for. They got beat again, this time by the Mets, 3-0.
2007 they could not repeat as division champs and after the season, Joe Torre became the manager. In 2008 they won the division, mainly because of a mid-season trade that brought slugger Manny Ramirez to LA. Mannywood became a “THING” and his explosive bat helped LA win. They beat the Cubs in the NLDS and then faced the Phillies in the NLCS. Down 2 games to 1, they were ahead in game 4 in LA, 5-3 going into the 8th. The Phillies scored 4 to take the lead, the last 2 on a 2 run shot by PH Matt Stairs off of Broxton. It was his only at-bat in the series. The next day they lost 5-1 and the series was over.
In 09 they won the division again, and lost to the Phils in the NLCS 4-1 again. 10, 11, and 12 they finished 4th, 3rd, and 2nd. Mattingly had become the manager in 2011. In 2013, they started the run they have been on for the last 8 years, There have been some bumps in the road, a couple of daggers to the heart. Losing Ramirez in the playoffs after being hit by Joe Kelly in 13, Matt Adams 3 run shot off of Kershaw in game 4 of the NLDS when he was cruising through 6 against the Cardinals. Murphy’s 6th inning solo shot in game 5 off Greinke giving the Mets the win.
But the last couple have been feel-good shots, Culberson’s walk-off in Scully’s last broadcast at Dodger Stadium. Walk offs on three straight days in 2019 against the Rockies by 3 rookies, Beaty, Verdugo, and Smith. Smith’s first career HR, a walk-off against the Phillies. Bellinger’s go-ahead and winning shot against the Braves in the NLCS, Kike’s game-tying shot the same game. And finally, Betts solo blast in game 6 of the World Series to put LA up 3-1 and help get them their ring after 30 plus years of waiting.
There you have it, some good and not-so-good endings. Over the years I have been able to see many. And I have seen all 7 of their championships. So that puts me way ahead of long-suffering Cubs fans.
Discussion (38)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Went to bed leading 4-0….woke up to find we win 5-0.
I guess I didn’t miss much….except a Muncy HR. I see our bullpen did a beautiful job, unlike their bullpen. I’m somewhat surprised to see Greene used to close. I guess Doc is thinking the bullpen will be taxed these next two games so try to rest them up as best as you can. Clearly he wanted Jansen to rest another day, perhaps thinking the fresher he is, the stronger pitcher he becomes.
I prefer McKinney over Beaty….much better fielder and there isn’t much difference in their hitting.
Dang Giants win another one run game! Something magical about them this year! Incredible. But I still can’t see them beating us in a seven game series if we’re healthy
Evening Michael
Didn’t know what to make of Greene.
Had some good stuff, and some poor stuff. Much as advertised really.
Not sure I’d want him on the mound with the game on the line.
Great piece again today. Made me reflect how lucky we’ve been these past few years, although losing to the Cheaters seems to hurt more now than at the time.
Arizona fist base Christian Walker seems play for Giants
D Backs score 2 and tie the Giants in the 9th. 2 outs and a new pitcher in for SF. 2 runners on for Marte. Bottom of the 9th, game tied 7-7.
Harper struck out 3 times tonight, and the pitchers struck out 15 tonight. Giants leading Az 7-5 in the 9th. Belli makes a great catch and the Dodgers win! Yea! Giants wearing those ugly City connection uni’s again,
Thanks, Bear… Another post with a wealth of history.
My lived memory begins in the early ’60s when Maury and Sandy became my first baseball heroes. I followed the team on in print, on the radio and TV if possible. I remember only one visit to Dodger Stadium: an absolutely heroic mom (she was pregnant with their seventh child when her husband, a Marine aviator, was killed in training accident) loaded up her VW van with her sons and a few of their pals. As I recall it, Sandy pitched and the game went into extra innings. Given the traffic and long drive ahead, the mom decided we should leave. Over the radio, we heard Vin describe the game-winning hit by Sweet Lou Johnson. (That’s how I remember it, anyway.)
