We all can recall the stars who propel teams to Championships. But sometimes, it is the non-star who makes a key play, or drives in a crucial run. It happens during the season, and many times in postseason play too. Over time, their names escape some of us when we try to recall a moment in time when the ultimate was made possible by an unlikely source.
In 1955, that key moment came when Alston substituted Sandy Amoros for Jim Gilliam in left field at Yankee Stadium in game 7 of the 55 series. Gilliam moved to second for Don Zimmer.
In the sixth inning, Podres allowed two runners with one out. Berra hit a shot down the left field line, Amoros sprinted over and made the catch, he then pivoted, threw a bullet to Reese, who relayed the ball to Hodges, who then tagged McDougald for the third out.
The Yankees would miss out again in the 8th when McDougald failed to drive in the runner from third with one out. Podres set the Yankees down in the 9th and Brooklyn had its first and only championship. Amoros hit .333 in that series and had a homer and 3 runs driven in.
He was, by all accounts, your classic bench player. But in this case, that one play changed the Dodgers postseason fortunes. They have done far better in Los Angeles than they did in Brooklyn, but the game has changed significantly since then.
1959: 59 was a very tight pennant race in the National League. The Giants, Braves and Dodgers battled most of the year. The Dodgers had a few days at the top of the standings and managed to stay close to the Braves for most of the season. Their biggest deficit was 5.5 games.
There were many changes to the roster during the season and the team ended up using 38 players over the season. 15 of them were pitchers. Carl Erskine, clearly no longer the pitcher he was, pitched in 10 games and was released, ending his career at 32.
Roger Craig, who had some success in Brooklyn, but had been relegated to the minors for a couple of years with arm problems, stepped into the #4 spot in the rotation and pitched well. McDevitt was the #5 starter. But Stan Williams and Larry Sherry also made starts.
One of the biggest changes was bringing in 26 year old Maury Wills to be the starting SS. Wills would get into 83 games. He was an upgrade over the slumping Don Zimmer. Chuck Essegian was obtained in a trade and added bench depth.
Sherry would become the World Series hero out of the pen winning two and saving two. Essegian would hit 2 pinch hit homers.
1963: 1963 was the year that Sandy Koufax became the pitcher they thought he would be. He won the Cy Young and had a 25 win season. Between him, Drysdale and Podres, they won 58 of the Dodgers 99 wins. The #4 starter was Bob Miller, the # 5 was Pete Richert. They had a new closer in ’63, Ron Perranoski. He would win 16 and save 21.
Rookie, Dick Calmus, would win 3 games. He would never pitch for the Dodgers again in the majors. He had a short stay with the Cubs, 1 game, in 1967. Off season addition, Bill Skowron had a terrible year, hitting only .203 with 4 home runs.
They did not make a lot of moves during the season. They sold Duke Snider just before the season started and then sold Zimmer to the Senators in June. The only trade they made was on July 30th when they traded Ed Roebuck to the Senators for infielder Marv Breeding. Breeding played in 20 games and did not do well.
Dick Nen came up for a cup of coffee in September and had one hit. But it was huge, a homer against the Cardinals in a crucial three-game series. Skowron turned it around in the World Series and played well. But it was all about the pitching as they swept the Yankees in four.
1965: 1964 had been a huge disappointment for the Dodgers. But many of their stars underperformed and Koufax had a circulation issue in his finger that shortened his season. Tommy Davis, coming off of back to back batting titles, hit under .300.
Other than Koufax and Drysdale, the pitching staff was not very good. Podres pitched in only 2 games. So some changes were obviously coming. They traded Howard, Ortega, Richert and Dick Nen to the Senators for Claude Osteen and infielder John Kennedy.
Disaster struck 17 games into the season when Tommy Davis broke his ankle sliding into second base. They called up a career minor leaguer that they had traded for in 1964, Lou Johnson.
Johnson was no Davis, but he played with a smile on his face and played well all season long. They did not have much power, but they stole 177 bases as a team, and they had the ROY in second baseman, Jim Lefebvre. He and Johnson led the team with 12 homers.
