As fans, we all know the stars of our teams, and today with the internet and all the media coverage, we know the rookies, the scrub beanies, and just about everyone else in the organization.
Growing up, and learning the game, that was not the case. We found out in box scores, and those of us lucky enough to have a subscription, in the Sporting News.
But for every star player, there was and is that guy who wants that starting job. Some make it, some do not. I thought it would be kind of interesting to look back at some of the players who made a run at a championship with the Dodgers.
But to keep it simple we will start in 59 and go no further than 88. Too much disappointment after that. And some of the names will be easily recognized for older fans. Some not so much.
In 1959, some of the starters were the aging Brooklyn guys. Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Charlie Neal, Carl Furillo was injured and a bench player most of the year. But Reese had retired, Carl Erskine was also injured and not nearly as good as he was in Brooklyn. Don Newcombe was traded to the Reds. Gino Cimoli went to the Cardinals for Wally Moon who became the regular left fielder.
But Don Zimmer, who replaced Reese got off to a terrible start. He hit .165 and had his worst year as a Dodger. He was replaced by Maury Wills. Wills injected some speed into the lineup, and played pretty decent defense.
Norm Larker spelled Hodges at first and played some outfield also. He had 8 homers, 49 RBI’s, hit .289, and had a .344 OBP. Furillo only played in 49 games, but hit .290, with a 333 OBP. It was his last full season as a Dodger. His biggest hit came against the Braves in the 2nd playoff game, and drove in Hodges with the pennant winning run.
Stan Williams made 15 spot starts, and won 5. Roger Craig was 11-5 and had an ERA of 2.09. Larry Sherry won 7 out of the pen and saved 3. Clem Labine led the team with 9 saves. Danny McDevitt, Johnny Klippstein, Art Fowler, and Chuck Churn who won 3 games, all made contributions down the stretch. Craig was very important as he won all 11 games after his call up in June.
1962 – The year of heartbreak. Tommy Davis won the batting title. The only starters who were hold overs from Brooklyn days were Jim Gilliam and John Roseboro. The Davis boys and Howard made up the outfield, with Ron Fairly, Gilliam, Maury Wills, and former Giant Daryl Spencer as the 3rd baseman.
Wally Moon and Snider got some time. Duke hit 5 homers in his last season as a Dodger and had an OBP of .418. Larry Burright, a light hitting 2nd baseman got into 115 games. The most of any bench player. Johnny Podres, Sandy Koufax and Stan Williams all hit homers that year. But Koufax’s circulation problem that limited him to 28 games really hurt the Dodgers down the stretch. He still managed to pitch 2 shut outs and had 11 complete games and his first no hitter on the 30th of June against the Mets.
Pete Richert stepped in and won 5 games as a starter. Ron Perranoski had 19 saves, but Ed Roebuck was the unsung hero out of the pen with 10-2 record, and 9 saves. He was the pitcher Walter Alston replaced with Williams in the 3rd game of the playoff. Williams blew a 2 run lead, and the pennant went out the window with it.
1963 – A magical year. Koufax was the star of the team, winning the Cy Young, that Big D had won the year before. 25-5 record, 1.88 ERA, 306 K’s. Awesome year.
Moon had 8 homers and 48 RBI’s off of the bench, and a .335 OBP. Lee Walls had 3 homers, and a OBP of 349. Perranoski was 16-3 with a 1.67 ERA and 21 saves. The rookie, Dick Calmus went 3-1. and never pitched at the major league level for the Dodgers again. Dick Nen had one of the biggest hits of the year. A pinch hit homer against the Cards in St Louis that helped the Dodgers sweep the Cards, and increase their lead to 4.5 games. His only homer in a Dodger uni.
1965 – Another magical year for Koufax. 26-8 2.04 ERA, 382 K’s. Drysdale added 23 wins. Newcomer Claude Osteen went 15-15. Podres won 7 in his last year in the rotation. Ron Perranoski, Bob Miller and Howie Reed carried the load in the pen. And rookie John Purdin won 2 games.
The season was only 17 games old when star outfielder Tommy Davis broke his ankle on a slide into second. The Dodgers then purchased the contract of Lou Johnson, a journeyman outfielder who had last played for the Braves in 1962.
Johnson was the spark the team needed. He played with a joy seldom seen by many, and did a pretty good job replacing Davis. He hit .259 with 12 homers and 58 RBI’s, and a OBP of .315. Drysdale was the only Dodger who had a .300 BA that year, and he added 7 homers, and 19 RBI’s.
Jeff Torborg led the scrubs with 3 homers. Jeff also was the catcher when Sandy pitched his perfect game. But none of the other players had more than 1. The team itself showed little power, only hitting 78 homers. Pitching was the key.
Koufax did not pitch the opener of the series due to Yom Kippur. So Big D started and lost. Koufax lost game 2, and they were down to the Twins. Osteen won game 3 in LA, Big D won game 4, Koufax game 5. Back in Minnesota, the Twins beat Osteen. And with the title on the line, Alston opted for Sandy on two days rest with Big D out in the pen if needed. He wasn’t. Koufax pitched a 2-0 shutout, and the title was theirs. Second time in 3 years.
1966 – Sandy’s last season. He again won the Cy Young with a 27-9 performance. As he had in 65, he completed 27 games and struck out 312, the third time he passed that number. Plus his ERA was 1.73. Drysdale had a losing record at 13-16. But Claude Osteen went 17-14, and a kid named Don Sutton went 12-12 in his rookie year. Certainly not expected. Phil Regan won 14 out of the pen with a single loss. 21 saves and sub 2 ERA earning him the nickname, Vulture. Miller, Perranoski and Jim Brewer backed him up.
