It was said, and I do not remember who exactly said it, that Manny Mota could wake up on a cold December morning, get out of bed, and hit a line drive. He was that kind of hitter. Manuel Rafael Mota Geronimo was born in the Dominican Republic on February 18, 1938. He was the sixth of eight children in a blended family. His mother, Fredesvinda, had four children with her first husband, a man named Pena: Dario, Odilia, Luisa, and Adriana, and four with her second husband, Andres Mota, a soldier in the Dominican Army: Andres, Manny, Barbara, and Josefina.
Andres Mota died when Manny was about 6. So Manny’s memories of his father are short. But he did give him a nickname by which he is called today. El Chory. It means something like Shorty or Pee Wee. Manny said it was because he was always playing with boys bigger than he was.
After his father’s death, his mother opened a grocery store to support her children. She also made candy, which Manny would help sell. She tried to raise him the right way, going to church and listening to the priests. He would also play ball at the church. The church and school he went to instilled a strong work ethic and the desire to help others needier than himself.
It would inspire him to do good work later when he became a professional player. He did not have any real heroes growing up, but he did have a baseball idol, Jackie Robinson. At the time, he played baseball for the pure joy of the game.
In 1956, he was playing on the Dominican Air Force team. The team was sponsored by the son of dictator Rafael Trujillo. He was noticed there by some American scouts and signed by the New York Giants. The Giants had noticed there was a lot of untapped talent there and had a scout for the area. A couple of his teammates were signed by the Giants also, Juan Marichal, and a kid named Matty Alou. Mota said the main benefit of playing for the Air Force team was the military discipline he learned.
He was signed by the Giants on February 21, 1957. His bonus? Four hundred dollars and ten cents. He went to Michigan City, a Class-D team in the Midwest League. He hit a solid .314 with 7 HRs and 91 RBIs. That winter he played what would be his first of 20 seasons, a record, in the Dominican Winter League. In 1958 he faced segregation for the first time. He was playing for Danville in Virginia. It caused some hurt feelings initially, but he used those to instill the drive that said I am going to be a major league ballplayer. He had another excellent season, .301/8/55.
He jumped to AAA Phoenix in 1959, but it was too much too soon. He then went back to A Springfield. And the normal progression started. AA in 1960, .307/4/79, and then AAA in 61, .289/3/43 for Tacoma in the PCL. He won the first of three batting titles at home in the winter of 60-61. But the assassination of Trujillo left the country in chaos in 61. The 61-62 season was cut short by strikes.
By 2018 over 700 players from the Dominican had played in the major leagues. Mota was the tenth. He made the team out of spring training in 1962. But his first at-bat did not come until the 7th game of the season. His first hit came in his first start, a dribbler through the infield off of Jim Brosnan of the Reds. There was not much playing time for him as he was the 4th outfielder on a team that featured Mays, Alou, and Kuenn as the starters, so he saw a little time at 3rd and 2nd. He played in 47 games and hit under .200. He was sent back to AA where he went .349 in 30 games for El Paso. He was not with the team when they lost the series to the Yankees.
In November of 62, the Giants traded Mota and Dick LeMay to the Colt 45s for Joey Amalfitano. The Giant outfield which also had Matty Alou and Willie McCovey, (Orlando Cepeda was playing 1st) was just too good for him to crack. He was considered a speedster with good bat-to-ball skills. He married Margarita in February of 1963. The best man at his wedding was Felipe Alou, an admired mentor of his.
When he returned to the states, the 45s traded him to Pittsburgh for $50,000 dollars and Howie Goss. He spent the first half of the season at AAA. When he was called up, he never spent another day in the minors. He played in the first and only All Latin players game at the Polo Grounds in October of 1963. It was the last game played there.
Now with the Pirates, Manny would benefit from the presence of Roberto Clemente. They could be seen working out together every day. Clemente championed the player to the skeptical Pittsburgh media noting that Mota was always a good hitter and could hit MLB pitching if given the chance. Still, he was a part-time player in 64. After the season, Pirate skipper Danny Murtaugh stepped down, and Harry (The Hat) Walker took over.
