Springtime is a very special time of year. The sun is beginning to come out more regularly, the wildflowers are in bloom, and baseball’s opening day is right around the corner. Opening day has always been a very special day for me. Whether I ditched school with my friend and we listened to the game on my transistor radio, watching it on TV, or the one time I had the opportunity to attend a game in person. I loved it in the past, and I still love it. It’s only a game, but baseball is my game and it has brought me countless hours of pleasure over the years. In my mind, opening day should be a national holiday. Let kids play hooky from school, let adults take time off from work, and let’s enjoy the games. No other sport has an opening day that rivals baseball. As John Fogerty put it: “The sun came out today, we’re born again, there’s new grass on the field.” Hope springs eternal!!
We’ve spent the offseason hashing and rehashing who is going to do what, whether Kershaw and Bauer are washed up, will the bullpen be reliable, who is going to take Kike’s spot, can Lux handle second base, does Peters make the roster over Rios, and on and on. Now it’s time to get on with the real games.
The Dodger’s first opening day was May 5, 1884, when they beat the Washington Nationals 11-3.
The vast majority of opening day games occur in April. In their history, they have only had 3 opening day games on my birth date, April 19th. In 1901, they beat the Philadelphia Phillies 10-2. In 1931, they lost to the Phillies 6-4, and in 1940, they beat the New York Giants 12-0.
My recollection of the Dodgers goes back to 1959 – when I was 8 years old. Getting inspiration from Bear, I thought it might be interesting to go back and revisit opening days during the time of my fandom. So, starting with 1959, I provide a recap of the games through 2020. I also add in some important life events that happened along the way.
1959 Opening Day
Dodgers opened the season on a cold day in Chicago on April 11th, before 12,288 fans in Wrigley Field. Don Drysdale was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers and Bob Anderson again started for the Cubs. The Dodgers lost 6-1, as Anderson pitched a complete game 6 hitter. The only run he gave up was a home run to Drysdale. Drysdale only lasted 5 innings, giving up all 6 runs. Art Fowler pitched the last 3 innings for the Dodgers, allowing only one hit. It’s quite obvious that the reason for the lack of offensive output by the Dodgers was that Don Demeter didn’t get into the game. Unthinkable!!
1960 Opening Day
Dodgers opened the season at the Coliseum against the Cubs on April 12th, before 67,550 fans. Once again it was Don Drysdale versus Bob Anderson started for the Cubs. This time, however, the Dodgers won 3-2 in 11 innings. Drysdale pitched a complete game (my how times have changed!), giving up 7 hits and striking out 14. Wally Moon drove in the first 2 runs and Chuck Essegian hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. Once again, Walter Alston left Don Demeter sitting on the bench. Absolutely no excuse for that oversight.
1961 Opening Day
Dodgers opened the season at the Coliseum against the Phillies on April 11th, before 50,927 fans. Yet again, Don Drysdale toed the mound against Robin Roberts for the Phillies. The Dodgers won 6-2 in 11 innings. Drysdale pitched a complete game (my how times have changed!), giving up 7 hits and striking out 14. Wally Moon hit a home run (moon shot!) And Ron Fairly had a pinch-hit 2 -run double. Johnny Callison hit a home run for the Phillies. They let Carl Warwick pinch-hit, but still no Demeter. Carl Warwick, are you kidding me?
1962 Opening Day
Dodgers had their first opening day at Dodger Stadium, against the Reds on April 10th, before 52,564 fans. Johnny Podres was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers, and Bob Purkey for the Reds. The Reds won 6-3 as Vada Pinson and Wally Post(he’ll forever be the answer to a trivia question) worked over Podres pretty good. Jim Gilliam and Duke Snider had 2 hits each for the Dodgers. Snider, fittingly, had the first Dodgers hit in Dodger Stadium. Ron Fairly had the first RBI.
1963 Opening Day
Dodgers opened the season on a cold day in Chicago on April 9th, before 18,589 fans in Wrigley Field. You guessed it, Don Drysdale was the starting pitcher for Dodgers and Larry Jackson started for the Cubs. The Dodgers won 5-1, behind a complete game 11-hitter by Drysdale. Nate Oliver had 2 hits and Ken McMullen had 2 RBI.
1964 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium, on April 14th, before 50,451 fans. Sandy Koufax threw a complete game shut-out as the Dodgers won 4-0. Maury Wills had 3 hits and Frank Howard had 2, including a home run.
1965 Opening Day
Dodgers opened the season in New York on April 12th, before 37,999 fans in Shea Stadium. Don Drysdale was once again the opening day starting pitcher for the Dodgers. Al Jackson started for the Mets. The Dodgers won 6-1, behind a complete game 7-hitter by Drysdale. Willie Davis had 3 hits, including a home run and 2 RBI. Drysdale also hit a 2-run home run to help his cause.
1966 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Astros at Dodger Stadium, on April 12th, before 34,520 fans. Claude Osteen got the start for the Dodgers and pitched a complete game, allowing 6 hits, and 2 runs (one earned) as the Dodgers won 3-2. 38-year-old Robin Roberts started for the Astros. Maury Wills, Jim Lefebvre, and Ron Fairly each had 2 hits, with Fairly adding 3 RBI.
1967 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Reds at Crosley Field in Cincinnati on April 10th, before 28,422 fans. Bob Miller started for the Dodgers and Jim Maloney for the Reds. The Reds won 6-1. John Roseboro and Gene Michael had 2 hits apiece for the Dodgers.
1968 Opening Day
Dodgers opened the season at home against the Phillies on April 10th, before 28,138 fans. Claude Osteen squared off against Chris Short, who threw a complete game 4-hit shutout, as the Phillies beat the Dodgers 2-0. Osteen pitched decent enough. In those days the Dodgers could not hit. Wes Parker had 2 of the Dodger hits. Don Money drove in both runs for the Phillies.
1969 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Reds at Crosley Field in Cincinnati on April 7th, before 30,111 fans. Drysdale started for the Dodgers and Gary Nolan for the Reds. The Dodgers won 3-2. Bill Singer threw 3 scoreless innings in relief of Drysdale to get the save. Ron Fairly had a triple and 2 RBI. Jim Lefebvre had a double and 1 RBI. Bill Sudakis, who many thought would be the heir apparent to Jim Gilliam at 3B, started and went 0-5 with 4 Ks. His year would get better. In June, I graduated from High School. In July, I was drafted. My draft number was 64. It is one of those trivial things in life that you never forget.
1970 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Reds again, on April 7th, only this time at Dodger Stadium before 30,457 fans. Claude Osteen got the opening day start and Gary Nolan started for the Reds. The Dodgers lost 4-0, as Nolan threw a complete game 2-hitter. Osteen threw 8 innings of 10-hit ball, allowing all 4 runs only 2 of which were earned, due to errors by Maury Wills and Wes Parker. A Ray Lamb, of whom I had no recollection of ever having pitched for the Dodgers, pitched an inning in relief. Willie Crawford got both of the Dodger hits.
1971 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Astros at the Astrodome, on April 5th, before 22,421 fans. Bill Singer got the start for the Dodgers. Larry Dierker started for the Astros. Dierker would pitch a complete game 10 hitter, as the Dodgers lost 5-2. The Astros only collected 5 hits, with Denis Menke getting 3 RBI. Maury Wills and Duke Sims had 2 hits apiece for the Dodgers and Bill Russell, playing 2nd base had 3. Duke Sims had been acquired from the Indians during the off-season for the aforementioned Ray Lamb.