Koufax had 26 wins and Drysdale 23. Osteen chipped in 15 and Podres, in his last season as part of the rotation, won 7. They had a good bullpen, but not much on the bench. They won 97 games and finished 2 games in front of the Giants.
They did not make any trades at the trade deadline, but they did bring Jim Gilliam out of retirement in May, and he ended up being the regular third baseman and hitting .280.
They would meet the AL Champion Twins in the series. The Twins, unlike the Dodgers, had a lot of power with Harmon Killebrew and Bob Allison leading the way. Their pitching staff was led by 20 game winner, Mudcat Grant and lefty Jim Kaat.
Drysdale pitched in game one, Koufax had refused to pitch since the game started on Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday. Big D lost to Grant 8-2 in Minnesota. Koufax started game 2 and lost to Kaat, 5-1. The series shifted to Los Angeles and Claude Osteen started game three with the Dodgers down 2 games to none.
He pitched brilliantly and won a 4-0 shutout over Camilo Pasqual. Roseboro drove in 2 of the runs, Osteen went 9 for the complete game 5 hitter. They lost Lefebvre to an injury in this game. Game four saw Drysdale against Grant again. This time Drysdale won, 7-2. Another complete game win.
Koufax faced Kaat again in game five. Sandy was more than up to the task as he threw a complete game 4 hit, 10 strikeout win at the Twins. The Dodgers had only three extra base hits out of their 14 hits in the game, two doubles by Wills and one by Fairly.
Back in Minnesota for game six, Osteen against Grant who evened the series on three day’s rest with a 5-1 win. Alston had a decision to make, should he pitch Drysdale, who had won game four on the 10th, or should he bring his Ace, Koufax back on two days’ rest. He opted for his Ace.
Sandy was up to the task, he would pitch a three-hit complete game shutout. He struck out 10 and walked three. Johnson’s homer off of the foul pole leading off the fourth inning started a two run rally that would chase Kaat.
The Dodgers won their fourth overall title, and their third in LA. It would be their last until 1981. They would lose four times in the series in between. 65 was Koufax’s last World Series win and the same for Drysdale. Sandy retired after the 66 series, and Big D had to retire after 1969 with a bad rotator cuff.
1981: 1981 was a strike year, so it was different in that this was the first time that the pennant winner had to win two playoff series to advance to the World Series. The reason was the strike caused the powers that be to divide the season into two halves. The winner of the first half, would play the winner of the second half in a division series.
The Dodgers won the first half by half a game over the Reds. They were barely over .500 in the second half and finished with 63 wins. Houston won the second half by winning 33 of their 53 games. The Reds got screwed. They won more games, 66, than any team in the West. But they had not won either half, so they missed the playoffs.
The Dodgers had to go to Houston for the first two games and got beat 3-1 and 1-0. They came back to LA for the next 3. Hooton beat Knepper in game three, 6-1. Rookie sensation, Fernando Valenzuela, beat Ruhle, 2-1 in game four. Jerry Reuss, who’s injury at the beginning of the year opened the door for Valenzuela, pitched a shutout in game five, beating Nolan Ryan, 4-0.
The Dodgers still had the infield together in 81. It would be their last chance at a championship together. Mike Scioscia had taken over the #1 catching spot. But Yeager was his backup. Pedro Guerrero was the starting right fielder but otherwise the lineup was pretty much the same as it had been in ’78.
The only trade they had made had brought Ken Landreaux to the team in March. Valenzuela was the star and a sensation to the fans. Fernandomania took over Los Angeles and baseball.
They still had the likes of Rick Monday and Reggie Smith on the bench along with prankster Jay Johnstone and utility man, Derrell Thomas.
Valenzuela, Hooton, Reuss and Welch made a formidable rotation. Steve Howe, Bobby Castillo and Dave Stewart were the main guys out of the pen.
After knocking off the Astros, they then had to face the Eastern champion Expos. The first two games were in LA. Hooton beat Gullickson 5-1, but then Burris shut out LA in game two, 3-0 beating Fernando.