Davis coming back from injury hit .313 with 3 homers and 27 RBI’s off of the bench. Al Ferrara had 5 homers as a part time player. Gilliam was instrumental in the field coming back from coaching to being active at 37 years old. He played stellar defense, but did not add much at the plate. Dick Stuart, the famed Dr. Strangeglove from the Pirates added 3 homers in 9 ribbies in limited play his last year in the majors.
They lost in 4 games to a very powerful Orioles team that had excellent pitching, and a vacuum cleaner at 3rd in Brooks Robinson. Koufax lost his only start in the series, and retired after the season was over at 30 years old.
For the next 8 years the team did not play very well. Big D retired in 69 because of injury. Sutton became the team’s ace. They got Maury Wills back in a trade after he spent 3 seasons with the Pirates and the Expos.
With draft picks, and some trades they finally made it back in 74. After 3 straight second place finishes. They won 102 games, matching the 62 team’s high in LA. They beat Pittsburgh in the playoffs, and then faced the A’s. The A’s were seeking their 3rd straight championship. And they would get it, winning 4 games to 1. The oddity was that all of the games save game 4 were won by the same score, 3-2.
1974 – The year of the Toy Cannon, Jimmy Wynn. He was the elder statesman on a team of upcoming stars that included the infield of Cey, Lopes, Garvey, and Russell. He was flanked in the outfield by Bill Buckner and Willie Crawford.
The biggest contributor off of the bench was Joe Ferguson, who while sharing the catching duties with Yeager, blasted 16 homers with 57 RBI’s and a .252 avg with a .380 OBP. No other bench player had more than 3 homers. Andy Messersmith led the pitchers with 1 homer and 11 ribbies.
All of the starters except Al Downing had winning records, but the bullpen was anchored by Mike Marshall. Marshall was in 105 games with a 15-12 record and 21 saves. He was backed up by Charlie Hough who won 9. Geoff Zahn, Brewer, and Rick Rhoden all added wins.
1977 – Back to the promised land again, with a new manager, Lasorda, at the helm. The infield was intact, but the outfield was completely changed with Dusty Baker, Rick Monday, and Reggie Smith. All 3 picked up in trades. Dusty Baker for Wynn, Monday for Buckner, and Smith for Joe Ferguson. 4 players hit 30 homers or more. Garvey and Cey drove in 100 plus runs.
They got decent production from bench players, Lee Lacy, Glenn Burke, Johnny Oates, and Vic Davalillo. Oates and Jerry Grote were the backup catchers. And they got veteran Boog Powell from the Orioles and he played in 53 games.
They got 20 wins from John, and all of the staff had winning records and double digit wins. Hough was the workhorse in the pen, winning 6, but losing 12. He did save 22. Mike Garman added 12 saves with 4 wins. And they lost to the Yankees and Jackson 4-2.
1978 – Back to back pennants. They beat the Phillies in the playoffs. This time, no player hit 30 homers. Garvey led the team with a .316 average and 113 RBI’s. Monday, now a platoon player, and Lee Lacy led a strong bench corps, which included Joe Ferguson who was traded back to the team. Davalillo managed to hit over .300 in 75 games. Mostly as a PH.
As we all know, for the next couple of seasons, they fell short. Including a painful 1 game playoff in 1980 to those Astro guys. Some kid named Valenzuela made his MLB debut late that year. He managed to get into 10 games. He won 2 and saved 1.
1981 – Strike year. After 57 games the players went on strike, and the Dodgers at the time were in first place with a 36-21 record. When the strike was settled, it was decided that there would be a second half champion like they do in the minors. So, the Dodgers finished 4th in the second half with a 27-26 record. Now the fun begins because the team that had the best record over all, the Reds, did not get into the playoffs. And the team in the east with the best winning percentage, the Cardinals, did not get in either. It was Expos-Phillies, and Dodgers-Astros for the NLDS.
The Dodgers split the first 4 games and headed into game 5 with Jerry Ruess making the start against Nolan Ryan. Ruess pitched a 5 hit shutout and the Dodgers went on to face Montreal. In game 5, Valenzuela started against Burris, who had shut LA out in game two. Montreal got the jump, but the Dodgers tied it at one in the 5th when Monday scored on a ground out. Burris left after the 8th inning, and the Expos brought in their ace, Steve Rogers, to pitch the 9th. With 2 outs on a 3-1 pitch, Monday homered to give LA the lead. The Expos got two walks with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, but Welch came out of the pen, and got the last out.
They finally beat the Yankees 4-2, after losing the first 2 games in Yankee Stadium to win their first title since 65. Monday, Derrel Thomas, Yeager, and Jay Johnstone were all big contributors off of the bench. Thomas driving Lasorda nuts with his basket catches in the outfield, and Johnstone keeping the clubhouse loose with his antics. He was spotted at the concession stand in full uniform, buying hot dogs during a game. And one time, he and Jerry Ruess donned the groundskeepers shirts and dragged the infield. Funny story about that is Lasorda spotted them and decided to turn the tables, so he started yelling at Johnstone to grab a bat and pinch hit. Jay was still tucking in his shirt as he grabbed a bat and headed to the plate. He proceeded to hit a homer. As he came into the dugout and passed Tommy, he was speechless.
As we all know, Fernando had an outstanding rookie season, winning the Cy Young and the ROY. No one had done that before, and no one has done it since. Steve Howe made big contributions out of the pen, as did Bobby (Babo) Castillo and Dave Stewart. It was one for the books. Another aside on the last 2 seasons of Koufax. He had WAR’s of 9.9, and 9.7 those last two seasons.
