I got to thinking about this, and for most, it is a long and happy marriage, kids, grandkids, and just living the good life. When you break it down for sports fans, it is the years that their team is on top of the heap in their sport. Rams fans never celebrated a championship in LA. They got one in Cleveland and one in St. Louis. Kings fans got treated to a couple, and the Lakers have been a contender during most of their time in Los Angeles. While in Brooklyn, the Dodger fans got that euphoria once. 1955. It was the Best Year of Their Lives.
1955
Back after a disappointing finish in 1954, the Dodgers brought all of their stars back for another run at a championship. And the players did not disappoint the fans. First of all, they shot out of the gate with a 10-0 record. Beating the Pirates and Phillies 4 times apiece and the Giants twice.
They kept up the hot pace and at the end of May, they were 32-11. They got even hotter in June going 20-8. They followed that up with a 19-13 July. In August they struggled to go 13-14 but finished strong with a 14-9 September.
Back in those days, the only teams playing in October were the teams in the World Series. They beat the second-place Braves by 13 1/2 games to advance to the series against the Yankees.
Except for Jackie Robinson, who only played 105 games, and Sandy Amoros, 119 games, the bulk of the load was carried by the vets. Campy hit .318 with 32 long balls and 107 RBI’s, Hodges, .289 with 27 and 102. Gilliam hit .249, Reese, .282, Snider, in one of his best seasons, hit .309 with 42 and 136. Furillo added a .314 mark with 26 and 95.
They got good production from their bench with all of them hitting .240 or better. Zimmer contributed 15 homers to their season total of 201.
Their main starters were Newcombe, Erskine, Podres, and Loes. Spooner and Russ Meyer got spot starts. The two big guns out of the pen were Roebuck and Labine who recorded 12 and 11 saves between them.
The series went 7 games with Podres beating the Yankees 2-0. Brooklyn at long last got to celebrate a championship and doing it against the Yankees made it all that much sweeter.
1959
Brooklyn had to wait 65 years for its first title. LA had to wait for just 1. The Dodgers in 1959 were a mishmash of Brooklyn vets and new guys just coming up in the system. They were playing on a field that was oddly proportioned in a stadium built for track and field for the 32 Olympics. Leftfield had a huge screen that was 251 feet away from home plate. On the other hand, RF and CF were a short cab ride away…Just kidding, but that is what one of the players said when he first saw it.
They had acquired Wally Moon, an outfielder, from the Cardinals over the winter in exchange for Gino Cimoli. Reese had retired and was replaced by Bob Lillis and Don Zimmer.
Charlie Neal was the second baseman with Hodges and Gilliam at the corners. Moon was in left, Demeter in CF and Snider was now manning RF with Furillo injured most of the year.
On June 14th, they were 2 games over .500, in 5th place, but only 4 games off of the pace. They managed to stay close and get into second place in mid-August. The Braves held them off and they could not get any closer than 2 games until they swept a doubleheader from the Giants on the 17th of September.
It was nip and tuck the rest of the way and the teams finished tied on the last day, forcing a playoff.
They went to Milwaukee and won game one 3-2. Game 2 was back in Los Angeles and it was looking like a Braves win when they went up 5-2 in the 8th inning. But the Dodgers scored 3 in the 9th and the game went into extras.
It remained tied, even though both teams had chances until the 12th inning. In the 12, Hodges walked and Pignatano singled. All this with 2 outs. Up came Furillo, whose sac fly in the 9th had tied the game scoring Hodges. Furillo hit a ball up the middle that SS Felix Mantilla fielded but threw wildly to first. Furillo was credited with a hit, and Hodges scored on the error.
The win sent the Dodgers on to Chicago to play the Go-Go Sox. A series that LA would win 4-2 and give LA its first Championship. They were the first major league franchise in LA to win one. The Rams who moved in the early 50s had not won and the Lakers would not win their first in LA until the 1971-72 season.
1963
The 1963 version of the Dodgers stumbled out of the box and as late as mid-June were in 3rd place. By July 2nd, they moved into 1st place. Unlike 62, they stayed there for the rest of the year.
No late-season meltdowns this time. Although the lead was down to 1 game on the 15th of September, they went on a 5 game winning streak, beating the second-place Cardinals 3 times to get it back up to 5.5. They went 3-4 over their last 7 games and won by 6 games.