1972 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Reds on April 15th, at Riverfront Stadium before 37,895 fans. Don Sutton started for the Dodgers and Jack Billingham started for the Reds. The Dodgers won 3-1, behind Singers strong 7-innings. Jim Brewer(a highly underrated Dodgers reliever) pitched 2 hitless innings to get the save. Duke Sims hit a home run for the Dodgers and Frank Robinson and Jim Lefebvre bot had a hit and an RBI. Denis Menke homered for the Reds-only run.
1973 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Padres on April 6th, at San Diego Stadium before 33,019 fans. Don Sutton started for the Dodgers and Clay Kirby started for the Padres. The Dodgers lost 4-2, behind Leron Lee’s 2 RBI. Manny Mota and Joe Ferguson each had a hit and an RBI. 12 days later, I would start boot camp at MCRD in San Diego.
1974 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Padres on April 5th at Dodger Stadium before 31,566 fans. Don Sutton started for the Dodgers and Bill Greif started for the Padres. The Dodgers won 8-0, behind Sutton’s complete game 6-hitter, with 8 Ks. Jimmy “Toy Cannon” Wynn had 3 hits including a home run and 3 RBI. Ron Cey also had a hit and 3 RBI. The starting infield was Buckner at 1B, Lopes at 2B, Cey at 3b, and Russell at SS. I thought this infield would be together for a long time. This was the first time since I had become a Dodgers fan that I did not listen to or watch an opening day game, as I was sitting on a warship off the coast of Cambodia at the time.
1975 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Reds on April 7th, at Riverfront Stadium before 52,526 fans. Don Sutton started for the Dodgers and Don Gullett started for the Reds. The Dodgers lost 2-1 in 14 innings. Mike Marshall pitched 5 scoreless innings in relief. Steve Garvey had 3 hits and the only RBI for the Dodgers. Charlie Hough gave up the winning run in the bottom of the 14th.
1976 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on April 9th, at Dodger Stadium before 52,526 fans. Don Sutton started for the Dodgers and John Montefusco started for the Giants. The Dodgers lost 4-2, as Bobby Murcer and Gary Matthews each hit home runs off Sutton. Dusty Baker hit a solo home run, and Steve Yeager chipped in with an RBI. On April 2nd, I had been honorably discharged from the USMC. I got out a year early because my father had suffered a heart attack and I was needed to run his small, one-man chicken ranch for him.
1977 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on April 7th, at Dodger Stadium before 51,022 fans. Don Sutton started for the Dodgers and John Montefusco started for the Giants. The Dodgers won 5-1, behind Sutton’s complete game 4-hitter. Garvey had 2 hits and 2 RBI and Ron Cey and Bill Russell chimed in with a double and RBI each.
1978 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Braves on April 7th, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium before 42,866 fans. Don Sutton started for the Dodgers and Phil Niekro started for the Braves. The Dodgers won 13-4. Rick Monday had 4 hits, including a HR and 2B, with 4 RBI. Davey Lopes had a 3-run HR and 4 RBI. Steve Yeager had 3 hits. Sutton gave up 3 home runs in his 7 innings. Three months later, I would have the first date with my beloved Kathy Garat, who would the following year become my wife.
1979 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Padres on April 5th, at Dodger Stadium before 46,536 fans. Burt “Happy” Hooten started for the Dodgers and Gaylord Perry started for the Padres. The Dodgers lost 4-3. Ron Cey homered and had 2 RBI. Hooten doubled and scored a run. The Padres scored 2 runs in the 9th inning to get the win. Lance Rautzhan was the losing pitcher. I will admit to having no recollection of Rautzhan. In July, I married Kathy Garat, and this year we are going to celebrate our 42nd anniversary.
1980 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Astros at the Astrodome, on April 10th, before 33,270 fans. Burt Hooten got the nod for the Dodgers. J. R. Richard (was he ever good!) started for the Astros. Richard pitched 8 innings, allowing only 2 hits and striking out 13. Hooten only lasted 2 innings giving up 3 runs, as the Dodgers lost 3-2. Terry Puhl and Jose Cruz hit hone runs off Hooten. getting 3 RBI. The only Dodgers hits came from Rudy Law and Reggie Smith. A month later, my son Eric was born.
1981 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Astros at the Dodger Stadium on April 9th, before 50,511 fans. Fernando Valenzuela started for the Dodgers. Joe Niekro started for the Astros. Fernando pitched a complete game shutout allowing only 5 hits. Fernandomania was born. The Dodgers offense was led by Pedro Guerrero who had 3 hits and an RBI. This was my first opening day as a dad, and watching the game while holding my son, was an extra special experience. Something that I won’t ever forget.
1982 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on April 6th at Dodger Stadium before 49,662 fans. Jerry Reuss started for the Dodgers and Al Holland started for the Giants. The Dodgers won 4-3, scoring a run in the bottom of the 9th. Steve Sax, Ron Cey, Steve Yeager, and Bill Russell, each had 2 hits. Yeager had a home run. My son, Joel, was born in October of this year.
1983 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Astros at the Astrodome, on April 5th, before 27,343 fans. Fernando Valenzuela started for the Dodgers. Joe Niekro started for the Astros. Neither Fernando nor Niekro made it into the 4th inning as Valenzuela gave up 6 runs in 2.2 innings and Niekro 6 in 3 innings. Alejandro Pena (for you younger fans who are unfamiliar with him, think Pedro Baez and you’ll have a great picture), got the win, and Dave Stewart got the save. Pedro Guerrero had 3 hits, including a home run and triple, along with 5 RBI, as the Dodgers won 16-7. The Astros had not yet perfected the use of trash cans.
1984 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Cardinals on April 3rd at Dodger Stadium before 50,103 fans. Fernando Valenzuela started for the Dodgers and Dave LaPoint started for the Cardinals. For the second year in a row, Fernando did make it into the 4th inning as he gave up 6 runs on 8 hits in 3 innings. LaPoint only lasted 2 innings, but the Cardinals would go on to win 11-7, behind the strong pitching of Danny Cox and Bruce Sutter. Terry Whitfield hit a 3 run home run and Mike Marshall had 3 hits and 3 RBI.
1985 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Astros at the Astrodome, on April 9th, before 42,876 fans. Fernando Valenzuela started for the Dodgers. Nolan Ryan started for the Astros. Both pitched well, but the Astros prevailed 2-1, scoring 2 unearned runs due to 3 errors by the Dodgers. Sid Bream got a single and an RBI, driving in Mike Marshall who had doubled. Ryan gave up only 3 hits but struck out only 4.
1986 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Padres on April 7th, at Dodger Stadium before 49,444 fans. Fernando Valenzuela started for the Dodgers and Eric Show (one of the more tragic stories in baseball) started for the Padres. The Dodgers won 2-1, as Valenzuela pitched a complete game 10-hitter, striking out 9. Mike Marshall had 2 hits, including a home run, with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. Steve Sax had the other RBI. In May I graduated from law school, and in November, I learned that I passed the Bar Exam on my first attempt. I was sworn in as an attorney on December 12th.
1987 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Astros at the Astrodome, on April 6th, before 44,585 fans. Orel Hershiser started for the Dodgers. Mike Scott started for the Astros. The Astros won 4-3 on the strength of a Jose Cruz home run, and 2 hits from Alan Ashby. The Dodgers were led offensively by Franklin Stubbs with 3 hits and an RBI and Mike Ramsey who had 2 hits and an RBI. This year I also started my journey as a baseball coach as my son Eric played his first year of youth ball.