1988 – That year the Dodgers relied on pitching again, since only 3 of the hitters had 10 or more homers. And due to injury, they relied a lot on the bench players. In this case, they were called the Stunt Men, led by the effervescent Mickey Hatcher. The team had signed Kirk Gibson in the off season as a free agent, traded for Jay Howell, Alfredo Griffin, and Jesse Orosco.
The tone for the season was set during spring, and sparked by 3 separate incidents. During BP, Griffin was pitching and tossing cookies up there, and Gibson yelled, why are we taking BP if we are getting nothing out of it? Then came the one we all know about. Orosco placing eyeblack in Gibson’s cap. Gibson told Lasorda he had better find out who did it as he stormed off the field. He also threatened to quote, “Tear the guy’s head off”. Orosco later tried to apologize, but it was a no go. The Dodgers used to play a game called Flinch. They would fake throwing a punch at another player, and if he flinched, they could punch them for real. In probably a move he regretted the rest of his life, Hershiser tried that on Gibson, who promptly responded by forearming him in the chest and declaring, I don’t play flinch!
The team played well, and had the Stunt Men to fall back on. Dave Anderson, Hatcher, Danny Heep, Pedro Guerrero, before he was traded to the Cardinals for John Tudor, Mike Sharperson, and Rick Dempsey, all made solid contributions to the team. Hershiser was the star of the team on the pitching side. Gibson won the MVP with a very good offensive campaign. Lost in all of that is the fact that he also stole 31 bases, and Steve Sax added 42. The team had 4 players with 10 or more, Shelby and Stubbs added to that total.
The starters had 3 in double figures, Orel Hershiser, Tim Leary, and Tim Belcher. Fernando was plagued by injury and only won 5 while losing 8 with a plus 4 ERA. Sutton went 3-6 before being released. Tudor got 9 starts and went 4-3. Shawn Hillegas started 11 games and had a 3-4 record. Pena and Howell were solid out of the pen with 12 and 21 saves respectively. And then they met the powerful A’s in the series after dispatching the Mets 4-3, after being beaten 11 of 12 games during the season. Mike Scioscia, the starting catcher, hit a 2 run homer off of Doc Gooden in the 9th inning to send the game 4 to extras. And in the 12th, shades of things to come, Gibson hit a homer that won it.
Pitching won the World Series for them. Hershiser and friends shut down the powerful A’s offense. The Stunt Men filled in for the injured regulars, notably Hatcher, who hit . 368 and had more homers, 2 than he hit during the regular season. Mike Davis, who had a terrible year, but walked prior to Gibby’s game winner in game 1, also managed to add a homer to the cause. Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire were 2 for 36 combined with both hits homers.
Well, there you have it. Some of the unsung heroes who made impacts on good teams. I am just hoping some of those guys on this team can do the same.
Nice article AKA Bear. We should talk about your article, but I want to comment on Doc. It is obvious to me Jansen does not have it anymore. That has to be horrible for any athlete. But will he be removed as the closer? I doubt it. Doc is loyal to his players, but not loyal to his team. This is a short season and you do not have time to figure out why Jansen is off. What is best for the team right now is to find another closer. I do not think Doc will do it. He is too loyal to each player. I hope like hell I am wrong.
Yesterday Roberts said:
“I think it’s more magnified because it’s his last two outings.“
“But I know he’s in a good headspace, and his body feels good. He’s healthy. We just have to continue to give him confidence and expect to go out there and close out games for us.
As far as a leash, he’s our closer. But obviously performance matters, it does. And everyone in that clubhouse knows that.”
I take this to mean he’ll close the next opportunity but if he’s roughed up that’s it.
For maybe a game. I still think they should let guys like McGee and Treinen have a shot once in a while. I heard they did not want to put Graterol in high leverage situations. Huh? Why the hell is he here if not to learn and learning comes from those kinds of outings. Doc not having someone up after that first hit was a huge blunder. The we want Jansen’s head on a platter crowd was out in force on Twitter after the game.
AL, you should go to dodgers.com and read Doc’s comments after last nights game. They are in the story about Jansen feeling awful. I waited almost an hour after the game to see if there was going to be a clip on MLB.tv about the game with Doc. But there wasn’t so I read that story instead. Jansen is still the closer according to Doc. Jansen said he just could not spot hit pitches, Duh, that was obvious. He could not put hitters away. A couple of those hits came off of his 4 seam fastball, which did not look very fast to me. He also had numerous 2 strike counts when they got the his. His performance is obviously on him, and the guy he was 4 games ago, is not the guy he is now. But, the onus is on Roberts for not having someone, anyone up right after that first hit. When the second straight player was on, Doc would have had to leave him in because of the 3 hitter rule, but he would have been outa there after that if I were managing. To hell with his ego and pride. They are trying to win. Now the lead is down to 3. They have a very good chance of coming out of the Padres series in 2nd place. They are only 2 games in front of the Rays for best record which only benefits them in the Series as they would be designated the home team in 4 of the games. Last at bats can be huge in a 7 game series. Very disappointing game. One good note, they have owned Greinke since he left. Especially at Dodger Stadium. Current players on the roster, not counting Turner, who will be activated sometime during the Padre series hopefully, have a total of 13 homers off Zack.
Nice article! My Dodgers memory starts at 1981, when I first started becoming a baseball fan in grade school and first became exposed to Fernandomania. I never played, but I grew to love baseball, and listened to Vin, Jerry Doggett, and ….the other guy…Ross Porter!…forgot his name for a moment…reminds me of Charlie Steiner a little. (He would say some of the dumbest trivia. “The Phillies lead the league in players who wear contact lenses.”)