Pitching was the team’s big strength, led by Koufax, who put 62’s woes behind him and won the Cy Young Award with a 25-5 campaign and a 1.88 ERA. Big D was 19-17, Podres 14-12, and Bob Miller 10-8. Richert also got some starts. Perranoski was 16-3 out of the pen with 21 saves. They got contributions from a couple of old hands, Sherry, Roebuck, and 3 wins from rookie Dick Calmus. They would be his only MLB wins.
Tommy Davis led the league in hitting at .326. Wills contributed a .302 avg. Howard hit 28 long balls. Only he, Davis, and Fairly reached double figures with 28, 16, and 12 respectively. 23-year-old Willie Davis took over in CF and 59 hero Wally Moon was on the bench as a reserve outfielder.
Most of the old Brooklyn guys were gone. Snider was sold to the Mets in the spring. Gilliam and Roseboro were the only starters with Brooklyn roots besides the pitchers. Don Zimmer was brought back in a mid-season deal. But he had another really bad season. Bill Skowron, who came over from the Yankees had a pretty down year hitting .203 with 4 homers. But they won and then went to another series against the Yankees.
This time it was Dodger pitching that dominated the series and shut down the powerful Yankees offense. Koufax struck out 15 in game one at Yankee Stadium setting a series record passing Erskine’s 14. Podres won game 2, 4-1 with help from a Skowron HR off of Al Downing, who would later pitch for LA and give up Hank Aaron’s 715th HR.
Drysdale beat the Yanks 1-0 at Dodger Stadium in game 3 and Koufax came back to beat them 2-1 in game 4 for the sweep, only allowing a HR to Mantle. That was my all-time favorite series win.
1965
After a 6th place finish in 64, another year where they lost Koufax to an injury, the Dodgers bounced back to win the pennant by 2 games over the Giants. Unlike 63, they had to battle all season. Tommy Davis played in only 17 games after suffering a horrific ankle injury.
His replacement was a journeyman outfielder named Lou Johnson. Nicknamed Sweet Lou, he brought unbridled enthusiasm to the Dodger clubhouse. He was just extremely glad to be there. And he proved to be a valuable piece during the season with a .259 BA in 130 games with 12 HR’s and 58 ribbies. Not Davis-type production, but every little bit helps.
The team was a collection of slap hitters with only Johnson, Willie D, and Lefebvre, the eventual ROY, hitting in double figures. Howard had been traded to the Senators for P Claude Osteen and inf John Kennedy. 4 other players left in the deal. Osteen proved to be a very capable # 3 behind Koufax and Drysdale, winning 15 and losing 15. Koufax was 26-8, 2.04. Drysdale 23-12, 2.77. Pitching was their strength. Johnny Podres, clearly on the downside of his career went 7-6.
The highlight of the season came on September 9th when Koufax tossed a perfect game against the Cubs, Winning 1-0 when the Dodgers managed only 1 hit, and it did not contribute to the win. Koufax battled arthritis pain all year and would soak his arm in ice after almost every start. He also won his second Cy Young.
Perranoski and Miller added 18 and 9 saves respectively. Reed, Brewer, and Wilhite also were used out of the pen. No Dodger hitter batted higher than Will’s .286, and most were down in the .250’s.
They never had a comfortable lead and fell into second for a while. Then on September 16th, they beat the Cubs and that was the beginning of a 13 game winning streak, still the longest in LA Dodger history. That put them 2 up with 3 to play against the Braves. They took 2 of 3 and won by 2 games over the Giants.
The series did not start off well. Koufax did not pitch game one because it fell on Yom Kippur. The Twins jumped all over Drysdale and won easily, 8-2. Koufax was outdueled in game 2 by Jim Kaat, 5-1, and the Dodgers went home to LA down 2-0. Osteen shut down the big Twins bats, 4-0 in game 3. Drysdale beat them 7-2 in game 4. Koufax looked more like Koufax in game 5 winning 7-0 and they headed back to Minnesota up 3-2.
The Twins forced game 7 with a 5-1 win over Osteen. Series tied 3-3. Alston decided to go with Koufax in a rematch with Kaat in game 7 despite Sandy being on 2 days’ rest. Koufax was up for the challenge and shut the Twins out again, 2-0 for the series win. LA’s third title in 6 years.
1981
The threat of a work stoppage hung over the majors as the season started. No one had any idea how it would all work out. The season started on time and the two sides were negotiating. But opening day pitcher, Jerry Ruess could not make his start, so Fernando Valenzuela, a rookie who had appeared in a few games at the end of 1980 was tabbed by skipper Tommy Lasorda to take his place.