Off to Montreal for game three, Expos Ace, Steve Rogers beat Reuss, 4-1. Hooton won his third playoff game, 7-1 over Gullickson, with Dusty Baker and Steve Garvey driving in five of the seven runs. Garvey hit his 3rd homer.
The deciding game was played on October 19th. A rematch of Rogers and Valenzuela. The Expos got one in the first inning. The Dodgers came back and tied the game in the 5th when Valenzuela drove in Rick Monday.
That is the way the game stayed until the 9th inning. Then with 2 outs, Rick Monday hit a home run to deep center field, and the Dodgers led 2-1. Valenzuela got two outs in the 9th, but got into trouble and Bob Welch came in to get the last out and send the Dodgers to the series against the Yankees.
The Dodgers would lose the first two games in New York to lefties, Ron Guidry and Tommy John. Back in LA they would sweep all three games behind Valenzuela, some stellar bullpen work in game four with Howe getting the win, and Jerry Ruess in game five.
They also got some clutch hitting in game three from Cey and Guerrero. A two-run pinch hit off of Frazier in the 6th by Johnstone when they tied the game at 6. 2 late homers off of Guidry in game five by Guerrero and Yeager.
Game six was a laugher. After going down 1-0 in the third they scored 1-3 and then 4 runs in the 4th, 5th and 6th innings. Guerrero was 3-5 with 5 RBI’s and the final score was 9-2. Hooton got the win and Howe pitched 3.2 innings of scoreless relief.
It was a magical year.
1988: The Dodgers had signed free agent outfielder Kirk Gibson in the offseason. Gibby was as hard-nosed as they come, and he set the tone in spring training when he went ballistic after reliever Jesse Orosco put eye black around the inside of his cap. He stormed off of the field and made it known he was there to win, not to play games.
But Gibson was not the only new member of the team. Orosco, SS, Alfredo Griffin and reliever Jay Howell were also new. They brought back Don Sutton and traded for infielder Glen Hoffman. Yep, Trevor’s brother.
They would make only one significant trade during the season when they traded Pedro Guerrero to the Cardinals in August for John Tudor.
Another new member was Mike Davis, a free agent signing in the offseason also. But Mike would suffer through a terrible year. Gibson would eventually win the MVP award. Griffin would bat under .200, but brought solid defense at SS. Howell was the closer and would have 21 saves.
Hershiser had a Cy Young year, 23-8 Leary won 17 games and Belcher won 12. Valenzuela and Sutton were not that great. That was one of the concerns and the reason they traded for Tudor who won 4 of his 7 decisions.
Overall the bullpen was pretty solid. But injuries to several players had many non-regulars playing major roles. They called themselves the Stunt Men and they were led by Mickey Hatcher, who had returned to LA the year before in a trade with the Twins.
They would be crucial come World Series time. They met the Mets in the NLCS. New York had beaten them 11 of 12 games during the regular season.
They split the first two games at Dodger Stadium and lost game three at Shea. Howell got suspended for having a file in his glove. He would miss a couple of games. In game four, they were down 4-2 in the 9th inning when Mike Scioscia, who had three homers all year, connected for a two-run shot off of Dwight Gooden to tie the game.
Finally in the 12th inning, Kirk Gibson hit his first homer of the series off of Roger McDowell to get the win. It took three pitchers to close the game out in the bottom of the inning. Leary gave up two hits and got one out. Orosco got one out and walked a man to load the bases.
Hershiser came in and on 3 pitchers got Kevin McReynolds to fly out for the last out. Led by Kirk Gibson’s 3-run homer, they would win game 5, 7-2 behind Tim Belcher.
Game six back in LA was a 5-1 5 hit complete game gem by David Cone. Game six was all Orel Hershiser. He completely shut down the Mets on 5 hits. The Dodgers won the pennant with a 6-0 win. But it was costly, they lost Kirk Gibson to sore knees.
The mighty A’s came to LA to start the Series. The Bash Brothers as they were known clubbed a lot of homers. They had also won 104 games.