– Even when Kenley was pitching well earlier in the season, it belied somewhat the decline in his fundamentals. His velo on his cutter has seen a steady decline since his peak in 2017 and now sits at about 91, down from 93.5 in 17. It look like he’s been trying to adapt and mix in other pitches. Last year he threw more sliders. This year it seems from the stats that he’s throwing a two seam fastball more. Not sure if his command has declined, but it seems last night he was throwing stuff in the zone. In 2017 that might have worked. Not so much in 2020 and 3 MPH slower.
– I’m not sure what Doc is thinking by leaving him in. I would imagine the regular season allows the manager to leave a guy in to get practice working things out. It’s important to fail at times. On the other hand, he does this too often during the playoffs, so it seems it’s a habit for him, and, with the race tightening up with a strong Padre team buttressed at the trade deadline, the Dodgers can’t really afford to learn that losing is ok. Hopefully this should permanently dispel that canard that’s been repeated so often that Doc is merely a cipher for the stat heads in the front office, that AF gives him his sabre marching orders and he merely obeys. That was a dumb take then, and if that were true, that pitching match ups are dictated by the analysis of previous matchups by nerds with pocket protectors, there’s no way Kershaw would have been in the game in relief against the Nationals…. and Kenley probably wouldn’t be closing at all.
– It was great to read that there was a group of Dodger fans who were yelling, holding signs and banging trash cans to greet the Astros bus as it arrived at Dodger Stadium. Dodger fans should be applauded for that, and Joe Kelly gave them a thumbs up and a horn salute from his Porsche as he arrived.
https://sports.yahoo.com/dodgers-fans-welcome-astros-with-trash-cans-and-signs-following-cheating-scandal-211451436.html
– The other day I made a comment about trolling that was directed at Jeff’s deliberately contrarian (the charitable word for dumb) commentary. I caught the comment later from Dodger Blue Mom that she thought I was talking about her. I wasn’t. Sorry for the misunderstanding DBM.
dodgerpatch20, I am sorry also that I misread your comment. It was just where my comment was placed in the blog. I do enjoy your observations and contributions to this site.
Deliberately contrarian=dumb? How dumb is that?
About as contrarian as a bag of hammers. 😉
It’s a shame such a fine article is launched after last nights train wreck occurring in front of our eyes in slow motion.
When I saw Kenley’s first cutter clock in at 89, the next at 88, I thought, oh no! I’m not sure what is wrong, but he truly pooped the bed last night. So, Doc has evaluated Mookie at second and not yanking Kenley when he should have. Hit after hit should have given Doc a clue. My input from the peanut gallery is, three guys reach in a row, he’s gotta GO!
It is the time of year to manage the team on a shorter leash. People are human they will make mistakes, just don’t compound them by inaction. I approve of Doc’s changes to the batting order. Now I’d like to see Doc declare its closing by committee from this point forward. No more automatic to Kenley in the 9th. Let’s see who can make it happen over the final 15 or so games. It still could be Kenley, even Koufax had an off night. Letting more people know they have a chance at the 9th may shake things up. I see other guys who have great stuff. Today’s bullpen game is a great start.
Very nice Bear and Idahoal is correct about talking about your article, it took research time and very well written, but I would also like to talk about Roberts. The team didn’t deserve that loss and Jansen didn’t deserve that humiliation, just another poor decision by Roberts based what he wants to happen instead of seeing what is happening and move to correct the situation before it is to late. Play Ball.
Thank you. I try to make what I write more entertaining. I leave the criticism for when I post after games. But last night was a train wreck that was compounded by Doc not having someone up and ready after the first hit. He had to face 3 hitters because of the new rule, but after that third hit, he should have been out of the game. They do not have a 6 game lead anymore and totally blew a golden chance to add 1/2 game because SD was inactive. Like I stated previously, they have owned Greinke since he left, and have a chance to get back on track before the Padres series starts Monday. One other thing. I said yesterday that Max Muncy should not be playing 3rd base. And unfortunately the career stats show I am right. Muncy has 10 career errors. 8 of them while playing 3rd. And in no way should he be hitting 4th. He has 48 strikeouts. Only other player with 40 is Taylor. But he is hitting 70 points higher. And it is time for the Lux experiment to go on hold until next spring. He has 11 K’s in a little over 40 at bats. Last night I got nervous as soon as I saw Jansen was in the game. First time I have ever felt that way. He is not the same guy.
What OC said.
Like I said last night, we knew right away something was wrong. Not only with the speed but with command. It got so bad Smith stood up with the target and Jansen missed by 3’ with a pitch right over the plate that went for a hit.
This is another bullpen gaff that can only be placed on Roberts. He should have known better and he didn’t.
As far as I’m concerned the closer job is either up for grabs or will be done by committee. Where are we in the order in the 8th and 9th. McGee, Treinen, Baez, Kelly, Graterol, Wood, Kolarek. There are some very talented arms there. Yes, those last innings are high pressure innings but you guys are pros, you are the best bullpen in the league and these games are being played in empty stadiums. Go throw strikes and get three outs. And one more thing, get Muncy off third base please. We need our best defense out there to help our closer close.
Agree COMPLETELY with the Muncy comment. I’m not sure anyone talked about this yesterday, but Muncy also cost them a run in the 8th with his poor fielding: Bregman hit an easy-to-turn DP ball to third; Muncy fielded it cleanly and threw super low to Kiké at second who had to contort himself to make the throw which allowed Bregman to beat it out by a half-step. That extra out eventually turned into a run. Muncy makes that play, we most likely go into the 9th with a four-run lead and we don’t even see Kenley.