What would follow over the 1981 season would forever be known as Fernandomania. Valenzuela shut out the Astros, 2-0, and the Dodgers would reel off 6 straight wins to start the year. He threw another shutout in his second game, 5-0 against the Giants.
He beat the Padres his third start, allowing a run, then beat the Astro’s 1-0 for his 3rd shutout in 4 starts. LA was off to a 10-2 start. In his next start, he shut out the Giants again by the same 5-0 score. He went 5-0 in April giving up just one run. The phenomenon had started. Latino fans were flocking to the ballpark to see El Toro as his teammates called him.
Negotiations continued between the players union and MLB, but little progress was being made. Valenzuela kept winning and did not lose until May 18 when the Phillies beat him. But by then he had another shutout against the Mets.
He lost his second game on May 28th to Atlanta. But the rumblings were now not just rumors, the players were planning on going on strike. Fernando won his first start in June on the 1st but lost his next two. His loss was the last game before the players walked out the next day, June 12th.
The strike would last almost exactly 2 months before they would resume play. MLB decided that they would have 2 halves to the season and the Dodgers, on the strength of their 36-21 mark were declared first-half champs. It was also declared that the champions of the second half and the first half would meet in a playoff to decide the division winner.
In the second half, the Dodgers were 1 game over .500 and finished 4th. The Astros won the second half and were their opponents in the division series. The Dodgers lost the first two games in Houston, 3-1 and 1-0. They headed home where the next 3 games if needed would be played.
Game 3, Burt Hooton bested Bob Knepper in a 6-1 win. Fernando started game 4 and won 2-1 out pitching Vern Ruhle. Up against Nolan Ryan, the game one winner in game 5, Jerry Ruess was masterful and shut out the Stros 4-0 and the Dodgers headed to the next series with the Expos.
This series started in LA. Hooton beat Gullickson in game one, 5-1. Burris shut out Fernando and the Dodgers, 3-0 in game 2. I was there that night. Hard game to watch. Now in Montreal, Steve Rogers beat Ruess 4-1 for a 2-1 series lead for the Expos. Hooton bested Gullicson again in game 4, 7-1, so game 5 fell to Fernando.
The Expos scored 1 in the first inning, and the Dodgers tied the game in the 5th when Valenzuela knocked in Monday. They stayed tied until the 9th. Burris was pulled and Rogers came in for Montreal. Rogers retired the first two hitters, Garvey and Cey, and Monday came up to hit. He tagged a Rogers fastball that went over the fence for a tie breaking homer.
Fernando got 2 outs in the 9th, but then walked 2. Welch came in and got the last out for the win and a trip to the World Series to play those Yankees again. Vin Scully famously said, and a child shall lead them. Valenzuela finished the year with a 13-7 record, 8 shutouts, the Cy Young award, and the ROY to boot. He finished 5th in the MVP vote.
After all that drama, the World Series would bring more. They lost the first two in New York, 5-3 and 3-0 with former Dodger Tommy John shutting them out in game 2. Back home in LA, they won 3 straight, 5-4, 8-7, and 2-1 behind Valenzuela, a relief win by Steve Howe, and Jerry Ruess. Back in NY up 3-2, they did not let the Yanks breathe and won 9-2. Beating Yankee reliever George Frazier for the third time in the series. Unusually, there were 3 co MVPs in the series. Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero, and Steve Yeager. The Dodgers’ 4th title in LA was in the books.
1988
Fred Claire was the Dodgers GM and over the winter he added Kirk Gibson and Mike Davis as free agents. He also that winter made a 3 team trade with the A’s and Mets that brought Alfredo Griffin, Jay Howell, and Jesse Orosco to the team while sending Bob Welch and Matt Young to the A’s and Jack Savage to the Mets.
Gibson set the tone for how he felt about winning in spring training. When Orosco lined his cap with eye black, Gibson stormed off of the field. He was a no-nonsense player and did not appreciate the sort of goof off mentality some of the players had. He brought real intensity to the clubhouse.
They also had signed Don Sutton to a contract and brought him back to bolster the rotation. Orel Hershiser was the Ace of the staff, with Tim Leary and Tim Belcher behind him. Sutton and Valenzuela were the other starters.
By the end of May, they were in first, one-half game ahead. With Gibson leading the way, they had their best month in June going 17-11. By that time the lead was up to 4.5. They were never really challenged the rest of the year and ended up winning the division by 6 games.