Mota won his third batting crown in the winter of 64-65. But the political situation was once again a mess and he worried for his family’s safety. The Pirates GM, Joe E. Brown got the director of the Peace Corps Latin America section to check on the family’s welfare and to get them stateside.
Mota was Walker’s kind of slash hitter. In 1966, platooning with Matty Alou, he hit .332. Mota was an excellent player in most facets of the game. The only thing he lacked was hitting for power. But he more than made up for that with excellent bunting and running skill and he was a very good outfielder. Manny usually got around 300 at-bats with the Pirates. He was also becoming a very good pinch hitter. He was a stickler for routine and kept to a strict diet and workout plan. Clemente thought he was way too superstitious. If he got a hit, he would take the same route to the ballpark and eat at exactly the same time. In part-time work, he hit .321 and .281 in 67 and 68. He also got his first taste of managing in the Dominican league.
As good of a player as Manny was, the Pirates still decided he was expendable and put his name on the list of players eligible in the expansion draft in 68. He was plucked from Pittsburgh by the expansion Montreal Expos. His stay in Montreal would be brief. In June of 1968, he was traded along with Maury Wills to the Dodgers for Paul Popovich and Ron Fairly.
On July 7th and 8th, Mota had his best 3-game stretch in the majors going 10-14 against the Braves with nine singles and a double. He was really locked in. He always felt you do what you do best. He was not a power hitter; slash was his game.
Mota was given a chance to play more by the Dodgers in 1970. He hit .305 in a career-high 407 at-bats. A sad note in the season came on May 17th when a line drive off of Mota’s bat hit 14 year-old Alan Fish in the head. He died five days later. It was very difficult for Mota since he had a great love of children and he felt guilty because he hit the ball that took the young man’s life.
He continued to play and manage in the winter league. He usually deflected any success his team had to others. He was as humble as they come. In 1972, he was once again a reserve for the Dodgers. The arrival of rookie Bill Buckner and All-Star Frank Robinson sealed that. But he once again became the primary left fielder hitting .323. He also showed his skill in a daring steal of home against the Cardinals in a scoreless game. The Dodgers went on to win 2-1. If you don’t try it, you’ll never make it he said.
Just nine days before that game, he got what he considered one of his biggest thrills when he spotted Jackie Robinson in the stands. It was the day the Dodgers were retiring Koufax, Campy, and Robinson’s numbers. He went over and thanked Jackie for what he had done for all players of color. Jackie, who would die that October shook his hand.
In 1973 he was chosen to the All-Star team by manager Sparky Anderson. He was still a Dodger reserve. In 1974, he became almost exclusively a pinch-hitter. He would be on the field in exactly 17 games from 1974 to 1979. Alston informed him in the spring of 74 that this would be his role, and Mota accepted it and loved it. Over that period, he would go 76-243 (.313) as a pinch hitter with one homer and 51 RBIs.
As of the middle of the 1976 season, the press knew he was closing in on Smokey Burgess’s 144 career PH mark. Jim Murray of the Times wrote a vivid story on him in June attributing his success to his mental approach and concentration. Unlike Burgess who was described as a “walking laundry bag” or a “beachball with arms”, Mota’s weight barely changed his entire career. Lasorda joked that Mota was a waiter at the last supper.
Over that time the Dodgers would win three pennants. 74-77 and 79. Mota was 3-5 with 2 doubles in the NL playoffs. In game 3 of the 77 playoffs, Vic Davalillo beat out a drag bunt with LA down 5-3 in the top of the 9th. Mota then hit a double to left with two strikes that went over Luzinski’s head. The Dodgers would win the game and get to the series.
Manny did not have the same success in the series he played in. He was 0-3 in 77, did not appear in 74, and walked in his only appearance in 78. One of his biggest thrills in baseball, though came in the pre-season in an exhibition game. The Dodgers played the Mets in a two-game series in 1977 in the Dominican. Before a crowd of 10,000, Manny connected for a two-run homer off of Mets ace Tom Seaver to seal a 4-0 Dodger win.