This is a long way of saying that our recent fielding woes are really putting a strain on the pitching staff. Our hot start had a lot of combined factors, but I feel like the braintrust undervalues the importance of defense, (and we made very few errors in the first 30 games). Since then, there have been all kinds of extra runs (some unearned), but many that were scored as “earned” that wouldn’t have happened if players were positioned to their strengths.
Excellent points. There was another play, ground ball to his right that in my opinion would have easily been backhanded by a decent third baseman. It became a double. As long as Muncy is here, he should remain at first base.
I’ve been hard on Muncy but I feel it’s deserved. He is clearly a liability at third and at the plate he looks at too many strikes and has too many swings and misses. Feels to me he’s up there looking for a walk.
The team will be better when Turner returns, though his best position for the rest of this year might be DH.
Official now, Padres and Giants will play two. Lets hope SF can slow them down a little. Dodgers can win and add some cushion. If they lose and SD wins 2. The lead will be pared to 1 1/2 games. If they win and SD wins two, it will be 2 1/2. If by any stretch SF wins 2, and the Dodgers win, it will be 4 1/2. And if they lose and the Giants win two, they still add 1/2 game. Reason? Padres will have played one more game than the Dodgers. Padres have 12 remaining after today, Dodgers have 13.
Well I have to pack up my truck and head for the hills to play some music today. I will miss the start of the game since the place we are playing is about 1 1/4 hours away. Have a great one guys, and gal. Hope they jump all over Zack tonight. Game is on ESPN.
This one is on Jansen but also on the manager. How can you let a guy in when he gives 4 straight hits and clearly showed he had nothing and didnt show to have any confidence. Jansen has had a tendency on blowing leads and games and has been a great pitcher for Dodgers but does not have the Gagne effect or mentality . He is prone to collapse in pressure situations and if the Dodgers think they can win with Jansen as the closer it does not look good right now. If i remember he had 1 blown save in 2017 world series and lost an extra inning game on that one. So 2 losses basically in that series for him that could have been the difference. Yes the Astros cheated but Jansen and Kershaw were horrible in that series. Same in 2018 world series. Roberts and FO get over confident and arrogant. Putting mookie at 2b and leaving Jansen to blow the game. Roberts is too much of a players manager and makes stupid decisions. Is one of the worst strategist i seen. Jansen has nothing left in the tank can barely reach 90 mph now and has no command. He is too inconsistent and a roller coaster to count on him to secure wins. If Dodgers do not win this year is time to let Roberts go . This guy is soft and weak and cant win the pressure games.
Don’t let Muncy’s error go unnoticed. Ball was well struck, but he should have made that play which had double play written all over it.
I saw it and commented immediately. We need the best fielders on the team out there in the 9th, and that means Muncy is either at first or on the bench.
Jansen is signed through next season for $20M. He’s not going anywhere unless the Dodgers want to eat a lot of that. And, that is not AF’s style.
Jansen has been doing this for some years now. Aren’t we used to it, yet?
Nice write-up, Michael, took some serious effort to put that together. 1959 was one of the best seasons ever. It was the first time I had followed the Dodgers — so many great things happened in that mythical season.
Interesting about Norm Larker — He had that amazing 1960 season, hitting .323, just missing a batting title to Pittsburg’s Dick Groat, who hit .325. The Dodgers weren’t very good in 1960 so following Larker that season was a big deal. It was also my first trip to see a game at the LA Coliseum. Wow, that was fun although the Dodgers lost to the Reds, 9-3.
As to Kenley Jansen, every pitcher has a bad game or two, but not getting an out? That’s a meltdown. I’ve been uncomfortable with Jansen for awhile, just doesn’t look right. Moving forward the Dodgers need to seriously reconsider his role. Maybe he bounces back, maybe he doesn’t. Not like he hasn’t had issues at times this season and certainly there were signs over the past couple of seasons that give pause.
Then there is Cody Bellinger, swinging at pitches high and inside. He looks bad, needs to focus on hitting in the zone. Seems more mental than physical at this point. Until he changes his approach, pitchers will continue to pitch him up and inside.
Considering the short season, not a lot of time to make adjustments, needs to figure this out quickly, the Dodgers need his bat.
Well, at least there is good news on Dustin May. Just how good are the Dodgers? Hard to tell with the way the schedule is structured.
But they have some serious competition from the San Diego Padres.
Terrific look back at some great, and heart breaking, Dodgers moments. I enjoy the nostalgia of remembering so many years rooting for Dodgers that were magical. The name Larry Burright (Possum) brought back the memory of my fist spring training (1962) when the scouting reports focused on his plus defense using a glove that was practically flat so that he could more quickly turn double plays. Thought I was in baseball heaven seeing my heroes up close. It was a glorious day. Thanks for the memories.
Thank , Bear, for the memories of great moments in Dodger history. From the many accomplishments of Koufax, Gibson, Orel, just to name a few, to the entertainment of Hatcher, Johnstone, and Reuss. Great research and article. Nice pics.
I think the answer is obvious. We trade for Hader this winter.
Except for one problem. Hader gave up 4 runs and 4 hits (2 homers) in one inning last night and his ERA is higher than Kenley’s. He did, however, manage to get 3 outs.
I guess maybe we should stick to internal options. At least they won’t cost a boatload of prospects.
Question for everyone: a lot of people are down on Doc and some of you have never liked him. Let’s say AF came to you this winter and gave you the job of hiring the next Dodger manager. Who would you hire? I’m really hoping we get some responses to this because I think the answers will be interesting.