Gibson led the way with an MVP season where he hit .290 with 25 HRs and 76 RBIs. He did not get a whole lot of help. Only the 3 starting outfielders, Gibson, Shelby, and Mike Marshall had 10 or more HRs. Davis, brought over because of his power production with the A’s, was a huge disappointment hitting only .196 with 2 HRs. Griffin also hit under the Mendoza line with a .199 mark.
But the subs, who dubbed themselves “The Stuntmen”, played well enough to cover the loss of players who were banged up, or not performing well. Led by the ever-energetic Mickey Hatcher, these players always were available to step up and be in the moment.
Pitching though, was the team’s strength. Behind Orel Hershiser’s brilliant season, 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA, Leary 17-11, Belcher 12-6, and some solid bullpen work from Howell and Alejandro Pena. Sutton and Valenzuela, who had arm trouble, were not very productive. Sutton won 3 and was released in August. Fernando struggled to a 5-8 mark.
That prompted a trade for John Tudor from the Cardinals for Pedro Guererro. The bullpen ended up contributing 30 wins to the cause. The starters contributed 6 saves to the team’s total of 49.
They moved on to play the Mets in the NLCS, a team that had beaten them in 10 of their 11 meetings that season. They split the first two games in LA, and the Mets won game 3 in New York. The Mets were up 4-2 in the 9th and about to go up three games to one. But with Shelby aboard and no outs, Scioscia hit a 2 strike pitch into the Mets bullpen to tie the game.
The game remained tied into the 12th inning. With 2 outs, Gibson, who was in a 1-16 slide in the series, hit a HR off of McDowell to give LA the lead. In the bottom of the 12th Leary got one out and gave up 2 hits, so Lasorda brought in Orosco to face Hernandez and Strawberry.
He had Hernandez in a 1-2 count, then threw 3 straight balls to walk the bases loaded. When he threw a first-pitch ball to Strawberry, Lasorda went out to the mound to deliver a message which started with, and I am quoting here, ” what the fuck is wrong with you? “. Vintage Tommy. Orosco managed to get Strawberry to pop out.
With McReynolds coming up, Lasorda called down to the pen for Hershiser. He was the only pitcher left in the pen. Howell had been suspended for having a file in his glove and Belcher, who was the game 5 starter was in the hotel.
Orel came in and got McReynolds to hit a soft fly to left, and the series was tied 2-2. LA won game 5. The Mets behind Cone won game 6, setting up Hershiser for the decisive 7th game. He pitched a gem and shut out the Mets 6-0 to win the pennant. We all know how the series turned out. Sparked by an ailing Gibson’s game one walk-off homer, and behind some great pitching, they beat the mighty Bash Brother A’s four games to one. Champions again!
2020
Over the next 32 seasons after 1988, the Dodgers managed to make the postseason 13 times. Twice they went to the World Series. But until 2017 they had not advanced that far for 29 years.
They had many very good players, a couple of different ownerships, and a lot of heartbreak. The 2019 team looked like they were set to break that pattern, but were knocked out in a stunning defeat in the NLDS to the Nationals. So Andrew Friedman made a trade with the Red Sox sending 3 prospects there for Mookie Betts and David Price. Price coming with the Sox paying half of his remaining salary.
He brought in some free-agent relievers to bolster his bullpen and sent starting pitcher Kenta Maeda to the Twins for Brusdar Graterol and Luke Raley.
The team was working towards its goal when suddenly the Covid pandemic shut down all the camps in mid-March. No one knew if there was even going to be a season. Finally, they decided they would play the season without fans in the seats, and a late July start-up date was announced. The team had a truncated second spring training and started the year on July 23rd against the Giants. The season would be 60 games long, there would be an expanded playoffs, and they would have limited travel playing only in their own division, and its AL counterpart.
Just prior to the start of the year, Friedman signed Jake McGee to a deal. It was a head-scratcher at the time, and after his miserable performance in one pre-season game, most thought it was a HUGE mistake.
The team was either in first or second until mid-August when they went on a winning streak and pulled 4 games ahead. It stayed that way until they lost 3 of 4 from September 10th to the 14th when they dropped to a 1.5 lead over the 2nd place Padres. They then reeled off a 5 game winning streak to get the lead back to 5 games with 7 to play.
They went 5-2 over that stretch, ending with a 4 game winning streak and a 6 game division lead. They also had the best record in the majors giving them home field. Which did not really mean more than they would be batting last when they were the home team since all of the playoff games were scheduled for neutral sites.