I’m writing this as the Dodgers have must moved out to a 4-0 lead over the Phillies.
How about that Corey Seager?
And Alex Vesia! And more lightning from Trea Turner, and strong play from Will Smith and AJ Pollock.
And now Knebel comes in for his first game in months. And he walks the first batter he faces. And Justin Bruihl starting to warm up. And now Segura gets an infield hit, so two runners on base with no outs. And Bryce Harper coming up, with Realmuto on deck.
Rick Monday says the humidity is at 94%.
If the Dodgers get through this inning with a lead, I’m OK with a thunderstorm.
Love having Trea Turner with us. He’s the 1st true lead off hitter we’ve had since Brett Butler. Trea and Mookie can stir up a lot of misery at the top of the order.
One thing I noticed before the game started was Trea has had his problems with Nola. He’s 7-38 with 14’s. No big deal just an observation so I don’t expect too much from him.
Weather does not look good for over an hour…… looked bad until almost 10est.
What’s up with McKinney getting all of these starts. I’d rather have Beaty in there.
Off topic of today’s game but why does Doc insist on resting a player constantly. We are four games behind the Giants where is the urgency.
Sorry if I sound like I’m bitching but I’m trying to understand the thinking.
That curve Nola has tonight is deadly. They need to jump on that FB over and over and over.
TTurner had it right, just did not connect.
1) Off and on Mookie – have you noticed it’s mostly off and very little on? I am absolutely no doctor, but I have my doubts that Mookie’s hip is going to get better with rest. He’s probably going to need surgery. Maybe the strategy is to play him very little for the rest of the season and then hope to get something from him for the playoffs.
2) JT taking a few days off – should we wonder if that’s going to be more than a few days? Gavin Lux is starting at third base in his rehab game tonight. I don’t think he’s ever played third base.
3) Someone in the Dodger echelon really likes Billy McKinney. Somebody pointed out that old friend Yoshi Tsutsugo has quite a hot bat at OKC these days, including 10 homers in 143 at bats. I realize it’s the PCL, but I think I’d rather see Yosh starting in the outfield instead of Billy. JMO.
1. Not surprised to see Mookie scratched…..this off and on will last all year. Get used to it.
2. Who the heck is Greene? First thought… If pitiful Baltimore discarded him, why do we want him?
3. Glad to see Cody still batting 8th. Reduce pressure is always good for people who are struggling physically and mentally.
4. We definitely need the first game with Scherzer. If we don’t win tonight, we might get swept just like the Mets this weekend. (Price and bullpen are always iffy….never more than a 50% chance with those two.)
5. Go Big Blue!
Hoy inicia la gran aventura de nuestro queridos Dodgers veremos de que están hechos contra un enrachado Phili y los impredecibles Mets, lograremos una gira exitosa siempre y cuando estén concentrados en el juego y ejecuten las jugadas como la situación lo amerite, espero que preparen bien el plan de juego en cada uno de ellos, se comuniquen adecuadamente entre ellos, el lanzador y receptor no se crucen en las señales, los bateadores no se pierdan en el conteo etc… es decir juagar CONCENTRADOS. Estoy optimista, pero ésta gira marcará el destino del equipo por el resto del calendario toda vez que Gigantes y Padres tienen un calendario muy blando esta semana. Una vez más vamos con algunos titulares lesionados esperando que los reemplazantes respondan al llamado.
DODGERS ADD CONNER GREENE TO 26-MAN ROSTER
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers added right-handed pitcher Conner Greene to the active roster and optioned outfielder Zach Reks to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Greene, 26, was claimed yesterday from the Baltimore Orioles after being designated for assignment on August 7. On the season, he is 0-0 with a 14.73 ERA (6 ER/3.2 IP) with five strikeouts in three games. He made his Major League debut on July 27 against the Marlins, tossing 2.0 IP with two strikeouts. In 10 minor league seasons, he is a combined 40-48 with a 4.34 ERA (352 ER/729.2 IP) and 569 strikeouts. The Santa Monica, CA native was originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh round of the 2013 First Year Player Draft out of Santa Monica High School.