I’m hiring Badger at $4M. He kicks back 15% to me and we’re good.
Dagnabit Jeff, I’m asking a serious baseball question and you’re turning it into a business proposition. 🙂
And, by the way, I don’t think you can get Badger for $4M. There’s some serious baseball knowledge there and you’ll have lots of competition.
Your terms are acceptable Jeff.
Phil and Jefe (STB) are on my bench. Timmons is in the bullpen. Jeff made the hire so obviously he’s upstairs somewhere.
Badger, I accept the bench coach job. Let me guess, my contracts in the mail.
It needs to be negotiated Phil. I’ll start with this: for every dollar I’m actually paid, I’ll owe you a quarter.
Chase Utley….
I’d never catch him….
You might turn out to be a lousy manager Badger, but the media would love you.
The first manager-comic combo.
Actually I like Jorge’s suggestion. He would certainly have the player’s respect, be a good strategist and wouldn’t be afraid to sit a guy down if he wasn’t performing. Count me in Jorge.
“You might turn out to be a lousy manager Badger…”
I didn’t read anything after that.
Whoa there horsefly, last night Hader gave up back to back homers in the 9th and blew the saves. A 3 run shot by Heyward, a lefty hitter, put the Cubs up 3-2.
Bruce Bochy
I’m guessing he’s a little too “old school” for Andrew, but then I never said Andrew had to approve the choice.
Bill Haselman.
Good choice DBM and I think he’d probably certainly get an interview from AF if there was an opening.
I like Haselman, but think he is too old school for Friedman to even interview
Hasn’t he worked in the Dodger organization for a few years? If he were that old school I doubt he would have lasted in any AF-run organization.
Remember that the Dodgers removed him as AAA manager after the 2018 season, moving him into a coordinator role for the team’s minor league managers. I don’t see on-field leader of the Dodgers in his future, but he could be a bench coach in place of Geren, or a bullpen coach. Perhaps overseeing Camelback Ranch minor league operations. Just guesses. For me, I think he has the right leadership qualities to manage a MLB team.
It would not be a bad idea to offer Utley a coaching position, in the meantime he can learn by the time Roberts’ contract expires, because if he doesn’t win the world series, he would definitely have to leave.
Obviously i don’t know and for that reason I say what I think, and I think he must realize that he is the boss, when they wear the uniform, he is the boss and not everyone’s good friend!
You don’t want to remove Jensen from closer because he would feel humiliated? Who cares!!
I doubt Roberts leaves.
Hey al, I read you live in Meridian. We were looking in that area before we moved here. How’s the situation with those F-35’s? I was reading about it in the Guardian and got to know the editor. He’s a Vietnam vet, wrote a book about his experiences over there. Sent me a copy. Nice guy. Wrote for the Stars and Stripes as I recall.
He’s signed through 2022.
BTW, do you know how much Doc makes? I couldn’t find this info.
Great entertaining read today, Bear. A lot of time and effort when into your post. And I love the pictures. Thanks for your work.
I especially liked the stuff in the 88 team. Gibson’s no nonsense attitude and the pitching. I watched that series the spring during the down time on TV. When you looked at the match ups, man versus man, with the A’s, the Dodgers had no shot. Who would have predicted Hatcher being a star and the Bash Brothers going 2 for 36.
I missed all but the last game of the 88 series. I was isolated with my girlfriend at the time in a remote cabin on an inaccessible, backwoods lake in the high mountains of Utah. No phone, no TV, no newspaper. Just a 2 room log cabin with a wood stove and lanterns, a big porch overlooking the lake where we caught big Cutthroats. We came out of the woods, got a paper and I saw what the Dodgers were doing. Found a tavern and watched the last game. I remember like it was yesterday.
I have nothing much to add to all the comments today about KJ, Doc and Muncy. I’m not at all surprised that KJ blew up last night. He has gotten progressively worse as the season has gone on. Jeff has it right. Nobody should be surprised. Since August 21st, with the exclusion of 2 one man faced outings, KJ has no had 1 clean inning. ONE!
He always makes it “interesting”. Nobody is confident when he enters the game with the exception of Doc (and that might be BS) You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to see the 88-89 center cut “cutters” that don’t cut. He’s BP.
And he’s so friggin deliberate. It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
Joe and John Smoltz are great together. None of that cheesy father-son role Joe plays with Orel. I like 2 contributing adults in the booth. My favorite announcing teams are Kruk and Kuip and Don Orsillo and Mark Grant of the hated Padres. But they respect the opposition and are not flaming homers like the comedy team of Jason Benetti and Steve Stone of the White Sox.
For my money the best Manager in baseball is Terry Francona. I’ll take him. (No Gabe Kapler please)
Hey why not John Shoemaker? Give him a shot. He knows the personnel having spent 45 years in the organization.
How about the Varsity defense tonight; Smith, Muncy at 1st, Kike, Seager, Rios or CT3 at 3rd until JT is back, Pollock, Belli and Mookie. Can we find a DH that isn’t hitting .171?
I’m good with closing by committee using match ups. That gives Doc the chance to do what he loves “manage” the bullpen.
I can’t type. KJ has had Zero clean innings and 2 blown saves since August 21st. That’s zero clean innings in his last 9 appearances (excluding the 2 times he’s only faced 1 batter to end the game).
Houston’s reliever Josh James (who got the W) reminds me of what Kenley usta look like. Now Jansen looks like a taller version of Ted. Don’t get me wrong, I like Ted. He’s funny and irreverent, and if I was young stoner I’d like to hang with him. But I don’t want a closer that looks like a 6’5” teddy bear.