They faced the Brewers in the Wild Card Series winning 2-0. Then came the Padres in the NLDS, they sent the Pads home with a 3-0 sweep. Next came the Braves. The Braves won games 1 and 2, but behind an 11 run outburst in the first inning of game 3, LA came back. Atlanta won Game 4 and now the Dodgers were in a real hole.
Games 5-6 and 7, were tense battles filled with some memorable moments. And the Dodgers came back when being behind in games 5 and 7. Will Smith’s 3 run homer off of pitcher Will Smith brought them back in game 5. In game 7, Kike Hernandez hit a game-tying HR in the 6th, and Cody Bellinger launched one in the 7th for what proved to be the winning run. Urias shut the Braves down in the 9th, and it was on to the World Series against the Rays.
We all saw the moment. It was pure elation when Urias struck out the last hitter in the 9th and the long wait was over. There were some memorable moments, another Joctober HR, Betts, and others making some spectacular fielding plays, a what the hell happened moment when Phillips knocked in Arozarena for Tampa’s second win. But the wait was finally over. No parade though and only a few fans in the seats in Texas to view the win.
So, what is in store next year? Get ready for some more highs, and maybe even, a couple of lows. But as always, the Dodgers never make it easy or boring.
Discussion (22)
Disagree, not disagreeable
How bad was our defense?? Here is part of an article from “Dodger’s Nation”.
According to FanGraphs, here’s how the Dodgers defensive players ranked at their position with a minimum of 300 innings played:
C – Will Smith – 14th out of 60
C – Austin Barnes – 23rd out of 60
1B – Max Muncy – 18th out of 44
1B – Albert Pujols – 22nd out of 44
2B – Trea Turner – 19th out of 40
SS – Trea Turner – 14th out of 41
SS – Corey Seager – 35th out of 41
SS – Gavin Lux – 37th out of 41
3B – Justin Turner – 30th out of 47
LF – AJ Pollock – 36th out of 45
CF – Cody Bellinger – 15th out of 47
CF – Chris Taylor – 42nd out of 47
RF – Billy McKinney – 6th out of 46
RF – Mookie Betts – 19th out of 46
As a team, the Dodgers were 25th out of the 30 teams on defense. Overall, the bad defense causes more free outs to be given away and the pitchers have to throw more pitches. That is at least three years of the Dodgers being mediocre to bad on defense. For a team that tries to be efficient in getting outs, this defensive performance will continue to be a problem. Something needs to change.
Great Article Bear, congratulations these memories magically transport me to the past with memories of unforgettable images that were etched in my mind, please keep writing on the blog.
Hopefully Chris Bryant would be brought in if Seager leaves, there are some starting pitchers in free agency, some have to be scouted. No more injured veterans with glorious pasts, most won’t work.
Let’s keep being pigs. Resign Corey Seager and sign Kris Bryant. Let CT3 walk and give Lux that job for a year to bide some time before the minor leagues is turning out position players again.
C. Smith, Barnes
1B Muncy
2B Trea Turner
3B. Bryant
SS Seager
LF. Pollock
CF. Bellinger
RF. Betts
DH Turner
Bench
Rios, Lux, McKinstry, Beaty – Ouch better do something about the all left handed bench.
1. he mostly played 2b and we theoretically have a 2b in lux
2. we either re-sign seager for ss or sign a FA ss
3. we add to our prospect base after emptying it a bit for max/trea
4. we weren’t impressed with his postseason
5. we get a young starting pitcher for him
6. it saves us money
it’s a longshot but it’s non-zero
Okay, I’m not getting why the Dodgers would trade Trea Turner, the NL batting champion, stolen bases leader and a player who hit 28 home runs.
C. Smith, Barnes
1B Muncy
2B Betts
3B. Seager
SS Lux
LF. Pollock
CF. Bellinger
RF. Hanigar or Lewis [traded Trea]
I don’t see how these GM’s are going to function this winter without knowing what the new CBA looks like.
One thing I’ll be interested in is if the new contract does away with the escalating penalty clause for each year you exceed the limit. I’ve read that there is some movement along those lines. I think the Dodger front office would be OK with paying a penalty almost every year, but not the crazy ones that build up if you get penalized more for each year you do it.
The players don’t want any kind of cap, no matter what you call it.
The small market teams want stiff penalties for going over the established limit so they can be more competitive with teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, etc. who always spend freely.
What I mentioned above might be a decent compromise.