Reks,27, has played in six games for the Dodgers this season and is 0-for-10. He has spent the majority of the season in Oklahoma City, batting .312 (62-for-199) with 12 homers and 38 RBI in 53 games. In 309 career minor league games, he has batted a combined .302 (334-for-1107) with 47 homers and 1783 RBI. The Chicago, IL native was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 10th round of the 2017 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Kentucky.
DODGERS ACTIVATE COREY KNEBEL
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers activated right-handed pitcher Corey Knebel and placed right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly on the injured list.
Knebel, 30, has been out of action since being placed on the injured list on April 24 with a right lat strain. He made six rehab appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City, going 0-0 with a 1.59 ERA (1 ER/5.2 IP) and 11 strikeouts. Prior to the injury, he appeared eight games with the Dodgers, going 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA (3 ER/6.0 IP) and nine strikeouts. He is in seventh season in the Major Leagues and he is 7-11 record with 59 saves and a 3.34 ERA (90 ER/242.1 IP) and 345 strikeouts in 247 games. He was acquired from the Brewers in exchange for minor league left-handed pitcher Leo Crawford on December 2, 2020.
Kelly, 33, is 2-0 with a 3.34 ERA (11 ER/29.2 IP) and 35 strikeouts this season. In two seasons with the Dodgers, he is a combined 7-4 with a 3.86 ERA (39 ER/91.0 IP) and 106 strikeouts. He is entering his 10th season in the Major Leagues and is a combined 50-29 with a 3.87 ERA (308 ER/716.1 IP) and 604 strikeouts. The Corona, CA native was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 2009 First Year Player Draft out of UC Riverside.
Surprise! Mookie scratched and replaced by McKinney. Luckily the Phillies aren’t playing well right now.
Doc says he can’t comment on why Kelly is on the IL. That means it’s Covid related.
We’ll be lucky to see Mookie in the lineup for 1/3 of our remaining games.
Well MT, you got the players right, order wrong. B+
Kelly going on the IL takes a little luster out of adding Knebel. It sure is a challenge keeping the players on this team out of the infirmary ward.
Corey Knebel activated. Joe Kelly to the IL.
Scherzer has a 8-1 career record in Citizens Bank Park. Lets hope he keeps that up.
There is a report that says the Dodgers have to call Hamels up by Sept 2 or release him. They have one open spot on the roster, and it will probably go to Knebel later today. Game is at 5:10 my time,
Thank you Jay. I remember watching them on TV when they were in Brooklyn, and the excitement when they moved to LA. 58 was a dim memory, but 1959 was special. Maury Wills and Moon brought new life, Sherry was lights out from the pen, and the Duke of Flatbush hit a HR in the world series. In 2020 when Turner hit his 12th post season HR to set a Dodger record for post season HR’s I could not but think of Snider and how he was my favorite player. Meeting him and getting a signed 8X10 photo at a card show was a highlight of my life.
Bear: What an incredible walk down memory lane. I became a Dodgers fan in 1949 as a 5 year old. We lived in central Jersey and my Grandparents lived in Brooklyn. Every summer my Grandfather would take a week off and I would visit for the week and he and I would go to Ebbets Field every day.
Yes there have been heartbreaks (Bobby Thomson is still the worst for me) but the great moments far outweigh the heartbreaks. My 3 most favorite moments are: 1. Finally winning it all for the 1st time in 1955, 2. Kirk Gibson in 1988, and 3. Sandy Koufax pitching a shutout to win game 7 of the 1965 series on 2 days rest throwing basically only fast balls since his arthritic elbow prevented him from throwing the curve.
Think about how fortunate we are to be Dodgers fans. Except for a very few years, we have always had a great team to root for. We couldn’t have had heartbreaks if that wasn’t the case. I don’t know what the rest of this year holds and I too get extremely frustrated when bad things happen. However, I would recommend we all sit back, enjoy the ride, and continue to be thankful for being a Dodgers fan.