Mickey Hatcher started in left field for the injured Gibson and he actually got the Dodgers on the board first with a 2-run homer off of Dave Stewart in the first inning.
The A’s got 4 in the second on a Canseco grand slam off of Belcher with 2 outs.
The A’s would not score again. The Dodgers got one back when Scioscia drove in Marshall with a single. And that is the way it stayed until the bottom of the 9th. The A’s brought in their closer, Eckersley to pitch the 9th.
Scioscia and Hamilton made outs and Lasorda sent Mike Davis to hit for Griffin. Davis drew a walk, and then out of nowhere, Kirk Gibson was seen strolling to the on deck circle getting ready to hit.
The stadium went nuts. Gibson stepped to the plate. I forget what the count was, but Davis stole second base. The hope was Gibson would hit a ball far enough where he did not have to run and Davis would score the tying run.
Gibby hit a weak roller down the first base line that went foul and it was obvious he was really hobbled. With the count 3-2, Gibson called time and backed out of the box.
He would say later that he was recalling a scouting report on Eckersley that said on 3-2 counts, he would throw a backdoor slider to left handed hitters.
Eckersley threw exactly that type of pitch and Gibson got around on it and hit maybe the most dramatic homer in Dodger history. But he would not have even had a chance had Davis not worked that walk. That walk was Mike Davis’s highlight in his Dodger career. Even though four more games were played, they seemed anticlimactic compared to game one.
Hatcher filled in nicely for Gibson hitting well over .300 with 2 homers in the series. But it was all about pitching and the pitching star was Hershiser. 6th World Series title in team history and number 5 in LA.
We would have to wait more than 30 years for the next one. The longest drought in LA Dodger history. Brooklyn waited 65 years, from 1890 to 1955. It has been three seasons now. Let’s hope that the wait is over in 24.
It does not get more iconic than the above!!
Nice trip down memory lane, Bear.
When I read about how many games Perranoski won, I find myself wondering how many multi-inning appearances he compiled. Phil Regan too, with that 14-1 record.
On another matter, I’ve noticed some fans muse that maybe Mookie shouldn’t move to 2B. I don’t really understand the sentiment.
Anyway, I think Mookie has made his perspective clear. A recent quote about the move to 2B:
“Oh, man. I’m ecstatic about it. I’m super excited about it. But you know, I do what I can just to help the team win. We’ve got J-Hey out there, who’s got just as many Gold Gloves as I do, so we’re not really missing much out there in right field, for sure. We have a really good team and really good outfield. It’ll be a lot of fun to get to go back to my roots.”
I’m still hoping that Heyward platoons with Taylor, while Outman and Teoscar are basically full-time players. (Teoscar could shuffle between LF and RF, but he might be a better defender if he focuses on LF full-time.)
At this point, I think AF might just tinker a bit. Re-signing Brasier makes sense. And maybe Margot could be moved to make room for Kike.
One reason an overpay for Burnes would have made sense is that Burnes himself is underpaid. He is under contract for ’24 at $15.6 million, while Glasnow is getting paid $25 million.
Dodgers could have easily matched the trade executed by the Orioles, but Milwaukee was not going to trade with the Dodgers.
Burnes would have been a very nice addition, but it will soon be time to see which young Dodger pitcher is ready to step up. Is Stone ready, can Frasso be the guy or is Knack ready to roll?
I have a sneaky suspicion Knack will come to camp in great shape and surprise a lot of people. May not break camp with the big club but just might be the first MiLB pitcher called up to fill in for the eventual tired or ailing SP arm.
What about 2020? It counts too!
Good trade by Orioles to get Burnes. The prospects may have been a little more than what Dodgers gave up for Glasnow, but Dodgers absorbed $20 million in additional salary on Margot and Glasnow. I would have preferred Burnes this year over either Glasnow or Yamamoto. Burnes has thrown 193 and 202 innings the last two years with a career ERA of 3.26. Orioles have added a top 10 pitcher and the #1 MLB prospect to a 101 win team.