One thing to keep an eye on with the new CBA is an amnesty clause that’s along the lines of the NBA. If this is agreed upon, every team would be allowed to clear one player off their books without any cap hits. The player is still paid their full salary.
I want to share my thoughts on various areas that will be kicked around this off-season and started today with some good posts. I am absolutely no expert as a GM. My area is understanding the game, players and how to play. Some of you are way more skilled in rules, contracts and the business side of baseball. I’m out of my league but encourage conversations.
After the WS is over and Bauer’s decision isn’t a distraction from the games, I would hope Manfred would finally make a decision on Trevor Bauer. For reasons I can’t explain, this decision has taken far too long and is obviously critical for the Dodgers to know how they can spend money on free agents.
Today, I want to share my thoughts on the infield. Specifically our current players. I will leave the projection of MiLB Dodgers to the experts here who have far more information on our prospects and who may have an impact in 2022.
SS – Cory Seager (27) I like Seager and think he is a valuable piece to the Dodgers as he enters his prime. I like his bat and his defense is adequate to me. He makes the routine play routinely. He’s no acrobat but his bat makes up for his lack of range. I think with Boras he could easily want more than the Dodgers are willing to spend. And he would need to express an interest in moving to 3rd base for a large potion of a 10 year expensive contract. I don’t see a 10 year 300 mil offer.
That means AF has to look to extend Trea Turner (28) and move him to short at least until one of the minor leaguers is ready. I hear TT is a better SS than a 2nd baseman. He better be. I know he played out of position this season but he hasn’t impressed me with his mechanics and actions. He may get to more balls than Seager at SS but I think he’ll boot more despite having practically an identical fielding %. I’m a Seager fan and not much of a TT fan so far.
2nd – That likely puts Lux (23) back at 2nd which so far hasn’t worked. Maybe this time. But it’s easy to forget the kid’s 23 with years left to play. I personally think his increased comfort and success at the plate may be attributed to the reduced pressure of playing in the outfield. I played with a few ex-shortstops who were relieved to be out from under that pressure and could just hit. It’s interesting how 2nd has become the Dodgers Black Hole for too many seasons lately. Perhaps our most mechanically solid 2nd basemen is………Mookie Betts.
3rd – Lost in faded memory is Edwin Rios (27). He will get a chance at 3rd this spring and could be a back-up at 1st. Obviously if the DH come in, JT will have that job. Don’t laugh but I would start grooming Will Smith (26) with some reps at 3rd and 1st. Catchers make great 1st basemen as they pick everything. Depending on Cartaya’s progress I would consider Will getting out from behind the dish some day and prolong his hitting career.
1st – Muncy (31) is the man. He can hit and is a self-made defensive asset. Bellinger can be the world’s greatest back-up there and maybe insurance with Smith and Rios. Albert has been wonderful if for nothing more than his knowledge and presence. I’d like to see him end his career with 1 year deal as a DH in St Louis.
Utility – I think signing CT3 (31) is a big priority. McKinstry is a candidate if not but CT3 is a proven professional. Who knows if he wants to be a starter elsewhere but he’s a starter for us, just at 7 positions. As I mentioned, maybe the Dodgers get some bonus points for saving his career and giving him a home.
C – I don’t see that changing much. Smith and Barnes unless a backup with a bat drops out of the sky.
Down the road, outfield and then pitching – oh boy.
Taylor was 4th with 167 whiffs. He led the league in 2018 with 178. In full seasons he has struck out 142, 178, 115 and 167 times. Which in my book is way too much. He only struck out 115 times in 2019 because he played in about 20 less games. His K pct is close to 30. Ken Griffey Jr. has become a part owner of the Mariners.
If a team wins 106 games they are a very good team.
A lot of things have to go right to get to or win the World Series and that goes for all the teams in the Playoffs. The Dodgers would have to get past teams that had things go right as much as they themselves would have had to do things right.
The Dodgers could have benefited from a better approach with hitting. As well as Taylor did this year and in the playoffs, he often would over swing. Trea even more so. Trea’s only hits came when he hit grounders through the hole on the right side to beat the shift but they were rare swings. I think Taylor led the MLB in strike outs this year.
The Dodgers have been trying get Seager to be more selective on pitches he swings at and he has obliged somewhat.
My question is how might the Dodgers and Friedman want to build the 2022 team.
Do they want to have less free swingers and less strike outs?
Do they want to have more players that bunt, go the other way, take a two strike approach?