And have yet mentioned how I feel about Muncy at third?
Tonight’s starter …………………………….The Bazooka!
Man Bear, that took a lot of work! Outstanding!
I have been off the grid paintballing all weekend and I am tired. Got shot just once in 7 games: 6 wins and 1 draw.
OK, I have seen a lot of Knee-jerk reactions here, and before I tell you what I disagree with, let me remind you of a few things:
1. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball.
2. The Dodgers are in the Top 3 in Runs Scored.
3. The Dodgers lead All of MLB in ERA.
4. The Dodgers lead All of MLB in WHIP.
5. Kenley Jansen leads the NL in saves with 10.
In August, Kenley Jansen pitched 11.2 innings, allowed 5 hits while striking out 19. His ERA at the end of that month was 1.54 and the league hit .128 against him. His WHIP was 0.771 and he was named Closer of the Month.
That was at the trade deadline and he looked to be back as the old Kenley. Since then, he has pitched 3.2 innings and allowed 9 runs. His ERA is 14.73 and the league is hitting .450 against him. Clearly, something is wrong with him. I did not watch the game last night, but just watched the high (low) lights and it was revolting. In his last two outings, Kenley’s ERA has swelled to 3.93… up from 1.06 before that.
Now, I have heard that his velocity was down, so I when to Gameday and looked at the stats:
Reddick – 4 pitches – 90 to 92.6 MPH
Springer – 4 pitches – 91.2 to 92.4 MPH
Bregman – 4 pitches – 89.9 to 92.5 ending with a 80.4 MPH slider
Gurriel – 2 pitches – 88.6 to 89.3
According to Gameday, he threw 21 pitches – 18 for strikes. That doesn’t sound like a command issue, nor a speed issue.
Kenley has had two bad outings back-to-back, raising his ERA from an AWESOME 1.06 to a pedestrian 3.93, but if he is your closer and he still should be… at least one more game, you do not bring him in with a guy warming up in the pen. Well, I think that you do that the next time. This is a troubling pattern. He had a 3 run lead. Unlike Josh Hader, who gave up 2 HR and 4 runs last night (4.61 ERA), he was not beat like a rented mule. He just did not have it… or maybe he choked (very troubling if he did), or maybe he is injured… or maybe it’s just a blip in the road. I am concerned and next time he warms up, I would also have Treinen warm up. Doc was trying to show his trust in him, but the next time he has to earn it. That was not a mistake in my opinion by Roberts to not have someone warming up.
Kenley had a bad game once before this and Doc was showing his confidence. Yes, it did not work, but while I would not repeat that again, I think it was the right move then. A scout once told me that “confidence is a players’ greatest asset.”
I keep hearing that AF should have gotten Trevor Rosenthal. We shall see how that plays out but at the trade deadline. Rosenthal had a 3.29 ERA, 1.171 WHIP, and had walked 7 batters in 13.2 innings while striking out 21. At the time, he was not an upgrade over Kenley or most of the rest of the pen AND we have no idea what KC asked from the Dodgers for him. He is looking good with SD, but let it play out.
You also need to let the Kenley issue play out. I am very concerned, but we saw the best reliever in baseball get lit up like a fireworks show last night (Hader). Kenley should still be the closer and he is… but the rope is short and the pressure is high. He has to deliver.
Bellinger is hitting the ball better… even if he has little to show.
Max Muncy is not a 3B, right now. I think he would be better if he played there every day, but if Rios is better, it’s not by a lot. Muncy is still slumping, but his OB% is .335 compared to Rios’ .280. That’s why Muncy plays. The Dodgers need JT back.
It’s great to see Will Smith hitting well, I would move him up to #5… and they did!
Tonight’s lineup is better! Patience Grasshoppers.
Someone asked what I would do if the Dodgers don’t win the WS. My answer is CALL FOR ROBERTS TO BE FIRED! But, not now!
Good summary but slight disagreement on Kenley. He was missing his spots, particularly when he had 2 strikes on the batter. He has had command issues before and they seem to be present again.
I’m all for giving him one more chance. If he gets lit up again he loses the closing job. I took Roberts comments last night to mean just that.
The truth be known, Kenley has always had command issues. He just tries to throw it over the plate and let it move. Sometimes it zigs when it should zag… but yesterday was unacceptable.
It may be a small thing but it stands out to me – in his last 3 outings in August, 3 innings, he struck out 7, gave up 1 earned. In 5 outings this month, only 3.2 innings, including last night where he faced 6 batters and got nobody out, he’s struck out 4 and given up 6 earned runs.
It doesn’t matter what he did up until September. What matters is what he has done lately. Yeah, something is wrong.
I already said I think he gets another chance. But it had better be a very short leash.
Will AF eat his contract through 2022?
Will Smith has actually been throwing base stealers out, lately. 5 out of 14. That’s not bad! Barnes? 1 of 15.
Is this cosplay, Mark?
Clevinger pitches a 2-hit shutout for SD against the Giants in the first game of their doubleheader.
We now lead by 2.5 games.
I feel my knees jerking and I can read all the stats thrown my way about KJ’s success, his record and that his veto is just fine. But that’s not what my eyes tell me especially since his last clean inning on August 21st. He has been mostly spiraling downward since then. I don’t see an effective closer right now and I don’t trust him in big games.
A closer look at those wins and saves reveals how he how always has traffic and has benefited from some good fortune.
He got the win against the Rockies on Aug. 22, when he got 1 batter out to end the inning and Belli hit a walkout to win.