Thanks Bear.
Is anyone going to Dodgerfest tomorrow at the Stadium?
I’d love to meet up and say hello (and talk about Mark and Jeff behind their backs)
Ross Stripling has been traded by SF to Oakland for 22 year old low A Ball OF Jonah Cox and cash. Cox was the 28th top prospect in the Oakland system (MLB Pipeline). No report as to how much cash, but Stripling is due to make $12.5MM in 2024. This has the makings of an acquisition of a future trade deadline player whereby Oakland might be able to pick up better prospects than Cox at the deadline.
Logan Webb, Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, Keaton Winn, and Tristan Beck is now the Giants rotation. They have to be gearing up for Blake Snell, right?
Dodgers should have won the 1978 series. That one still is the biggest disappointment for me.
Willy Adames is now a prime trade target, and to some degree Devin Williams. I found this comment on MLBTradeRumors… “while teams like the Dodgers, Marlins, and Rays could stand to improve at shortstop and may have some level of interest in Adames.”
Why are the Dodgers still being discussed as a team who needs an upgrade at SS for 2024. How many times do they have to tell everyone that Gavin Lux is their SS for 2024. Mark may be right, and he may fall on his face as a legit SS, but there is nothing to indicate that is inevitable. While not at the Adames level, I would bet that Lux will play better defense at SS than many believe he will.
I do believe that Miami is the perfect trading team for Adames. There are a number of pitchers Miami can sent to Milwaukee for Adames. The problem is that Miami will not extend Adames, and next year they will find themselves in exactly the same position they are this year at SS. They might as well see what they have with Jacob Amaya.
OTOH, Williams could be a target for LAD. Yesterday, I asked if anyone would be willing to trade Gavin Stone and Ryan Yarbrough for two years of Devin Williams. STB said he would.
My take. I am all for the kids, but I am more interested in putting together the best team possible. Yes, Evan Phillips is a great reliever. But he is more valuable as a reliever to come in at the most opportune time. It is the Andrew Miller model. Devin Williams is that shut down reliever to close out a game the Dodgers do not have, and have not had since Kenley. The Dodgers get the closer, and they get to move their best reliever to where he is best used.
The cost? Gavin Stone. For some of you that is sacrilegious. But in all candor (IMO), he is not at the Emmet Sheehan level, not at the Nick Frasso level, and there are others who could adequately replace Stone and the Dodgers would not miss a beat. How much better is Stone than Landon Knack? River Ryan? Kyle Hurt? Stone is surplus at a position the Dodgers are LOADED. I would not trade Emmet Sheehan or Nick Frasso. I doubt that Milwaukee would equate Knack or Michael Grove to Williams. IMO, Stone is the only LAD pitcher, who the Dodgers would consider, and who the Brewers would agree to. Come October, who gives the Dodgers a better chance…Devin Williams or Gavin Stone?
My guess. The Dodgers will be going to ST next week with who they have now.
Good read Bear.
As many know, former Dodger Dj Peters began the process of converting to a pitcher in Tiger’s system last year. Somebody posted a video on X. He certainly has the arm. It will be interesting to see if he gets a shot somewhere this year.
https://x.com/pfabaseball/status/1747977107177955715?s=46&t=QLZL6rUStVTcnhF7gF-Qig
Quick summary note:
After publishing his top 100 list, the great Kiley McDaniel produced his overall farm system rankings ($$$$$$):
Dodgers are at #8 (were at #6 last year).
For comparisons Baseball America has them at #10 (previously at 3) and BP at #3 overall (were #2)
Of the system, McDaniel writes:
“The system’s pitching depth is positively wacky”
Gotta love wacky.
Might the Lakers trade James before the deadline? https://lakersdaily.com/?p=50496
Excellent article Bear!
Everyone remembers the Gibson HR in 1988, but the Scioscia HR against Gooden in the 9th inning may have been even more improbable. I didn’t know he only had 3 HR that whole year and he ties the game with a 9th inning HR off of Gooden!