1988 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on April 4th at Dodger Stadium before 48,484 fans. Fernando Valenzuela started for the Dodgers and Dave Dravecky started for the Giants. The Dodgers lost 5-1 as Dravecky pitched a complete game 3-hitter. The only Dodger run came on a Steve Sax home run. Sax had 2 of the Dodgers hits. The Giant’s offense was led by Brett Butler and Candy Maldonado. My daughter, Leah was born on March 7th of this year. It turned out to be a very good year for the Dodgers. “In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!” All of my family were sitting on the couch in our small living watching the WS when Kirk Gibson hit his famous home run. Leah was asleep on her mom’s lap, while my boys and I were doing a lot of jumping up and down with excitement.
1989 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Reds on April 7th, at Riverfront Stadium before 55,385 fans. Tim Belcher started for the Dodgers but didn’t make it out of the second inning. Danny Jackson started for the Reds. The Dodgers lost 6-4. Kirk Gibson had 2 hits, including a home run, with 2 RBI. Most everyone else took the day off.
1990 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Padres on April 9th, at Dodger Stadium before 48,686 fans. Orel Hershiser started for the Dodgers and Bruce Hurst started for the Padres. The Dodgers won 4-2. John Wetteland got the win in relief of Hershiser. Don Aase got the save. Hubie Brooks hit a 3 run home run off Hurst in the bottom of the 8th inning. Jeff Hamilton got the other Dodger RBI.
1991 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Braves on April 10th, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium before 18,527 fans. Tim Belcher started for the Dodgers and John Smoltz started for the Braves. The Dodgers won 6-4, driving Smoltz out of the game in the 5th inning. Feels so good when we beat him. Belcher pitched 7.1 innings allowing only 1 earned run on 4 hits. John Candalaria got the save. Mike Scioscia with 3 hits, Daryl Strawberry and Brett Butler with 2 hits apiece, led the offense. Ironically, that year I coached the Braves in the Bronco Division of our local Pony Baseball.
1992 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on April 6th, at Dodger Stadium before 49,018 fans. Ramon Martinez started for the Dodgers and Bill Swift started for the Giants. The Dodgers lost 8-1, Swift stymied them for 7.2 innings. Lenny Harris and Kal Daniels had 2 hits each for the Dodgers. Otherwise, this was a forgettable game. I even dislike losing to the Giants when it happened 30 years ago!
1993 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Marlins on April 5th, at Joe Robbie Stadium before 42,334 fans. Orel Hershiser started for the Dodgers and Charlie Hough started for the Marlins. The Dodgers lost won 6-3. Jody Reed and Tim Wallach led the Dodgers offense, such as it was. It so happened that I coached the Marlins in the Pony Division of Pony Baseball that year.
1994 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Marlins on April 5th, at Dodger Stadium before 53,761 fans. A repeat of the year before, as Orel Hershiser started for the Dodgers and Charlie Hough started for the Marlins. This time, however, the Dodgers won 4-3. Eric Karros and Henry Rodriguez led the Dodgers offense, with 2 hits each.
1995 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Marlins on April 25th, at Joe Robbie Stadium before 42,125 fans. Ramon Martinez started for the Dodgers and John Burkett started for the Marlins. This time, however, the Dodgers won 8-7. Martinez got the win for the Dodgers throwing an effective 6 innings allowing only 2 runs. Antonio Osuna and Todd Worrell then came in and gave up 5 runs in 2.2 innings. The Dodgers had bullpen problems back then too. Raul Mondesi with 3 hits, including two home runs and 4 RBI, along with Jose Offerman(3 hits) and Delino DeShields(2 hits), led the offense. That year I started my time as an assistant baseball coach at Woodcrest Christian High School. We lost in the CIF final for our division at Blair Field in Long Beach.
1996 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Astros at the Astrodome, on April 1st before 34,375 fans. Ramon Martinez started for the Dodgers and Shane Reynolds started for the Astros. The Dodgers won 4-3 on the strength of 3 RBI from Todd Hollandsworth and 6 strong innings from Martinez, and 3 perfect innings from Darren Hall and Todd Worrell in relief. Brett Butler, Mike Piazza, Eric Karros, Raul Mondesi, and Hollandsworth each had 2 hits.
1997 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Phillies on April 1st at Dodger Stadium before 53,079 fans. Ramon Martinez started for the Dodgers and Curt Shilling started for the Phillies. Schilling showed why he should be in the hall of fame, as he surrendered only 2 hits in 8 innings, striking out 13. The Dodgers lost 6-0. Brett Butler and Wilton Guerrero had the only hits for the Dodgers.
1998 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the cardinals on March 31st at Busch Stadium before 47,972 fans. Ramon Martinez started for the Dodgers and Todd Stottlemyre started for the Cards. Stottlemyre liked what Schilling did the year before, as he shut out the Dodgers over 7 innings, allowing only 3 hits. Martinez gave up a 2 run home run to Mark McGwire and that was als she wrote. Paul Konerko had 2 hits for the Dodgers, as he started his Hal of Fame career. But alas, we really needed Jeff Shaw. Sigh . . . . . .
1999 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Diamondbacks on April 5th at Dodger Stadium before 53,109 fans. Kevin Brown started for the Dodgers and Randy Johnson started for the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers won 8-6 in 11 innings on a Raul Mondesi 2 run walk-off home run. Jeff Shaw(sorry I said anything bad about you) with 2 innings of perfect relief. Mondesi went 4-5 with 6 RBI. Devon White had 2 hits for the Dodgers.
2000 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Expos on April 3rd at Stade Olympique before 51,249 fans. Kevin Brown started for the Dodgers and Dustin Hermanson started for the Expos. The Dodgers won 10-4. Brown pitched a workmanlike 6 innings allowing 3 earned. 2 came on a Vladimir Guerrero home run. He would add another home run off of Terry Adams, who got the save. Todd Hundley and Eric Karros hit home runs for the Dodgers. Karros being a grand slam. Hundley had 3 hits, and Gary Sheffield and Adrian Beltre added 2 each. Later that year Woodcrest Christian High School would win its first-ever CIF Championship in baseball. My son, Joel pitched a complete game in the championship game. That day was the last day that I would coach baseball. A few days later he was named the CIF Player of the Year for our division. When he received word that he had been so named, I was undergoing emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction, which turned out to be colon cancer. Forgive me for being proud of my sons!
2001 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Brewers on April 2nd at Dodger Stadium before 53,154 fans. Chan Ho Park started for the Dodgers and Jamey Wright started for the Brewers. The Dodgers won 1-0 as Park shut the Brewers down for 7 shut-out innings. Jeff Shaw got the save. Gary Sheffield hit a home run in the 6th inning for the only Dodger run. That year my sons’ college team, Biola, made it to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. They were eliminated in 2 games, but it was a great experience for them.
2002 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on April 2nd at Dodger Stadium before 53,356 fans, of which I was one. Kevin Brown started for the Dodgers and Livan Hernandez started for the Giants. The Dodgers lost 9-2, as Barry Bonds hit two monster home runs. Dave Roberts got 2 hits, stole a base, and scored both Dodger runs. Have I ever told you that I strongly dislike losing to the Giants? Well, I do. The only memorable things about this game were that it is the only opening day that I have attended. It is the only time I have watched a game from a Dodger Suite (Do it, Mark, it is an awesome experience). You may not know this, but then the food in the suites was (maybe still is) prepared by Wolfgang Puck. He came into our suite to make sure that the food was to our liking (it was!). Also, Rod Dedeaux came into our suite for a while, as his friend Tommy Lasorda was busy giving an interview. Dedeaux sat next to me for an inning and we had a marvelous conversation about college baseball and coaching. I also won a Dodger hat for having guessed the correct box for the final score. So, the day was not a total loss. If you ever have the opportunity to go to an opening day game, jump on it. Win or lose, the experience is second to none, as far as attending baseball games go.