I am looking for us to go on a winning streak. Max with number 3 tonight.
Go Dodgers!
My prediction on tonight’s lineup:
1. Turner 2B
2. Muncy 1B
3. Betts RF
4. Seager SS
5. Smith C
6. Bellinger CF
7. Taylor 3B
8. Pollock LF
Oh Bear, you’ve done it again. What a great historical article on the Dodgers. I know how much you enjoy doing them, but it still takes so much time and research. I just want you to Know that it is really appreciated.
As you know, I get lost in the 50’s often, whether it is baseball, music or just general memories. Your 1951 description made me start thinking. Every baseball fan has heard about “the shot heard ’round the world.” But what gets me more than that is the fact that the Giants were 13 games behind the Dodgers on April 11th and caught them 2 days before the regular season ended. You stated that the Dodgers finished their last 48 games with a 26-22 record. I will assume, for this post, that the Giants also had 48 games remaining. That means that means they had a 39-9 record during those games. Wow!
Today is Aug. 10th and the Dodgers are only 4 games back with 50 games remaining. There should be no doubt in any Dodgers fan’s mind that they are certainly capable of and probably will win their division.
To Mark and all the the writing contributors,I just want to say a huge thank you for this blog.It helps my mind and I enjoy all the readers reply and their perspective and all the personalities.You know we aren’t gonna agree on everything,sorta like a family ,Dodger family.I just wanted to thank you the most Mark for keeping the best blog going.
Just read Molly Knight’s piece. I know a couple in here don’t read her stuff, or much of any stuff really, it’s all msm and fake news, but I think she’s spot on today. Check it out if you find the time.
60’6” is fine. Just lower the mound to 6”, take random ass strike zones out of play and watch what happens.
Bear, another grand slam. You’re fastly becoming Captain Clutch with all these walk offs. I am not as long in the tooth as many on this site. I picked up the Dodgers as I as turning 7 years old in the 74 World Series. So, as I share this walk down memory lane, I tend to focus on the teams I spent a good time following on TV and Radio.
I have so many great memories of the team that featured “The Infield” and of the team that transitioned ownership from the family to the corporation. Both had great players, but neither were as great as their competition. The Big Red Machine in the 70’s and the Braves in the 90’s were clearly better and were dynasties worth mentioning.
This article makes me appreciate this team all that much more. What could have been if it weren’t for all the injuries? What a crazy year it’s been.
Right now, we literally have an All-Star calibur player at every position like that nasty Reds team. Even they had one position player, in Cesar Geronimo that never was an All-Star. Our only position player not to win one is Will Smith, who will have several by the time his career is complete.
Like the Braves teams, we have a rotation full of Cy Young winners. Would you take Glavine, Smoltz, Avery and Maddux over Scherzer, Bueller, Urias and Price?
We truly have the best of both worlds right now. It isn’t hard to imagine this team going on a run that even the overachieving Giants can’t match.
We run into a test with a surging Phillies team starting today in their yard. Good news for all the old and East Coast fans on this site that might be able to stay up late enough to watch an entire game. Harper and Hoskins are on hot streaks right now and we don’t have our best pitching lined up for this series outside of Scherzer starting game 1. Hopefully Price and TBD, aka Mitch White are up to the task and we don’t bullpen that last game ahead of a Mets team that really needs to start winning.
JT will begin the series on the bench and Mookie will probably get a game off during the series. Belli, is starting to make a little noise and Muncy hasn’t been the same since his newborn gift arrived. We’re going to need to get a couple of players hot to start our next run. Seags is about due for a breakout and Trea Turner is a spark that has plenty of experience going head to head in this East coast swing. I hope that Pollock can stay hot and that Doc doesn’t feel the need to keep guys relevant.
Going forward, I would imagine that Big Al will continue to get a start against left handers which will force Doc to make an uncomfortable decision. Rest Muncy or continue to play him at second against lefties. Rest Seager and slide Turner to SS to accommodate Tio and Muncy, or send Trea Turner to CF or to the bench so he can figure out if he would rather play in CF or ride some pine against lefties, who he owns on the season. First world problems indeed.