I saw a video of Andy Pages taking BP in a cage. Swing looked nice and smooth.
I’m skimming the comments. Is it safe to say that Mark is beating the “trade Lux” drum again? I was serious when I said on a previous occasion that barely a week goes by without Mark making the case that Lux can’t play SS and includes him in some trade scenario. I can’t count the number of times poor Luxie has been traded.
And I saw Vargas mentioned a few times as well. Mark loves him, in spite of his claims that he doesn’t have favorites or biases.
We all have biases.
I gotta admire his dogged persistence, though … and that’s not to say that Mark is incorrect. Mark did post some videos of Lux making throws vis a vis that other talented SS we traded for Rojas. Yeah, I would go along with the argument that Lux doesn’t have the best arm strength, and yeah, the scouting reports on Vargas really like his bat to ball skills, and he has a plausible ceiling as a .280 right handed bat with about 20-25 home run potential. He lacks HR power, but is a potential doubles machine. An offensive comp could be Justin Turner. And yeah, Adames is a borderline elite defender with some power.
But here’s another reminder of Lux’s potential: Fangraphs gave him a Future Value score of 70 out of 80 (Vargas was 50). His power number rated a 60. Their little scouting summary snippet describes him as a “perennial All-Star.” He was the 2nd highest rated prospect in all of baseball before he was called up. He hit nearly .400 in AAA. His ceiling is pretty darn sky high. I would even go out on a limb and say that this is one of the reasons why the Dodgers let Seager walk. They thought they had a close enough facsimile in Lux. That is tantalizing enough for me to at least give him a legitimate chance, a “long runway” if you will. Why wouldn’t you?
At the same time I think the Dodgers gave a pretty clear indication that Vargas is not a serious part of this year’s plans when they signed Teoscar, and I seriously doubt he becomes a bench piece or “utility” player. A utility player needs to able to play competent defense at multiple positions (and the Dodgers love flexibility, as we know). Vargas can’t play competent defense at ANY position. They tried to hide him at 2nd base last year and even Roberts, in one of his exceedingly rare moments of negative candor, publicly voiced his displeasure at the state of his defensive play. The stats confirm this. A team is not going to burn a roster spot for someone without a legitimate position.
Vargas is blocked. For him to have any future with this team, if it was me, I’d just stick him in AAA and make him play left every single game. If he becomes a competent fielder and his offense does not regress, he has a chance at playing next year when Teoscar signs somewhere else.
Esteban Rivera takes a look at hitters who are getting (or who have gotten) stuck with too much weight on their back foot.
Will Smith in the 2nd half of last year is a real culprit. Hopefully this doesn’t resurface as a problem in the upcoming season.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/mlb-hitters-get-stuck-on-their-backside-too/
Dodgers sign Dinelson Lamet to a minor leagues contract with an invite to spring training. Lamet is 31 and has had some injury issues. He has pitched for the Padres, Rockies and Red Sox.
Well, we can eliminate one potential starter from the rotation this year. Turns out Frasso had labrum repair surgery in November and will probably miss most if not all of 2024.
They sure managed to keep that quiet, at least I didn’t see it mentioned anywhere.
Nen was voted a full World Series share.
I want to trade James so that the offense doesn’t revolve around any one person.
D-backs traded OF Dominic Fletcher to CWS for 21 year old MiLB RHSP, Cristian Mena. I mentioned Fletcher a couple weeks back. Although there is absolutely no real possibility for Arizona to trade to LAD, he would have been a good OF depth for LAD. I hope he gets a shot with CWS.
Gomes said today that Buehler will probably not be ready for the start of the season, but he is not a candidate for the 60-day IL. That means he could be back on limited innings very early in the year. Gomes also said his bullpen the other day looked great. Ohtani has begun hitting, but not throwing and is confident he will be ready for opening day in Korea. Gomes also said that the Dodgers are still talking with Kershaw.
Not sure if it’s been mentioned yet, but Doc stated today at Dodgerfest that the top 3 would be, in order, Mookie, Freddie, Ohtani