2003 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Diamondbacks on March 31st at Bank One Ballpark, before 47,356 fans. Hideo Nomo started for the Dodgers and Randy Johnson started for the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers won 8-0 as Nomo pitched a complete game, allowing only 4 hits, with 7Ks. Brain Jordan hit a 2-run home run off Johnson. Shawn Green, Jordan, Adrian Beltre, and Cesar Izturis each had 2 hits. Paul Lo Duca had 2 RBI and Jordan had 3. Biola, made it back to the NAIA World Series that year, but once again they were eliminated in 2 games.
2004 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Padres on April 5th at Dodger Stadium before 53,850 fans. Hideo Nomo started for the Dodgers and Brian Lawrence started for the Padres. The Dodgers lost 8-2. Nomo was roughed up for 7 runs in 5 innings. Offensively, the Dodgers had 15 hits and 5 walks, but yet could only get the 2 runs. Paul Lo Duca and Juan Encarnacion both had 3 hits, with Cesar Izturis, Milton Bradley, and Adrian Beltre adding 2 hits apiece. Shawn Green hit a home run.
2005 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on April 5th at SBC Park, before 42,788 fans. Derek Lowe started for the Dodgers and Jason Schmidt started for the Giants. The Dodgers lost 4-2. Cesar Izturis had 2 hits, including a home run. Giovanni Carrara and Kelly Wunsch pitched in relief for the Dodgers. You could win some money if you were able to guess that they even pitched for the Dodgers. The story of the day was that the Giants were able to beat the Dodgers even without Barry Bonds. Have I ever told you how much I dislike losing to the Giants? I do!
2006 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Braves on April 3rd at Dodger Stadium before 56,000 fans. Derek Lowe started for the Dodgers and Tim Hudson started for the Braves. Both starters got hit around pretty good, as it was 8-5 Braves after 5 innings. The Braves would go on to win 11-10, as a Dodgers’ rally fell short in the 9th inning. Jose Cruz had 4 hits, Rafael Furcal had 3, and J. D. Drew, Jeff Kent, Bill Mueller, and Jason Repko had 2 each. Kent added 4 RBI. Franquellis Osoria and Danys Baez pitched in relief. It was only 15 years ago, but I have no recall of Mr. Osorio having pitched for the Dodgers.
2007 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Brewers on April 2nd at Miller Park, before 45,341 fans. Derek Lowe started for the Dodgers and Ben Sheets started for the Brewers. The Dodgers lost 7-1, as Sheets tossed a complete game 2-hitter. The only Dodger run came on a Jeff Kent home run.
2008 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on March 31st at Dodger Stadium, before 56,000 fans. Brad Penny started for the Dodgers and Barry Zito started for the Giants. The Dodgers won 5-0, behind a strong pitching performance from Penny. Jeff Kent had 2 hits including a home run. Rafael Furcal had 3 hits and James Loney added 2 hits. Dave Roberts was the lead-off hitter for the Giants in this game. As much as I dislike losing to the Giants, I really love beating them.
2009 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Padres on April 6th at Petco Park, before 45,496 fans. Hiroki Kuroda started for the Dodgers and Jake Peavy started for the Padres. The Dodgers won 4-1, behind a strong pitching performance from Kuroda and the bullpen. Kuroda pitched 5.2 innings giving up 4 hits and one run. Corey Wade, Hung-Chih Kuo, and Jonathan Broxton finished out the game allowing only 1 hit. Broxton recorded the save. The offense was led by James Loney who had 3 hits and 2 RBI. Matt Kemp added a home run to the cause. Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier both had 2 hits each.
2010 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Pirates on April 5th at PNC Park, before 39,024 fans. Vincent Padilla started for the Dodgers and Zach Duke started for the Pirates The Dodgers lost 11-5. Padilla got roughed up for 7 runs, and George Sherrill would give up 3 on his .02 inning. The Dodgers out-hit the Pirates 12-11, they just couldn’t capitalize on those hits. Manny Ramirez and Matt Kemp had 2 hits and 2 RBI. Casey Blake and Blake DeWitt also had 2 hits each.
2011 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on March 31st at Dodger Stadium, before 56,000 fans. Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers and Tim Lincecum started for the Giants. The Dodgers won 2-1, behind an exceptional pitching performance from Kershaw. Kershaw pitched 7 shut-out innings, allowing only 4 hits and getting 9Ks. Matt Kemp scored both Dodger runs, one of which was unearned. James Loney had the only RBI. Jonathan Broxton, despite giving up a home run to Pat Burrell in the 9th, got the save. Despite Kershaw’s marvelous start, this game will most likely always be remembered for 2 Dodger fans’ horrible assault on Bryan Stow, leaving him disabled.
2012 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Padres on April 5th at Petco Park before 42,941 fans. Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers and Edinson Volquez started for the Padres. The Dodgers won 5-3. Kershaw pitched 3 shutout innings and was removed for Josh Lindblom, who pitched 2 scoreless innings and got the win. Kenley Jansen pitched an inning in relief, giving up 2 runs on a home run by Cameron Maybin. Matt Kemp was the offensive star with a 2 run home run in the 8th inning. Juan Rivera added 2 hits.
2013 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on April 1st at Dodger Stadium, before 53,136 fans. Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers and Matt Cain started for the Giants. The Dodgers won 4-0. It was a pitcher’s duel for 6 innings as both starters put up nothing but zeros. George Kontos came on to pitch in the 7th inning and promptly gave up a home run to Kershaw. Carl Crawford and Mark Ellis both had 2 hits. Kershaw would pitch a complete game, allowing only 4 hits and getting 7Ks.
2014 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Diamondbacks on March 22nd at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Australia, before 38,266 fans. Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers and Wade Miley started for the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers won 3-1 as Kershaw again had a strong outing, allowing only one run on 5 hits, with 7 Ks in 6.2 innings. Kenley Jansen would collect the save. Scott Van Slyke, who owned Miley, had a home run and double off him with 2 RBI. Adrian Gonzalez had a hit and scored 2 runs.
2015 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Padres on April 6th at Dodger Stadium before 53,518 fans. Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers and James Shields started for the Padres. The Dodgers won 6-3. Kershaw pitched 6 innings and left trailing 3-2, having surrendered 2 hits and 3 RBI to Matt Kemp. Jimmy Rollins would bail him out with a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning. Adrian Gonzalez added 3 hits, including a home run. Howie Kendrick and Jimmy Rollins had 2 hits apiece. Chris Hatcher would get the save.
2016 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Padres on April 4th at Petco Park before 44,317 fans. Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers and Tyson Ross started for the Padres. The Dodgers won 15-0. Kershaw pitched 7 innings of 1 hit ball, striking out 9. Louis Coleman and Yimi Garcia would both pitch an inning in relief. Adrian Gonzalez had 3 hits and 3 RBI. Corey Seager had a 2-run double on his first opening day. Chase Utley also had 3 hits. Yasiel Puig, Justin Turner and Joc Pederson each had 2 hits. Pederson having 2 doubles and A. J. Ellis had 3 RBI.
2017 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Padres on April 3rd at Dodger Stadium, before 53,701 fans. Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers and Jhoulys Chacin started for the Padres. The Dodgers won 14-2. Kershaw pitched 7 innings of 2 hit ball, striking out 8. Chris Hatcher pitched the final 2 innings, giving up a run. Joc Pederson hit a grand slam and had 5 RBI on the day. Yasmani Grandal hit 2 home runs and had 3 RBI, Justin Turner had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, Andrew Toles led off and had 2 hits, Corey Seager had 2 hits, including a 3 run home run to lead the way for the offense.