In the winter of 1979, he was invited to the White House by then-President Jimmy Carter. He presented him with many gifts including a Dodgers jacket with President Carter on the back. He formally announced his retirement after the 1979 season becoming a Dodger coach. But he was reactivated in both 80 and 82. His last base hit was an RBI single off of Joe Sambito of the Astros. It helped the Dodgers win the game and tie Houston for the division. They lost the playoff game the next day.
Manny finished with 150 career base hits. His average as a PH was .300. 150-500. The leader in PH, Lenny Harris finished with a .264 avg. Only Steve Braun and Burgess are over .280 among all the other leaders.
Manny would spend 33 years as a Dodger coach. In 2012, the Dodgers shifted his responsibilities to a roaming minor league instructor and into the radio booth. Mota accepted the changes gracefully. He was brought back by Dave Roberts in 2016 to assist the hitting coaches, Turner Ward and Tim Hyers. Roberts knew Mota in his playing days with the Dodgers and felt he brought a lot to the game.
Hitters today also benefit from the Manny Mota Grip Stick, a pine tar alternative that has been around since 1991. Manny and his wife have raised eight children, six sons and two daughters. Two of the boys, Jose and Andres became major leaguers in the ’90s. Manuel, Domingo, and Tony would play pro ball. Jose is now a Dodger announcer. Manny and his wife have a foundation helping children in the Dominican.
Although he never really had a shot at managing in the majors, he managed for 16 seasons in the Winter Leagues. He was Bill Russell’s bench coach and took over for a few innings once when Russell was ejected. But Mike Scioscia took over as bench coach the next season.
Manny can still be seen at Dodger spring camp sometimes, helping the big club in any way he can in the game he loves and played so well.
Dodger News & Notes From MT
- Mookie Betts is finally breaking out of his malaise… proving he is not injured. Following his lead, the Dodgers beat the Giants like a Rented Mule and swept the Mini-Series.
- Remind me why the Dodgers might need another starter… is Gonsolin’s ERA (1.64) too bloated?
- The Giants left the series buried in 4th place.
- BTW, all of the teams in the NL West have a .500 or better record.
- Nastrini (GL) went 3 innings, allowed 1 hit, 0 runs and walked 3 while striking out 5. Walks are still the issue. BTW, GL lost 1-0 as they only managed one hit.
- OKC and Tulsa were postponed.
- Brothers Gus and Louie Varland of the Tulsa Drillers and Witchia Wind Surge start against each other today (barring another rainout).
- Diego Cartaya went 4-6 last night with his 6th HR off of Blake Snell and is now hitting .265 with a .978 OPS after a horrid start.
- Maddux Bruns started for RC and only logged one inning as he was simply smoked. Move on, nothing to see here!
- BTW, RC won 9-7!
I will see Diego when I am in LA the first week of June or catch him in the Midwest when he is promoted to Great Lakes. The key to the Dodgers’ success this season so far, has been the pitching. They are so far ahead of any other MLB team in ERA it is not even funny. This staff is deep and Doc is building them up slowly. What is there to complain about? The hitting will come and when it does… LOOK OUT!
Great article!
https://youtu.be/CahNAauFgys
That right there shows what a historic pinch hitter Manny was. Thanks for reminding us Patch. I really miss that part of the game.
15 year old me was at the 77 game 3. ( confession lifelong Phillies fan) My late father turned to me when Mota came to bat and said ” He is really good, this isn’t over”. As we know dad was right.
To this day that beautiful September afternoon is known as “Black Friday” in Philadelphia.
Thanks Bear,
I remember that playoff with the Phillies. It was an amazing comeback and Manny’s double was key.
Manny was one of our best hitters off the bench. Mickey Hatcher was another whose bat was a magic wand that could bloop base hits all over the outfield. I think Alberto might also be that kind of pinch hitter.