His next appearance was against the Giants and he blew a save.
On Sept 1, he faced ONE D-Back hitter and struck him out to get a save with a 3 run cushion.
He got a win on Sept. 2 against the D-Backs. He had 2 walks and a hit by pitch in the top of the 10th giving the D-Backs the lead. It could have been a blown save. But the Dodgers scored 2 in the bottom to WIN it.
On Sept 8th, the Dodgers beat Arizona 10 to 9 in extra innings again. In the 10th leading 10 to 6, KJ gave up a home run a double and a single. That’s 3 runs on 3 hits to squeak by 10 -9.
And that took us to last night.
Yeah, the stats show he has 3 wins and 10 saves. But I’ll bet the opponents aren’t reading his stat line. What they’re doing is running to the bat rack.
I seriously see no way the Dodgers win the World Series with this guy closing.
Who is a better choice? As A-rod said, he’s got the most experience on the team. He’s not going anywhere. This is just how Kenley is, he breaks down every once in a while. I doubt it comes down to Kenley’s closing if we get to the WS.
I love Kike Hernandez!
Maddening as he sometimes is!
This interview with Correa makes me want to puke
If they gave A-Rod an enema, they could bury him in a shoebox!
Haven’t heard that one in a while.
Did you fall off the dinosaur when you last heard it?
Hey, I stayed on 8 seconds.
Me too. Nice hit Kike. Belli has 2 hits. One barely left the infield. Taylor has 2 hits, a bunt single and an excuse me double to right. Bazooka struck out the side in his inning. Clippers lost again! yay.
There are only 2 things wrong with A-Rod:
1. Everything he says; and
2. Everything he does!
I tend to agree, but he’s got Bellinger diagnosed correctly.
yup, he was dead on with that assessment.
Alec Mills?
I have no idea what that means…
You will.
Oh, that guy!
I really want to thank all the posters and readers here for all the kind words on my posts. Getting those kind of responses makes it all worth it. I love the research part since I love the teams history, and it’s players. I also love the fans who year after year support the team we all love. I never thought I would enjoy writing as much as I do. And it keeps this olde Curmudgeon busy and my mind active. Again, Many thanks.
Thank you for doing it Bear. You’re doing a great job buddy.
Alex Verdugo is 7th in the AL in hitting with a .311 BA and a .369 OB% (.875 OPS).
I have no idea what that means.
Oh wait, I found this:
Verdugo: Human/insect. Height: 8’ Purpose: bodyguard of Ramon Salazar. The Verdugos were created through the splicing of insect DNA into the genome of human test subjects which had been parasitised by Plagas. Two Verdugos, presumably the only two in existence, served as Ramon Salazar’s bodyguards. They concealed their mutated forms beneath voluminous, resplendent Los Iluminados cloaks, with one wearing red and the other wearing black. One returned with Salazar to the Plaga sector, the other moved to Boston.
It sucks that we gave him up in the trade for Betts. If we could have avoided giving him up think about the outfield of Verdugo Bellinger and Betts. I would have Pollock DH a lot In that situation.
Ryu, 4-1.
Bellinger has been hitting better in the 5th and 6th slot in the lineup. His best spot in his career is 5th.
When Turner returns I’d like to see this:
Betts
Seager
Smith I’m high on him
Turner
Bellinger
Pollock
Taylor
Muncy
9th a mixture of guys to determine who gets the spot in the playoffs.
I’m assuming Muncy is at first or DH. If so, I’m fine with that lineup.
Yep Muncy at 1B.
Taylor 2B.
9th spot DH.
What???? Jensen again??? Dodgers must score 10 more runs
Muncy!!!!!
Taylor 3 runs more. So kenley come on to pitch.
Taylor bomb. Taylor now .280 average .834 OPS.
This is what I expected the offense to be before the season started everyone contributing. Well Joc is 0 for 4 but you will have a guy slumping here and there.
OK –
I like this offense. If Muncy Bellinger and Joc start to hit like we know they can this offense will be the best in baseball by far. I like our starting pitching, some say there’s not enough of experience, but I don’t look at it that way. I think they can go toe to toe with anyone. The bullpen is my worry especially with Doc as the manager.
Arod just never shuts the F up. After 3 hours of Smoltz talking about what’s wrong with baseball it got even worse tonight. You know what’s wrong with baseball the weekly prime time broadcast is garbage filled with nonsense like Aroid saying the Dodgers were better off not scoring in the 8th. I also don’t want to listen to 3-4 hours of a broadcaster complaining about the game of baseball or how long they’ve had to be there. Davis does a good job for Fox not acting like a Dodgers homer and just sharing his knowledge of the team, but I got sick of Smoltz during the playoffs a couple of years ago.
~
Muncy needs a day off when JT returns. He’s broken. Even the way he was talking about his play when Fox had the microphone on him the other day was a bad sign. He has zero confidence and looks clueless against off speed pitches.
Graterol needs to be given more high leverage opportunities and if he let’s a guy or two on base let him work out of it. I don’t care what his K rate is. Just like May, he doesn’t get barreled up.
Anyone notice Smith is hitting .303? Betts .301 & Seager .317. Taylor now up to .280.
Smith has been crushing the ball all year even when his batting average wasn’t showing it. He gives a quality AB every time up.
Funny how much better I feel when they beat the Astericks 8-1! Like metaphorically beating them senseless. (I’ll spare you the details of my violent fantasies!) Good note to enter the series with San Diego. Rotation of Kersh, Gonsolin, and May for the 3 games vs. SD. Baez back, Kelly coming back by Wednesday. Hope springs eternal!