With Duffy and Kershaw being held out until September, is Mitch White the plan to cover that 5th spot over the next month? Will Price be allowed to get into the 90’s and 100’s in terms of pitch count? Will Knebel start closing close games, or at least start warming up when Kenley begins his inning?
It wasn’t long ago that you could get by in the pen with a long man, a lefty specialist, two setup guys and a closer. It seems a little crazy to me that so many pitchers are now required to get through each game. We’ll have a bullpen with Kenley, Kneble, Kelly, Treinen, Graterol and Bickford from the right side to start the series with Quackenbush and lefties Vesia and Bruihl to round out the staff. Right now the staff sits at 12 which is one or two players shy of what they usually have. The bench features “Team Dad” Albert, CT3, Beaty, McKinney and Barnes.
With roster moves coming for TBD and Knebel, it will be a surprise if McKinny is DFA’s or if Beaty is optioned. Then they’ll still need to figure out how to get White back onto the roster. Will they DFA Quack or option Bruihl and go with just one lefty?
I’m really looking forward to catching up on some sleep during this East Coast swing.
Terrific history again Bear. I love your stuff. Your research, photos and detail are great.
Which brings me to an article I stumbled on at MLB.com
This one’s right up your alley Bear and swear you could have written it.
Keep up the great work.
How Baseball Settled on 60’6″ by Anthony Castovince
https://www.mlb.com/news/why-is-the-mound-60-ft-6-inches-away
Wow Bear if only you were my history teacher in high school! Let’s do to the Giants this year what they did to us in 51 and chase them down for the pennant! Bellinger hitting fastballs again will go a long way towards getting that done!
Bear, the details that you uncover for your articles are amazing. As a Dodger since 1958 it was fun and agonizing to relive some exciting moments in Dodger history. That 1962 loss to the Giants was my first major baseball disappointment as a kid. The neighborhood kids and moms had gathered at our house for the game. To sit and watch that game slip away was devastating. None of could believe what had happened. Also, I have a vivid memory of Finley’s grand slam HR. I don’t remember the pitcher, but he was a hard throwing LH. He threw what looked like a 100 MPH fastball and Finley timed it perfectly and hit a monster HR. Finley dropped the bat and raised his arms in the air and that was that. Awesome. So, thanks again for all your hard work and diligence. How lucky are we here at LADT?
Wow Bear, just when I think you can’t possibly do any better….you do! I especially loved the “ancient” history recap of our beloved boys even more than the modern day recap. I didn’t recognize many of the names which means I learned quite a bit. I did remember this guy named Erskine though. Lol
But what really got my heart to skip a beat is when you mentioned “Sal Maglie’s” name. He was friends of my Italian family in Western New York and I even remember visiting him once. He gave me an autographed baseball on that occasion….and not just his autograph either. What a moment that was for me…probably not even 10.
Anyhow, these articles of yours are much appreciated. Thanks again.
TM
There was another year I am not reading here. In the next to last weekend they beat SD to get a big lead. up with four 4 to play. Lost to Giants , then 3 straight to SD on last weekend. All close pitchers duels. So end up tied. Lost 1 game playoff to SD. So ended up wild card and lost 3 straight to Atlanta in first round.
I am not sure, but I believe in 1950, Duke snider was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second base on a single. He was thrown out by Richie Asburn, who was NOT known for having a good arm. That run would have won the pennant
At OKC last night, TutTut was 3-4 last night with his 10th HR.
He has his BA up to .255 and OPS to .863.
Bear thank you for doing the research and this article is an amazing piece of history. I learned so much that I didn’t know in the era’s that I wasn’t able to view for myself, especially the early years 1910’s – 1960’s. I can’t imaging how long this took so I am very appreciative that you did all the leg work. Thank you my friend!!
After all the pain Dodger fans have been through, we have been in heaven for the past nine years and we still bitch about everything. We have so much to be thankful for. Let’s go… DODGERS!