Thank you Bob, but do not forget Dave Hansen. He did a great job off the pine for the Dodgers.
What a great mini series. It makes me wish this was at least a 3 game series, but se la vie. We beat ’em with a nail biter and blowout. What a great couple of games.
Why can’t the Giants just be good? Because they’re not that good. Their offense showed how pathetic they really can be. When your best hitter is Joc Pederson, you know you’re in trouble. Like I said, a couple of days on the bench is enough to cool Joc. We’ve all heard this song before. Joc goes on a torrid streak, then does nothing as apparent by his 0-5 showing against big brother.
Woody was solid, but he’s neither good or bad. He’s a middling starting pitcher that always spends a significant amount of time on the IL. He’s the pitching version of Joc. He can hold it together for some streaks, and then he goes back to his old self. At age 31, he’s an old dog and he’s not bound to get much better.
By the end of the month, the Giants will be hovering around 500. You heard it here first. Balco Crawford isn’t enough to propel this team without Posey. The genius of Farhan is greatly exaggerated. Did anyone notice that he cut Nunez already? What was the point of picking him up in the first place?
Off to Chicago to play the Cubbies. Clayton said during the in game interview that he really doesn’t like to pitch there, one of his least favorite places to pitch. Anderson, Kershaw and Bueller are set to pitch for the good guys.
This will be our first look at Seiya Suzuki. I’m looking forward to seeing if he’s for real.
Ever since Lux’s most recent bought with the yips, he’s looked about as good as any second baseman in the league. If he can keep his throwing issues in check, he’s going to provide gold glove defense at the keystone. He sure turns two quickly.
I get what Mark’s saying. When he made the last really bad throw, he choked another one immediately afterwards. It’s definitely a problem between the ears. The yips are hard to explain. For some, it’s a temporary hurdle they need to cross, for others, it ends careers. Personally, I don’t think it’s as bad as Mark makes it out to be. Time will tell.
I’m looking forward to meeting up with Watford and Bear on Saturday. It’ll be fun watching the Cubbies against Kershaw.
A couple of songs to honor Watford’s visit!
https://youtu.be/tf3aJx7D7YA
https://youtu.be/chOVH_aj9c0
* I too am extremely happy to see Lux making good throws with no yippys action. Nobody knows when those demons pop into a guy’s head and he throws one away. But you hope one occurrence doesn’t lead to two and so on. When he has time to overthink the process that’s when the demons can show up, It’s mind over matter but the trick is not to overthink it. That’s why you practice; so you unplug your brain and let it go. He does that nicely on double plays and on hurried plays. It’s the easy ones, where there’s time, that can be an issue. I really root for him. The yips are no fun and if you’ve played golf and had the shanks, you have some idea. Then add 50,000 people watching.
* I wanna be David “Bigfoot” Price when I grow up. Who needs welfare when you have his gig. He opted out in 2020. as we know. In the 2 seasons since, he’s had 11 starts and is now likely a relief pitchers. He’s logged a total of 78 innings as a Dodger. and that’s for a juicy total of $32 million per year of which the Dodgers pick up half. I know we had to pick up his boat anchor contract to get Mookie but that doesn’t make me less jealous.
Now he’s been out since April 24th with covid, I guess. He’s still traveling to Chicago with the team as he’s never been to Wrigley. After that tour he heads to Sunny Glendale to start doing again what he’s been doing, I will seriously do what he does for a quarter of the money. He’s quietly printing money in his Swan Song.
* I hope you boys meeting up in SoCal to watch the game have a great time. I wish I was there. Wish me luck or say a little prayer for me, if that’s your bag. I go in for Surgery tomorrow for a knee replacement. I have a knee and hip already. Let’s hope all goes well but I’m off the grid for a day or 2.
Nunez – assuming he clears waivers Farhan can stash him in the minors without putting him on the 40- man.
Kershaw was great on the broadcast. He’d make a far better color man than anyone they’ve had.