2018 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on March 29th at Dodger Stadium, before 53,595 fans. Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers and Ty Blach started for the Giants. The Dodgers lost 1-0. Kershaw pitched 6 innings of 8 hit ball, striking out 7, but giving up a home run to Joe Panik in the 5th inning for the only run of the game. Yasmani Grandal and Kershaw each had 2 hits, otherwise, the offense had remained in Arizona. JT Chargois, Josh Fields, and Tony Cingrani each pitched a perfect inning in relief. By the way, have I ever told you how much I dislike losing to the Giants? If I haven’t, please know that I do!
2019 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Diamondbacks on March 30th at Dodger Stadium, before 53,086 fans. Hyun Jin Ryu started for the Dodgers and Zack Greinke started for the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers won 12-5. Ryu pitched 6 innings of 4 hit ball, striking out 8, and allowing only a home run to Adam Jones. The Dodgers, meanwhile, played home run derby off Greinke. Joc Pederson hit 2, Kike hit 2, Austin Barnes, Corey Seager, Max Muncy, and Cody Bellinger each hit one. Brock Stewart(I’m surprised we haven’t seen anything of him this spring) pitched the last two innings giving up 3 runs. Pretty much a perfect opening day. Beautiful spring sunshine, lots of home runs, and a Dodger victory. They should all be like that, don’t you think?
2020 Opening Day
Dodgers opened against the Giants on July 23rd at Dodger Stadium, before no fans. Dustin May started for the Dodgers and Johnny Cueto started for the Giants. The Dodgers lost won 8-1. May pitched 4.1 innings, allowing 7 hits and 1 run. Caleb Ferguson, Pedro Baez, Adam Kolarek(who got the win) and Brusdar Graterol pitched 4.2 innings of scoreless relief. Offensively, this was Enrique Hernandez’ special day. He went 4-5, including a home run and 5 RBI. Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner each had a double. If 2019 wasn’t the perfect opening, this would certainly rank up there. Beating the Giants, what a great way to start a season on the way to a World Series Championship!
2021 Opening Day
To be determined. It’s almost time for Dodger Baseball! “Hi everybody, and a very pleasant day to you, where ever you may be!” Vin Scully.
By the way, if it’s any consolation to those of you who are worried, Clayton Kershaw gave up 15 runs in 14 2/3 innings in spring training of 2014. Fans were wringing their hands. He then went out and won the MVP.
Earlier in this article, I made mention of my birthday. I turn 70 next month. The Dodgers will be in Seattle playing the Mariners on April 19th and 20th. This past week, my son telephoned me, and let me know he is flying me up to Seattle for those games. He, his son Arie, his brother, his son Logan, and I will be going to both games. A Schelling boys’ baseball date! I’m beyond excited! I will take pictures and provide my Random Thoughts from the Outfield Grass regarding the experience when I get back to town.
I could not resist putting up that picture of the two old dogs! 😉
Great article – a lot of work went into this one.
Thanks Rob!
Thank you for adding the pictures Mark! You might want to take mine down as it could scare readers away!
Terrific post Rob. Tons of work here and a great read. Enjoy that trip to Seattle. As you probably know, it’s a very nice ballpark and I hope you catch days with the roof open. Thanks for all your work.
Very thorough write-up. I commend your work.
“the Dodgers won 16-7. The Astros had not yet perfected the use of trash cans”
I love it!!!
Unless my memory fails me, Sax’s 1988 HR was on the first pitch we saw that game. I was there and it was loud.
Your memory didn’t fail you DL! That’s exactly what happened.
It’s funny. I didn’t realize we lost until reading it. The memory of the HR while everyone was still settling in has stayed. Truly a magical year.
That’s what I was immediately thinking when I saw that. I vividly remember Sax’s homer. I think it was even the very first pitch … almost like an omen for how the year was going to go. Didn’t even remember that they actually lost.
Good writing. I was in the lottery for opening day tickets. Didn’t get any. Cant afford the prices on the secondary. A buddy did get 4 tickets at face value for the Angels game Sunday. So at least we get to do that. They are already selling for 10x face value. I told him to take the money. He is insisting we go. So we are. I hope CA continues to have numbers to go down. So they can increase capacity and have ticket prices go back to normal. I have my minor league tickets set. But I’d love to go to a Dodger game soon without having to apply for a second mortgage.
Here’s the last response I received on suites:
Hi Mark,
With the 2021 season set to start in less than two (2) weeks, we look forward to welcoming fans back to Dodger Stadium in a limited capacity.
With these restrictions in place, we currently only have Bank of America Suites available for the months of April and May — if you hope to be a part of the action, we have a unique opportunity for you:
4 Game Suite Package
• Set Schedules (See Attached)
• Suites 231-233
• Complimentary F&B Starter Package Included
Pricing:
4 Tickets per game = $8,000 Total
5 Tickets per game = $10,000 Total
6 Tickets per game = $12,000 Total
This opportunity is only available for a limited time. Please let me know if you would like to secure your seats today!
I would do that for one game, but not 4! I am hoping that something comes available in August or September, but they might be at a real premium!
I’ll paint US Water on my Subaru if you invite me 🙂
😉
Great Story. I also think that Alston totally misused Demeter……
This Lindor standoff is so funny to me. The Mets never had any leverage so the only way they sign him is to give in to his demands.
It’s like the endless texts/phone calls/postcards I get on my properties: unless you offer me exactly what I want, I won’t even talk to you.
We lucked out with Betts. All sides did their job and did it well.
10 years. $341m
Here are some random top 5s for you to disagree with:
Top 5 Team MVPs:
1. Betts
2. Seager
3. Bellinger
4. Bauer
5. Buehler
Top 5 Players to Watch:
1. Lux
2. Urias
3. Smith
4. May
5. Gonzalez
Top 5 FAs to be:
1. Seager
2. Kershaw
3. Jansen
4. Taylor
5. Knebel/Nelson
Top 5 Prospects who could play in 2021:
1. Ruiz
2. Gray
3. White
4. Vesia
5. Pepiot
Top 5 Prospects by Ceiling:
1. Miller
2. Busch
3. Pages
4. Diaz
5. Hoese
Top 5 Roster Sleepers:
1. Rios
2. Barnes
3. Gonsolin
4. Graterol
5. McKinstry
Top 5 Vets Whom I’ve Ignored:
1. Turner
2. Price
3. Treinen
4. Pollock
5. Muncy
Mets just gave Lindor 341mil. for 10 years.
Corey Seager’s value just went up BY A LOT!
50 mil of his salary is deferred and he gets a 21 million dollar signing bonus. Base salary is 32 mil a year for the entire deal with 5 mil a year deferred. He has a list of 15 teams for no trade and no opt outs. Report says Dodgers tried to negotiate an extension with Seager during the spring but got no where. And Corey said there will be no negotiations during the season. Nice knowing you kid! Boras will make sure you end up somewhere else.
I tend to agree Bear. If the Yankees want him, they will match or beat what the Mets are paying Lindor. The projections for these two are similar with Lindor having more home runs and obviously a higher dWAR. He will also steal more bases but probably won’t score as many runs because of the weaker lineup he’s in. It’s going to be interesting to follow these lines all year. I wonder what Story will do without Arenado in the lineup. Fangraphs has them at 67 wins. Story may not see a strike all year. I look for Tatis to have a monster year. So will Seager if he can stay on the field.
