Los Angeles Dodgers

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Contents 1 Franchise History 2 Retired Numbers 3 Minor League Affiliates 4 Quick Facts 5 Local Media 6 External Links

Franchise History

For history prior to 1958, see Brooklyn Dodgers.

Real estate businessman Walter O'Malley acquired majority ownership of the Dodgers in 1950 and sought to build the team a ballpark to replace the aging Ebbets Field, which was at a point where the Dodgers could not sell out games even in the heat of a pennant race. O'Malley wanted to build the new ballpark in Brooklyn, but New York City Construction Coordinator Robert Moses wanted the team to move to Queens and build a ballpark that was not what O'Malley wanted. O'Malley began to think big, and discussed moving to Los Angeles with officials from California in case Moses did not back down. Served largely by the freedom to build a park as he wanted, O'Malley ended up moving the Dodgers out of Brooklyn after the 1957 season.

The Dodgers played their first four seasons in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum while awaiting the completion of Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine. The oblong ballpark was poorly suited for baseball, with a left-field line measuring about 250 feet and a large amount of foul ground on the left-field side, with nearly none on the right-field side. O'Malley chose the park over nearby Wrigley Field as the Dodgers' temporary home because it offered an enormous amount of seating. Despite the odd conditions offered by playing in the Coliseum, the Dodgers were able to attain a loyal fanbase in relatively short order, aided in part by their victory over the Chicago White Sox in the 1959 World Series.

Dodger Stadium opened on April 10, 1962. The ballpark's large dimensions offered an advantage to defense and pitching over offense. Indeed, the Dodgers won many a low-scoring game in this era. The pitching staff of the 1960s Dodgers was carried by Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, with much of the offense coming from speedy Maury Wills. The 1960s Dodgers won three pennants and two World Series, and narrowly missed the 1962 pennant when they were defeated two games to one in a playoff series against the San Francisco Giants. The 1966 World Series, a sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles, spelled the end of the short-lived Dodger dynasty; Koufax retired after the season, Wills was traded away, and Drysdale lasted just three more seasons before retiring. Manager Walter Alston led the team to one more pennant in 1974 before he retired, giving way to a new era of Dodger success.

Tommy Lasorda took over in 1975, while O'Malley handed control of the team to his son Peter. Lasorda was at the helm of a team rich with new life, its core at the infield instead of on the pitching mound. From 1973 to 1981, the infield consisted of first baseman Steve Garvey, second baseman Davey Lopes, shortstop Bill Russell, and third baseman Ron Cey, the most consistent infield in baseball history. The pitching staff was still of high quality, anchored by Don Sutton and Tommy John. The Dodgers under Lasorda would win two more pennants in the late 1970s, neatly handled both times by the New York Yankees in the World Series.

On Opening Day 1981, the Dodgers started Fernando Valenzuela, a 20-year-old left-hander from Mexico. Valenzuela did not speak English, but he had his screwball to talk for him. Valenzeula pitched a shutout that day and was 8-0 in his first eight decisions. Valenzuela's torrid start -- leading him to both the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards -- propelled the Dodgers back into the postseason that year. The strike-shortened season was split into two halves, with a winner in each division declared for each half of the season, requiring three rounds instead of two. The Dodgers defeated the Houston Astros and Montreal Expos to win the pennant before dismantling the Yankees in the World Series.

The Dodgers would win the NL West in 1983 and 1985, losing the National League Championship Series both times to the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively. Though Valenzuela won 21 games in 1986, his effectiveness was largely gone by this time, blamed partly on overuse by Lasorda. In 1988, the Dodgers turned to Valenzuela's opposite: nerdy, thin, right-handed Orel Hershiser, nicknamed "Bulldog" by Lasorda in an effort to give him a more intimidating image. Hershiser won 23 games and the Cy Young Award that year, and broke Don Drysdale's consecutive scoreless innings record when he threw 59 no-run innings. Drysdale was a Dodgers broadcaster at the time and was not upset to see his record broken, praising Hershiser for "keeping it in the family." The Dodgers defeated the New York Mets in seven games to win the NL pennant despite having been 1-10 against the team in the regular season, then went on to defeat the Oakland Athletics in five games, beginning with the legendary Game 1, won by a two-run walk-off home run off the bat of Kirk Gibson in his only at-bat of the series.

Since then, the Dodgers have had little postseason success, winning no postseason games until 2004. The Dodgers have had six managers since replacing Lasorda in 1996, two owners since the O'Malleys sold the team in 1998, and five general managers (including a brief, yet memorable, tenure by Lasorda). The team has also had a history of success from its farm system, with five straight Rookies of the Year in the early 1990s: Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi, Hideo Nomo, and Todd Hollandsworth. In the new millennium, the Dodgers have developed players like Adrian Beltre, Paul Lo Duca, and Eric Gagne, leading the team to the postseason for much of the 2000s. With Joe Torre at the helm for the 2008 season and the promise of youngsters like All-Star catcher Russell Martin, the Dodgers hope to reclaim some of the glory that they first experienced upon moving to Los Angeles fifty years earlier.

Retired Numbers

• 1 - Pee Wee Reese (SS)
• 2 - Tommy Lasorda (Manager)
• 4 - Duke Snider (OF)
• 19 - Jim Gilliam (IF)
• 20 - Don Sutton (P)
• 24 - Walter Alston (Manager)
• 32 - Sandy Koufax (P)
• 39 - Roy Campanella ( C )
• 42 - Jackie Robinson (2B)
• 53 - Don Drysdale (P)

Minor League Affiliates

	Las Vegas 51s The AAA team Pacific Coast League		Jacksonville Suns The AA team Southern League
	Inland Empire 66ers Class A Advanced California League		Great Lakes Loons Class A Midwest League
	Ogden Raptors Class A Short Season Pioneer League		GCL Dodgers Rookie Ball Gulf Coast League

Quick Facts

• Uniform Colors: Dodger Blue and White
• Stadium: Dodger Stadium (Opened April 10, 1962)
• Stadium Capacity: 56,000
• Mascot: N/A
• National League Pennant: (21) 1890, 1899, 1900, 1916, 1920, 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1988
• Division Titles: (9) 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1995, 2004
• World Series Titles: (6) 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981, 1988
• Wild Card: (2) 1996, 2006
• Local Television: KCAL and FSN Prime Ticket
• Local Radio: KABC (English), KWKW (Español)
• Television Broadcasters: Vin Scully, Charley Steiner, Jerry Reuss
• Radio Broadcasters: Vin Scully, Charley Steiner, Rick Monday, Steve Lyons
• Spanish-Language Radio Broadcasters: Jaime Jarrin, Pepe Yñiguez, Fernando Valenzuela
• General Manager: Ned Colletti
• Manager: Joe Torre

Local Media

• Los Angeles Daily News
• Los Angeles Times

External Links

• Dodger Blues
• Baseball Toaster's Dodger Thoughts
• DodgerDogs.com Message Board
• Los Angeles Dodgers - Baseball-Reference.com