I have always wanted Trea Turner on the Dodgers and was surprised and elated when he became a Dodger. That falls under be careful what you wish for. He did not play smart in the playoffs and now I think maybe the Dodgers should explore what they could get by trading him.
Taylor could get an offer from a team that will make him their full time shortstop and I think that will be hard from to turn down, especially if the money is there. I think he will not be back.
The Dodgers have several options for Closer and therefore I don’t think Jansen will return.
Good write-up, Bear.
Probably my favorite World Series was 1959, first time I followed the Dodgers. Been a fan ever since.
Everybody had transistor radios back then, the games were played during the day, everybody would gather around the radios at school and listen to the game. The roar of the crowd, just something special.
As to Corey Seager wanting to return, of course he does. It’s Los Angeles, he came up through the system, was always in the playoffs, had some great seasons, won a World Series championship, MVP of the NL championship and World Series. Not to mention the fans, the big crowds at Dodger Stadium, the atmosphere and the weather. Why would he want to play anywhere else?
The only real question the Dodgers have to ask is whether the team is better with him or without him. Obvious answer. Honestly, I don’t want to hear any crap about can they afford him. Of course they can. They raised season ticket prices again, want to be paid now instead of in December of January. The Dodgers have a massive TV deal, parking is really expensive, alcohol is pricy, so is the memorabilia, the food etc.
Do they bring back the others (Jansen, Taylor and company)? No idea. But they need to focus on Seager, then worry about the others.
As far as Seager saying he wants to stay in LA—-I can’t remember any FA, even one month rentals saying any different. So I wouldn’t give that much credence. Other possibilities could be Seager moving to third, T Turner short, Lux second, JT as DH. And keeping Taylor in same role as this year. Financially I don’t know if that is possible. But hey we are fans, not management.
As for winning these great games at home, that is great if you are there. But on TV I have to say I like it as well when we win on the road in front of quiet stunned, defeated fans.
Love those old black and white photos. They bring back great memories.
The organization does have depth, and it was that depth that won 106. But…… there’s always butts….. ending a season with so many unavailable, for a variety of reasons, and sending up guys like Burns and Souza, makes one ask – wtf?
Betts, Seaver, Turner, Turner. Get some rest. You look tired.
Old school. Learn – how to bunt, go the other way, two strike approach, pitch to contact.
There was a story in MLBTR this morning about the Dodger free agents. The one that caught me a little off guard was about Seager. According to the story, Seager wants to stay in LA. He stated that he loves the team and the city and that he grew up here. Maybe, just maybe, the Dodgers will get a hometown discount. How bad did the Kansas City Chiefs look yesterday. SC got rolled by the Irish, and the Lakers are 0-2 and bickering amongst themselves. Thank you for all the kudos. I appreciate them.
Fantastic write up Bear! Many incredible memories along with some crushing defeats. Losing to SF in the playoff in 1962 was the first major defeat I experienced as a young Dodger fan. I couldn’t believe that had happened. Little did I know what was to happen over the next 60+ years! I was lucky enough to go to the Sandy Koufax pitched WS game against the White Sox in 1959. Anyway, I appreciate all your time and effort you put into this and all your articles.
Nice job Bear, lucky you aren’t writing about the Yankees, this would have gone on for days.
Well, after a day off yesterday, it’s officially the offseason as far as the Dodgers and us fans are concerned. Is it too early to talk about our own free agents and how to replace them?
I don’t think it’s necessary to list all free agents, since some of them had little or no bearing on the team. The Cole Hamels and Danny Duffy’s of the roster were mostly bad insurance policies that had no effect on the actual roster. We are however going to have to make some tough decisions with some guys that have been core to the team and come up with some replacements. Below are the list of notable free agents with their ages at this time next year.
Clayton Kershaw – 34 This is probably the toughest decision that needs to be made. I would say it would be a coin flip as to whether or not he returns. The Dodgers will need to convince him that they will be competing for another title and he’ll need to convince the Dodgers that he’s healthy enough to help.
Max Scherzer – 38 A couple of weeks ago it was all roses, but this got relationship got a little uncomfortable after not being able to answer the bell in the most important game of the season.
Kenley Jansen – 35 Overall, he was a great closer this year. But, he wasn’t the guy you can pitch whenever you wanted to like you could during his heyday.
Corey Seager – 28 My favorite player, I’m gonna miss him. The Yankees are sending signals and his left handed bat is made for Yankee stadium.
Chris Taylor – 32 See Kike and Joc. He’s going to sign a contract to be an everyday position player. It won’t be with the Dodgers.