Nice piece by the way. I was at Opening Day at Chavez Ravine. Wish I could remember more about it.
Weren’t a lot of us saying the same thing about Kershaw a few years ago? It was a foregone conclusion that he was wasting his best years with the Dodgers and was going to opt out and finish his career playing in Texas.
If Linder hits more homers than Seager this year then I’ll show up butt naked to Mark’s suite this summer!
Who’s Linder? Butt naked huh. You won’t get by security unless you have a mask on.
Yeah we were Patch, but Kersh was not represented by Boras. And even if he was, Kersh wanted to win here. Seager might love the guys and the team, but his family is going to play into his decision a lot.
Kershaw, Ryu, Maeda, Greinke, Darvish and Eovaldi all starting on Opening Day.
O captain my captain
I’ll wear 2 masks top and bottom!
I seem to remember Kershaw beating the Giant’s 1-0 with his own homer on an opening day. But that must have been a Dodger Stadium opener, not the season opener. Graterol and Kelly will be opening the season on the IL.
Here is one of the strangest things I think I have read in a while. Kike Hernandez sells more jersey’s than Mike Trout! Angel fans should be ashamed. Opening day is here. Lets go Dodgers. Mets had no choice but to pay what Lindor wanted. But we get Mookie longer.
This is MLB’s Projected Red Sox Lineup:
1. Kiké Hernández, 2B
2. Alex Verdugo, CF
3. J.D. Martinez, DH
4. Xander Bogaerts, SS
5. Rafael Devers, 3B
6. Hunter Renfroe, RF
7. Christian Vázquez, C
8. Marwin Gonzalez, LF
9. Bobby Dalbec, 1B
Good luck to Alex and Kike. I miss them already!
86 wins. 3rd place in the East.
This is the Dodgers projected Opening Day lineup:
1. Mookie Betts, RF
2. Corey Seager, SS
3. Justin Turner, 3B
4. Cody Bellinger, CF
5. Max Muncy, 1B
6. AJ Pollock, LF
7. Gavin Lux, 2B
8. Austin Barnes, C
9. Clayton Kershaw, P
Not bad. Senzatela only pitched in 2 games this spring. Marquez was in 5 but not very effective. Gray pitched in 3 games and Gomber 6. So the Dodger starters seem to be ahead of the Rocks. But Rocks got some solid offense out of the new guys, Cron hit 5 HR’s and hit .358, Connor Joe led them in RBI’s with 11 and hit ,368. Their new CF, rumor is Blackmon is moving to RF, Daza hit .364. Blackmon and Story both hit under .200 this spring.
Rockies last place in the West. They won’t win 65 games.
This is my ideal lineup everyday this year except when Barnes catches:
1 Betts RF
2 Seager SS
3 Smith C
4 Bellinger CF
5 Turner 3B
6 Muncy 1B
7 Taylor LF
8 Lux 2B
9 Pitcher
I hope Pollock proves me wrong and he deserves the LF job over Taylor.
I think your lineup will be the one sooner or later.
Happy Opening Day!!
Repeat!
I may have missed something but I noticed 2 opening day homers by Drysdale and 1 by Kershaw. Someone more computer savvy than I could make a list of starting pitchers on opening day that have hit homers. I wonder how many pitchers have hit more than 2 including all teams. Great job on the openers review, I really enjoyed it.
Just looked at Accuweather predictions for Denver. Mid 60s all afternoon. We’re gonna smoke ‘em.
60 degrees in Denver? Are you sure it’s not just an elaborate April fools joke?
High of 79 on Sunday. Could be a joke I suppose, but I doubt it. Radar says it’s snowing west of Denver but it’s supposed to pleasant in the city.
“we’re gonna smoke ’em”, yeah we know that but what about the baseball game?
Flip the switch! It’s time for Dodger baseball!
Good Morning Dodger Brethren ! excited get another season fired up. Was checking Dodger website didn’t see the promotional schedule for this year ? Anybody have that info.
Thanks.
They have not released one yet. Probably because of attendance restrictions. Maybe they will have one as the attendance is allowed to increase. Right now only 12,000 fans allowed opening day.
Nationals-Mets game postponed because of Covid. 5 DC players tested positive.
We play the Nats for our home opener on the 9th. Hopefully whatever Covid problems they are having will be resolved by that time. It would really be a shame for us to have to postpone our opener after we couldn’t celebrate the championship when we won it.
And so it begins. Again.
Like I said, this ain’t over.
Kike will have to wait at least 24 hours for his Sox debut. Game postponed due to bad weather.
Let the games begin! It has been such a pleasure watching the last two of Dustin May’s starts. His development this Spring has been so impressive. He fully deserves the fifth starter’s spot. On the other hand, I’m a bit nervous about Kersh this year. Will we see a big fall-off in performance this year? Given the number of miles on his arm (and his back), it’s hard to know. Fortunately, our pitching depth is unsurpassed, so it should be enough to get us through, if Kersh starts giving up too many HRs.
In any case, it will be a lot of fun. As many of you have pointed out, it’s a great time to be a Dodgers fan!
As long as they are solo shots, I would not worry too much. Most of the HR’s he has surrendered have been of the solo variety. Of the 181 career HR’s off of him, only 65 were hit with men on base. He has allowed only 1 grand slam in his career.
Yeah, Kershaw performance should and most probably will decline. Let’s just hope it’s not “big” to use your words.
Love this:
Dodgers to use their 11th different Opening Day leadoff hitter over the past 11 seasons:
2011: Furcal
2012: Strange-Gordon
2013: Crawford
2014: Puig
2015: Rollins
2016: Utley
2017: Toles
2018: Taylor
2019: Pederson
2020: Muncy
2021: Betts
Raley last member of taxi squad fyi
Was just talking to grocery checker who was saying Kershaw’s stuff isn’t what it used to be. I told him he might have the worst stuff in our starting rotation. In a calm tone bomb thrown.
Here’s Joe Posanski from The Athletic today on Clayton Kershaw:
So what is Clayton Kershaw’s best season? At first glance, you would think it has to be 2014, when he went 21-3 with a league-leading 1.77 ERA. He led the league in FIP, WHIP and strikeouts per nine innings, and he won the Cy Young and MVP awards.
If we go by Baseball-Reference WAR, though, it was a year earlier, 2013, when he went 16-9 with a league-leading 1.83 ERA and league-leading 232 strikeouts. I’d say he gets the Baseball-Reference edge that year because he threw 38 more innings than he did in 2014.
FanGraphs WAR points to 2015, and why not? That year, he struck out 301 batters — the only time he has struck out 300 — and led the league in FIP, innings pitched, complete games and strikeouts.
Of course, you could also make an argument for 2011, when he won the pitcher’s triple crown — leading the league in wins (21), ERA (2.28) and strikeouts (248).
Then nobody really thinks his best year was 2017, even though he went 18-4 with a league-leading 2.31 ERA and walked just 30 batters all season (which sounds impressive until you remember that he walked just 11 batters in 2016). That might be his seventh- or eighth-best year, which is crazy because if you have that kind of year five or six times in your career, you’re going to the Hall of Fame.
Last year, he made only 10 starts because it was a short season, and he went 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA. He struck out 62 batters in 58 innings and walked eight. His WHIP was 0.840. At some point, there are just no words left to say.
I don’t think Spring Training results mean a thing. In the 2014 Spring training, Clayton gave up 20 hits in 14 innings and had a 9.20 ERA. HE also gave up 3 HR. Then in the regular season, he was 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA.
Turn the page. The season starts today. However, I do expect him to struggle today as he usually does in Denver.
No one can escape the date on their birth certificate.
