the first basemen: anchors of the dodger's infield

Since they moved to Los Angeles, the Dodgers have had a few first basemen who played more than 1000 games in LA as the first sacker. When they came to LA, Gil Hodges, who was the longest tenured first baseman in franchise history, plus its first gold glover at the position. Of his 1908 games at the position, only 57 of them came with the Mets after he was claimed in the expansion draft in 61. He had 12 consecutive opening day starts at the position. He also had a start on opening day at catcher in 1948. Gil leads all Dodger first baseman in career homers, hits and RBIs by a lot. He earned 3 gold gloves beginning with the first ever awarded in 1957, he earned the next two in LA in 58-59. He was elected to the Hall in 2022 and his #14 was retired.

Next up was Wes Parker, who took over in 1964 and played until 1972 when he retired at age 32. Parker was not much of a hitter, but he was an excellent fielder who also played some CF. He won six consecutive gold gloves from 1967-72. He played 1108 games for the Dodgers at first. His best season was 1970 when he hit .319 and led the NL in doubles with 47.

After Parker retired, Bill Buckner was the opening day first baseman for three years, but in 74, LA transitioned 3B Steve Garvey to first. Buckner moved to left. For the next eight years Garvey would be the everyday first baseman. He would play 1407 games at first for the Dodgers over his 14 years with the team. He won 4 gold gloves 74-77, an MVP award in 74, had 200 or more hits 5 times. He drove in 100 or more runs 5 times. He was a .338 hitter in his postseason play. As a Dodger he had 10 postseason homers, one less than the 11 Duke Snider had. But he hit just 1 in World Series play. Left as a free agent after the 82 season. He is not in the Hall, his highest percentage of votes for election was 42.7 in 1995. He got no votes in the last veteran committee vote.

Over the next 10 seasons, no player would open at first more than 3 times. Greg Brock, Pedro Guererro, Sid Bream, Franlin Stubbs, Kal Daniels and Eddie Murray 3, all got opening day starts. But in 92, when Daniels got the opening day nod, he was quickly replaced by rookie Eric Karros who would win the ROY and keep the position until he was traded after the 2002 season. He played over 1500 games there for the Dodgers. He hit 270 homers and drove in 976 runs in his 12-year stint. He hit 30 or more homers five times and drove in 100 or more five times. His 130 homers at Dodger Stadium were the most hit there by any Dodger until Max Muncy passed him this month. Now works for Fox and the Dodgers as an analyst.

Starting in 2008, James Loney took over as the everyday first baseman. Loney played in 896 games for LA from 06 to August of 2012 when he was part of "The Trade" that brought Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to LA. Loney was a decent fielder, he had a .993 fielding pct. As a hitter, he was more in the Wes Parker mold, decent contact, not a lot of power, 15 in 07 was his high-water mark. He does hold a Dodger record with Gil Hodges, on September 29th, 2006, in Denver, he had 9 RBI's in a game where he was subbing for the injured Nomar Garciaparra. He hit a grand slam in the second, doubled home two in the third, singled home a run in the fifth and hit a 2-run homer in the sixth. He was the PCL batting champ that year. LA needed all of those runs as the final score was 19-11. Loney currently works on the pre-game show on Sportsnet LA.

Adrian Gonzalez was the center piece of the trade with Boston. His acquisition did two things, it gave LA some power from the first base position, and it brought them a Latino star, something they had not had since Valenzuela. He played parts of six seasons for the Dodgers. His final year he was down with an injury and played just 71 games. His injury opened first for the eventual ROY in 17, Cody Bellinger. From 2013-16, he was as Vin Scully called him, LA's butter and egg man. He knocked in 100 runs in 13 and led the NL with 116 in 2014. Over his time in LA, he hit 101 homers and knocked in 448 runs. He hit 7 homers and drove in 21 runs in postseason play for the Dodgers. On April 8th, 2015, against the Padres, he hit 3 homers for the first and only time in his career. He also works for Sportsnet LA on the pre-game show. He was part of the trade that brought Matt Kemp back to the Dodgers.

Bellinger was moved to the outfield in 2018. He was replaced at first by Max Muncy. Muncy played 332 games there for the Dodgers and was actually ok defensively. His bat is his calling card. For the last five years though, the man has been Freddie Freeman. Freddies stats in LA are impressive. He has a .308 BA with LA. 111 homers, which puts him 32nd all time, one behind Babe Herman. He set a record for the most doubles in a season by a Dodger with 59 in 2023, passing a record that was set in 1929. He has received MVP votes in the past four seasons. He has also been an All-Star all five years in LA. He has a World Series MVP award and ties Duke Snider with four homers in a World Series, the only two Dodgers to ever do that. 24-25 were the two seasons he did not hit .300. He is slightly above that this year. He has saved several Dodger infielders from throwing errors with his ability to dig balls out of the dirt. He is truly the anchor of this Dodger infield.

Brooklyn had some very good first basemen prior to Hodges taking over the spot, jake Daubert who won back-to-back MVP awards, Del Bisonette, who was a career .305 hitter. Doug Camilli, whose son Doug would one day catch for LA, was the first baseman for six seasons in Brooklyn and won the MVP award in 1941 leading the NL in homers and RBIs. We will now be waiting to see who takes over when Freeman leaves the team.

El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego) 4 – OKC Comets 3 

RHSP Landon Knack pitched a pair of scoreless frames to start the game.  In the 3rd he gave up a leadoff triple, a BB (caught stealing), another BB, and RBI single. After the 2nd out, Knack gave up another RBI single before getting out of the inning.  