Corey Knebel – 30 Corey did enough to convince someone to let him close. The Dodgers have other options.
Jimmy Nelson – 33 He broke down again. I think AF will pass for a less expensive option.
Albert Pujols – 42 This was a blip on the radar and filled a need at the time. I’d like to see him go back to the Cardinals.
Then we have a couple of guys with options.
Trevor Bauer 31 – Player option worth $35M, I doubt he declines that kind of guarantee.
Joe Kelly 34 – Club Option for $12M with $4M Buyout. Before he got injured, I thought this was a no brainer. I think they take the buyout now.
Total Payroll for next year sits at just above $205M or about $4+ below the CBT threshold.
Right now, this is how the roster looks.
SP – Bauer, Price, Bueller, Urias, Gonsolin, Jackson, May, White
RP – Kelly, Treinen, Kahnle, Alexander, Ferguson, Bickford, Bruihl, Cleavinger, Gonzalez, Graterol, Nunez, Phillips, Sherfy, Vasquez, Vesia
C – Smith, Barnes
Inf – J Turner, T Turner, Muncy, Beaty, Lux, McKinstry, Nuese, Rios
Out – Betts, Bellinger, Pollock, McKinney, Raley, Reks
As you can see, the Dodgers still have a full team with no glaring holes. I would image that every other team would love to have such a complete roster at the beginning of the post season. The downside is that they don’t have much money to spend. They’ll also have to protect at least a player or two from the Rule 5 draft and they have a couple of guys they could surely cut from a 40 man roster that currently sits at 39.
They’ll need to sign some Starting Pitching depth to get them through the first half of the season, but a possible postseason staff that includes Bauer, Bueller, Urias and May is one that any other team would fear.
The bullpen is stacked with Treinen ready to step into the closer role with Kelly, Kahnle, Ferguson, Graterol, Bickford, Vesia, V-Gone and other quality arms at the ready.
The catching tandem is set with Smith and Barnes.
The infield is set with JT, TT, Lux and Muncy with Rios, McKinstry, Beaty and Nuese backing them up.
The Betts, Bellinger, Pollock outfield will be amongst the best in the game, but McKinney, Recks and Raley was a trainwreck last year. I would imagine some changes will need to be made.
Sorry William and the other naysayers. This team is still stacked and will be back in a position to compete for another ring next year with a little more health.
I’d like to see AF address some redundancies, but there isn’t a lot of heavy lifting to do here.
great memories.
I think it was 1965, when Sandy sat out for the Holiday and Big D bombed out. Alston came out to get him and he ,supposedly said, ‘I bet you wish I was Jewish also”
Great write up, Bear.
One correction. Howell was suspended for having pine tar in his glove, not a file.
I think the file was Joe Niekro the previous year.
Great article Bear and many memories, I remember coming home from school in 1981 and watching the final innings of the playoff game with the Expo’s and watching Rick Monday hit that Home Run. If you ever listen to the radio broadcasts you will hear Rick comment on how cold it was that day in Montreal. He said it was the coldest game he ever played in and said it was only 19 degree’s at some point during the game. I also remember the series against the Astro’s and how tight those games were back when they were in the NL West.
I was there for most of that, attending several games a year as a kid, one World Series game. Sitting behind home plate when Koufax pitched was always a thrill.
Interesting note about that terrific ’55 team – they averaged just over 13,000 a game at Ebbets Field.
More interesting notes from this morning’s headlines:
From Bloomberg – the rankings for world’s healthiest countries is out. We didn’t make the Top 10. No surprise there. Spain leads the list.
“Although Spain is known for smoking, drinking a lot of wine, and staying up late, their everyday diet and lifestyle choices set them above the rest. Spain’s diet is a Mediterranean diet filled with healthy fats and legumes, and less red meat and processed foods. Spaniards also eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, and walk almost everywhere that they can. Spain has the highest percentage of walkers in Europe, with 37% walking to work instead of driving (only 6% of Americans walk to work). Additionally, Spain’s universal healthcare program is very successful, and they have managed to lower their rate of preventable deaths to 45.4 preventable deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.”
Less fat and more wine?
Great write up Michael. My favorite year was 1988 with a team that Bob Costas said didn’t belong on the same field as the mighty A’s. Orel had other ideas .Looking back at those championship years eases the pain of winning 112 games this year and not reaching the World Series and winning it all. We are a storied franchise with great leadership and resources going forward and will be in contention year after year with this ownership group.