If his 89 MPH fastball is just a product of Spring Training and the lack of adrenaline that real games give you, then he should be ok. If it is not, then that will be a problem. He’s done well to change his approach as he’s lost that 93-95 four seam fastball, but last year he at least was in the 91-93 range.
Just a question. Mark are we allowed to post premium content from another site we subscribe to???
Yes, but not in its entirety… and not all the time.
Well, that pretty much sums it up, dodgerrick. And to top it off, he finally got his ring. What’s left? A repeat!
Five guys bat in the first inning and the Dodgers don’t score. Turner’s double play killed the inning with his bad legs. That’s why I like Smith hitting third, that and also Smith is a better hitter.
Nothing against Turner I just like him hitting fifth.
100% agree. That’s the way it will be soon.
Kershaw is toast. He’s getting bombed!
The sky is falling!
What if the floor is rising?
Put a fork in him.
Question: How long must a ball stay in the glove in order to prove(?) possession? To me it wasn’t more than a second if that.
2 double plays, 8 LOB and 0 for 6 RISP through 4 innings – Dodgers have 6 hits, 6 BB and only 1 run. Not off to a good start. I hope that they hit RISP like they did last year and not like they usually do
Like they did last year and not like they usually do?
What does that mean?
Seager error opens the door. Pretty sloppy opener so far. And Turner running with his head down cost them a run and Cody a dinger.
That was bizarre! He had tunnel vision!
I expected Clayton to get roughed a little more than this.
Sloppy base running (Turner) and fielding (Seager) cost us two runs.
Lindor 1- Seager 0. 320$ and dropping!
Kershaw 3 earned in 5 against a less than offense. Muncy saved Seager an error earlier with a great backhand save. Seager is Seager, he’s where is is because he can hit. Don’t know what Turner was looking at but what a dumb play. Yep. Sloppy.
another baserunning error
all 4 runs could have been prevented with good defense.
Gonna be a long year for Kersh at 90-91
Wasn’t he at 92 last year?
Dodgers’ blog posters collective minds are going to explode after this game. I can hear the “I told you so” echoing through the canyons now.
First game. I am not worried. Rocks just wore the guy down and Roberts should have pulled him after 5.
This team sucks, man.
I wonder how many of those balls on the ground that pass 6ft to Seager could be caught by another SS
Most of them…
The Dodgers shift got beat a couple times too. Mookie misplayed the triple. Death by paper cut for Clayton.
Okay, I promised myself this season that I was going to give Doc a break and not second-guess him. Well, so much for that! Those last two runs were on Doc for letting Kersh pitch the 6th. Third time through the line-up. Kersh without his best stuff. And in Colorado, where the altitude isn’t exactly conducive to his breaking ball. Give me a break, Doc!
The whole team got into Cody’s special cookies.
Fire Roberts!
Fire Friedman!
Kasten should fire himself!
Sell the team back to McCourt!
Put the cookie down and back away slowly….
Nelson
Late bloomer yeah right.
Alexander up in the bullpen.
Doc is using the losers in the bullpen so far today.
This one has been UGLY
When does the season start, because this looks a lot like spring training. O well it doesn’t matter. The hitters are doing just fine, but we can’t seem to get the runners across the plate.
Jimmy Nelson……..meh. I’ll reserve full comment once I see him pitch at sea level
This is Coors.
It’s not over!
Barnes hurt trying to tag out a runner at home. It looked like a nasty cut. I think he will end up out for a while. Looks like they will need Ruiz sooner than they thought. 14 hits and only 5 runs at Coors. Pretty bad. Hitting into 3 double plays has not helped.
Greatest team ever can’t pitch, can’t field, can’t get a clutch hit and runs the bases as if they’re blindfolded. 116 looks pretty safe if today’s any indication!
The 2001 Mariners are chilling the champagne.
Robo umps now
Check Beaty for a ticket. All he did was watch.
PH for McKinstrey would just had a double.
Damn I wanted to see Mckinstrey hit.
Well we smoked ‘em alright – then went out and looked like the ‘62 Mets
DL is right. ABS. NOW.
1 game. Hopefully it was a wake up call.
McKinstrey could have been a hero. Should have given him the chance. I really wanted to see him hit .
One down. 60 more losses to go!
Enjoyed the Beaty AB.
Summed the performance up nicely.
CK didn’t have a FB thrown harder than 91 MPH. Very concerning.
Beatty needs to be ready. Bases loaded and looking at three strikes close enough to swing but doesn’t. 161-1
This one was winnable and I’m not talking about sloppiness. If doc would’ve used his lockdown relievers and early enough this one would’ve been winnable.
Sure the Dodgers played sloppy but still. I stand by my first paragraph.
Yep, it’s all Doc’s fault. He passed Belli on the bases, made all the errors and hit into all the Double Plays.
Yes. It’s all on Doc!
Do you even realize what you just said?
So do you just give up like doc did because of that?
Look I said they played sloppy but the game was still winnable if only doc used his lockdown relievers for the rest of the game. That’s all.
My point was that the game was still winnable. But doc used the two crappy relievers in the bullpen instead of using the better relievers.. That’s my whole point. I know they played sloppy I’m not denying that.
When Turner tried to to get back to 1st, couldn’t Belli have retreated to 1st ahead of him? If so, what would the result have been?
Yes, as long as he didn’t pass him he’s fine
I guess everything was so confusing he never even thought of that.
I had this call in a tournament I was working. I ruled the batter runner out and the run scores on the home run.
To answer your question hodges, yes, Cody could have backed up. If he doesn’t pass Turner they both score. Once the ball is over the fence it’s a home run.
I got another question, when Cody saw Turner screwing the pooch, why didn’t he stop him? I think it’s because he didn’t know the rule. It’s my opinion that is inexcusable at that level.
I saw Hairston making excuses for Turner on the post game show. Sorry Jerry. That was on Turner.
IMO the fault lies all with JT on this one. He had the play in front of him. He obviously did not look at the fielder closely enough or he would have seen that he did not have the ball. Then he turns around and races back to first without keeping his head up. Just look at him when races by CB between first and second. Total tunnel vision. CB even came to a stop between first and second when JT races by him. Totally unaccpetable . Set a bad omen for this game . Sloppy game all around by the Dodgers and no clutch hitting. CK will have a tough year if he continues hovering around 89-90 on most days. Good thing the Dodgers brought in Bauer.
Go dodgers!!!!!!!!!!
I didn’t understand the Beaty ph decision, but it’s my opinion this loss is on the players. They just have to play better, and I believe they will.
Roberts said he liked Beaty against Bard’s heat. He forgot to tell him to swing when he got up there.
I just don’t understand how you pull a guy cold off the bench to face a guy who throws 99-100 and sit the guy who is already in the game and had a hard hit double his first time up.
You have a lot more playing and coaching experience than I do Badger, but to me the fault lies with Bellinger, not JT. Turner saw the ball go into Tapia’s glove and immediately turned and raced back to first so he wouldn’t be doubled up. It was up to Belli to stop him or at least make sure JT didn’t pass him going back.
Tomorrow should be interesting with Bauer on the mound. His breaking stuff is a major part of his game and I doubt he’s pitched much in Denver. I hope I’m wrong, but it could be another unpleasant game.
We’re doomed.
As a runner you should locate the ball. If the fielder had it he would’ve immediately turned and fired it back to the infield. I would’ve stopped at second, located the ball and allowed myself plenty of time to get back to first. The ball was in front of him the whole time. As a base runner you watch the ball until it’s behind you then you pick up the coach.