Knack was relieved by RHRP Paul Gervase in the 4th inning after reaching 75 pitches.  Gervase got through the 4th without anyone scoring. 

Gervase gave up 2 runs in the 5th on 3 hits and 2 BB. 

In the bottom of the 5th, 1B Ryan Fitzgerald opened with a double (27).  After two retired, C Will Smith came to bat.  He slugged a 2-run HR (1). 

With one out in the 8th, CF Zach Ehrhard and 2B Hyeseong Kim singled.  DH Matt Gorski reached on a fielder’s choice with both Ehrhard and Kim moving up 90 feet.  Ehrhard scored on Fitzgerald’s SF. 

·      Zach Ehrhard – 2-4, 1 run

·      Hyeseong Kim – 3-4

·      Ryan Fitzgerald – 2-3, 1 run, 1 RBI double (27)

·      Will Smith – 1-3, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (1) 

Will Smith 1st AB 103.7 lineout.  Fly out on 2nd AB. 2-run HR in 3rd AB. 

Box Score 

Midland RockHounds (A’s) 5 – Tulsa Drillers 2 

LHSP Adam Serwinowski is limping to the finish line.  In the 1st inning he gave up a double and 3 straight singles for a 2-0 lead.  

In the 2nd inning, 1B Jake Gelof and C Griffin Lockwood-Powell led off the inning with walks.  With one out, RF Chris Newell walked to load the bases.  3B Logan Wagner singled to score Gelof, but 2B Jose Izarra GIDP to end the threat. 

In the 6th, CF Mike Sirota started the inning with a BB.  Gelof forced Sirota at 2nd, and GLP followed with a walk.  Gelof scored on a single by SS Elijah Hainline. 

Serwinowski pitched a solid 2nd thru 5th inning.  In the 6th, Serwinowski got the 1st out, walked the next two batters, and got the lead runner out at home on a fielder’s choice.  A single scored a run and RHRP Carson Hobbs replaced Serwinowski.  Hobbs threw a WP, issued a BB to load the bases, and then a 2-run single. 

·      Jake Gelof – 2-3, 2 BB, 2 runs, 2 doubles (19)

·      Triple – Kole Myers (3) 

Box Score 

Great Lakes Loons 5 – Lansing Lugnuts (A’s) 4 

LHSP Sterling Patick pitched 2.0 scoreless innings with 4 Ks.  In the 3rd, He allowed a 1 out solo HR.  With 2 outs, he gave up a single, WP, and RBI single. 

GL put up single runs in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th.  In the 3rd, DH Eduardo Quintero hit a 1-out triple and scored on LF Charles Davalan’s SF. 

In the 4th, 2B Nico Perez drew a BB and went to 3rd when 3B Mairo Martinus doubled (5).  SS Eddie Guerrero hit a SF to score Perez. 

Great Lakes took the lead in the 5th.  Davalan singled with 2 outs.  CF Jaron Elkins followed with a single, and Perez hit the RBI single. 

Patick walked a batter and then a flyout before being lifted for LHRP Matt Lanzendorfer.  Lanzendorfer got the final two outs of the inning. 

Lanzendorfer pitched a clean 6th inning.  In the 7th, Lanzendorfer got the first out, but then a single, SB, and RBI single brought RHRP Robby Porco in to relieve Lanzendorfer.  A WP, BB, and a RBI single gave Lansing the lead.  Porco got the GIDP to end the inning.  

GL put two more across in the 8th.  Martinus and Guerrero opened with singles with Martinus moving to 3rd.  With one out, C Victor Rodrigues hit a SF to score Martinus.  Guerrero stole 2nd, moved to 3rd on a WP, and scored on a 2nd WP.  There was a 3rd WP before the inning ended. 

Porco pitched a clean 8th, and RHRP Davis Chastain struck out the side in the 9th for his 8th save. 

·      Mairo Martinus – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 run, double (3)

·      Triple – Eduardo Quintero (5)

Box Score 

Stockton Ports (A’s) 5 – Ontario Tower Buzzers 4 

LHSP Charlie West started for Ontario, and pitched 3.0 scoreless innings with a BB, a single and 2 K.  Ontario was also blanked for the first 3.0 innings. 

In the 4th, DH Francisco Espinoza singled, followed by a single by CF Brandon Tunink with Espinoza moving to 3rd.  Tunink stole 2B.  After a K, Espinoza scored on a single from C Connor O’Neal, but Tunink was thrown out at home.  O’Neal was out attempting to steal. 

Stockton scored 2 in the bottom of the 4th.  West was still on the mound.  The first batter of the inning hit a solo HR to tie the score.  That was followed by a BB, K, stolen base, and a second K.  RHRP Camden Wimbish relieved West.  The first batter he faced stroked a RBI single. 

In the 5th, SS Aidan West hit his 1st HR to tie the score. 

In the bottom of the 5th, the leadoff hitter singled.  The runner scored on a 1-out triple.  The 2nd run scored on a WP, before Wimbish struck out the final two batters of the inning. 

Ontario tied the game with 2 in the 6th.  LF Ching-Hsien Ko led off with his 19th HR.  Espinoza followed with a BB and moved to 2nd on a groundout.  Espinoza moved to 3rd on a WP and scored when 1B Javier Herrera hit a SF. 

RHRP Mason Estrada allowed 1 baserunner.  Unfortunately, that one baserunner reached on an 8th inning leadoff triple.  That runner scored the go-ahead run on a SF. 

Ontario got a runner in scoring position in the 9th but could not get him home. 

Ontario had 9 hits, and every player got one hit each.  No Ontario hitter had more than 1.  Aidan West and Ching-Hsien Ko each hit solo HR. 

Box Score