Bellinger made a mistake too. He knew the ball was gone. Instead of making sure he didn’t pass Turner he was barking at the umpires signaling “home run”. He did this as Turner raced past him. Why in the world at this level would he not know the rule? Even if it is a home run, which he knew it was, you are OUT if you pass the runner in front of you. Again, I find it inexcusable. These guys are professionals. These are mistakes that should not be made at any level above junior high school.
OK, I bow to superior knowledge and experience.
You say if the fielder had caught the ball he would have turned and fired it back to the infield. The one proviso to that is if he caught it today and was wearing a Dodger uniform he would have probably taken a seat in the outfield and admired the stitching.
The use of the word proviso suggests to me you needn’t bow to my knowledge. As for my experience, yeah, I have a lot, but I know there are some in here that have as much if not more. I am curious what others might think.
I would ask Turner “at what exact point did you KNOW he had the ball?” The answer is he didn’t know because he didn’t locate the ball. The question I would ask Bellinger is “do you know the rule regarding a runner passing another runner?” If not why not and if so why did you allow that to happen? That play, and this game, was a comedy of errors. Jim Nielsen is correct, mental errors and bad baseball. The Rockies looked better than us today and they are not better. We lost that game by playing bad baseball. Hopefully that ends starting tomorrow.
I will add here that I am concerned about Kershaw but not alarmed yet. It’s Colorado. A lot of pitchers have bad games there, but if memory serves, he didn’t look so good at the end of Spring Training either.
Re your last paragraph Badger, keep in mind that Arizona is quite close to Colorado and the thin Denver air might have wafted over into Phoenix for those last few ST games.
It was hardly a case of Cody passing Turner, it was Turner burning past Cody—going the wrong way. Besides, I believe Cody could not touch or help Turner or he would have been called out for interference.
Interesting point. Does anyone know if you can be called out for interfering with your own runner? Bellinger could have just laid a good tackle on him and brought him down. On the other hand he might have screwed up his shoulder again by doing that.
Valid point Cassidy. I considered that. But if Cody is backing up while telling Turner to “stop, it was home run” as an ump I wouldn’t have called it. I doubt they would have either but I don’t know that.
Both players looked foolish to me. Turner not knowing it was a home run and Bellinger losing a home run by standing there yelling at umps while allowing Turner to run past him. Bellinger knew as soon as he rounded first it was gone. You see a teammate making a bonehead move like Turner did, help him, yourself and the team out by not letting him get back to first before you do.
Sorry, I meant campy
Beautiful day here in Washington. What did I miss on the TV set?
Nothing. Go back to basketball Fred.
(Go Zags!)
Not really.
As a high school baseball coach the worst things to me are lack of hustle and mental mistakes. Today we had several mental mistakes and Nelson’s lack of hustle to cover home plate caused Barnes to get injured because he was hustling. Play good baseball and you can live with losses but this game was as much about us as Colorado. Congratulations to the Rockies for playing very well.
I was unable to watch until the seventh but it was a comedy of errors. The 2 pitchers I saw named Nelson and our 13 th pitcher were terrible. Nelson was lucky to only have 2 score. Hanging slider after hanging slider. He was throwing 94 my lord throw a fastball occasionally. Did we hire grandal back? Neither catcher could even catch the ball. Alexander is terrible but cheap. Making a million is cheap lol. Of course doc got in the act pinch hitting for mckinstry with Beaty to stand there and watch 3 straight. Umpiring was terrible. Rios got hosed. Nothing about what I saw screamed professional. This looked like a bunch of people reading too many headlines about how great they are. Imagine if u r a Dodger fan who paid to watch this.
Damn, you guys are KILLING ME!!! Its one baseball game out of 162, but if you go through most of the posts today, sounds like Roberts needs to get fired again, Beatty is a little leaguer, JT should retire, and we should trade half the bullpen and Bellinger for a warm six pack of PBR. REFRIGGINLAX!!! Yeah the Rockies are terrible, but any major leaguer will tell you that’s why they play the games, and on any given day anybody can beat anybody. I am actually really surprised at how many guys are so critical, didn’t used to be like this on this site a few years ago. Talk to me in a month, when we can see what we got. What did Mark used to say, “patience grasshopper, patience”. It’s also in Colorado, which is always a box of chocolates. Gonna be ok guys, just step away from the ledge…
The team sucked the begonia today roger. It’s ok to talk about it. It’s kinda what this place is for, right? Everyone knows we are better than the Rockies and I believe our guys will put this game in the rear view mirror quickly.
Amen!
To Roger!
Mark, instead of saying Amen to Roger who basically said most of the 139 comments were unwarranted, Why not just delete all the comments.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind/
Each prayer accept’d, and each wish resign’d
“Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders.”
That’s all I remember.
Hey Roger,
We didn’t . . .
[Wait for it]
Askew.
VR,
All of us
I think a lot of it was said in jest myself. The blog can be reactionary at times, but it’s also has a lot of campaigns under their belts and thoroughly conditioned in bad losses followed by sunny days. That said…what a weird game. I think they only time I’ve seen the Belli/Turner blooper was in a little league game. The Seager whiff looked little league as well. And then Barnes/Smith get a case of Grandalitis behind the plate. Usually, can count on HRs to bail us out, but came up empty there, too. Kershaw looked better than I expected…until the 6th of course. In a shortened season, the Dodgers rarely let starters go beyond 5 and certainly no longer if they’ve given up 4 runs to that point. Not sure why that approach got thrown out the window in Colorado, especially with three starters in the bullpen designed for early entry.
As they say, tomorrow’s another game. Fully expect they’ll bounce back the way they always do, but the offense will have to move it up a tick as I expect a bumpy game for Bauer.
There were 4 wild pitches. I do not blame either Smith or Barnes for those. I do not think either of them looked as bad as Grandal did. Graterol on the 60 day IL, he is obviously hurt worse than first believed. Kelly is on the 10 day.
It was a badly played game period. But the hitters did hit. They just did not hit in the clutch. 3 double plays did not help. The umpire missed some calls. Kershaw was mediocre. But he does not pitch well at Coors anyway despite his winning record there. But give the Rockies some credit. They got the hits when they needed them, Seager made a key error allowing another run and extending the inning. They stole two bases. Made a couple of excellent bunts. Seager was thrown out at 3rd on Muncy’s RBI single. The Dodgers made a bunch of mental mistakes. Alexander was actually efficient. He got all 5 hitters he faced out. Knebel got the only man he faced. But it is easy to second guess Roberts for not sending him back out there. But this is only one game. 161 left to go. 8 walks, 14 hits and 5 runs. A lost homer on boneheaded running. There is a lot to forget about. Yes, Kersh’s velocity was down, but more importantly, he was not able to use his curve much. But there are a lot of pitchers who win games without having outstanding velo. I remember how many guys always raved about Hill. But the guys fastball would barely break a pane of glass. Ya put this one in yer pocket and go get em tomorrow. I am more concerned about the injury to Barnes. Oh, by the way, 4 wild pitches. I would not blame the catchers for not catching balls that are uncatchable.
One last thing. Temper your expectations. There will be games like this. And there will be times they lose to teams with less talent. Baseball is funny like that. The best team does not always win. And every team, no matter how good has holes. This team is loaded with talent, and sometimes even talent makes mistakes. They just happened to open the season with one. But it is not like they have never had a game in Denver like that before. At least the report on Barnes is good. He suffered some cuts but Roberts said he should be ok. Oh yeah, Beaty was up there because of his reputation for late inning heroics. Roberts went with the vet instead of the kid. Beaty sat there and looked at 3 pitches. You don’t swing, you have no shot.