Kershaw is very personable and he doesn’t come off as a know it all. I’m very happy for his great start to the season.
Lux made a couple excellent play last night at 2b, especially how nicely he turned that double play.
And he looks so much better at the plate than last season.
No worries about the kid.
Gonsolin looks like a very solid starter this season. A very pleasant surprise. Hope he can keep it up.
And Mookie is looking more and more like Mookie.
There should be a call up to high A ball for Cartaya soon. Kid is mashing , that HR off of Snell was big league stuff.
Go Dodgers!
Just two small observations, which I find unbelievable, which make me extremely excited just to imagine when this team plays something close to its potential:
1 In 23 games, Dodgers pitchers have only allowed 57 runs, leading in MLB. The giants, a team that arrived with more than 100 runs scored, could only score two in the mini series, the Dodgers pitchers made them look like tame lambs.
2 The Dodgers’ offense is among the best in runs scored, they have 114 but the detail is that they have achieved it with only FF and CT3 doing what is expected and Will Smith, Trea and Lux performing adequately but not at the level than is expected of them, the rest far below what is expected. Imagine what this line up will be like when your players, or most of them, have a close performance, what is going to happen, what they expect, that must be very scary for their rivals!!!
I will still be here in June Mark. Leaving on the first of July. We are hoping to make it to a Quakes game. Bobby, I will take those tickets for the 18th. Get my email addy from Mark. Good game last night.
Cool. We will have to meet up
Yes we do. Give my email addy to Bobby.
I love these stories that the Hairy Bear writes, it is important to remember the players of the past, players who helped build what the Dodgers are now, some were better than others but everyone did their bit, thanks to all of them and to the Bear also for remembering them.
Thank you DH. Not as hairy as I once was. But that’s cool.
Loved Mota. During one summer of Strat-o-Matic, I always had him batting 2nd or 3rd. Back in the day, I wondered why he didn’t start more often.
It’s a common name…, but is Jose Mota related to him?
As I’m writing this, Ohtani has been replaced with a 7-0 lead. He struck out 11 in 7 innings, giving up 6 hits and zero walks.
Does anybody here NOT want to see a real Freeway Series?
I probably spend 95% of by my baseball time following the Dodgers and 5% on the Angels. But Minnasian’s moves this offseason are all paying off. Syndergaard, Lorenzen and the revamped bullpen all look good. Thanks to Shohei, the Angels didn’t suck last year– and now Trout and Rendon are back, and Taylor Ward is suddenly a major force. Walsh continues to deliver and Stassi is solid.
Freeway of dreams….
As for the Dodgers, AF doesn’t NEED to get another SP, but I’m not averse to seizing a good opportunity, especially is Heaney’s injury is likely to shelve him for months. Anderson has stepped up, and Gonsolin looks good. Even if Heaney is out for a long time, we should see May and Duffy down the road, right? And I do want to see Pepiot and others get a chance.
Yes, Jose is one of Manny’s boys.
I also follow the Angels closely. Largely because my son and I have spent so much time at CA League games. We’ve watched all the Dodger and Angel prospects come up for 5 or 6 year. If the Angels can keep their pitching at this level they will contend. Offensively they are as good as anybody and they have some great young talent (beyond Ohtani). I’d love nothing more than a Freeway series for the WS! Southern CA would shut down.
Great article OldBear.
I force myself not to over analyze early in the season. Now that we are more than 20 games into the season I’m starting to take trends a little more seriously. I’m a little surprised our record is this good! Max hasn’t been good. JT has been just as bad. Mookie has been meh.. Still no clue which Bellinger shows up each game. And yet we have the second best record in baseball.
I’m not sure if our pitching can maintain this pace. I can’t see us having a 2:20 ERA for the whole season. But if our core players gear up that will offset any increase in runs given up. I have to be happy with where we are at.
Also, Miguel Vargas and Jacob Amaya are both playing impressive baseball so far this season. I really believe those two players will be critical in decisions that will be made at the deadline and in the offseason. Justin Tuner may come off the books next season ($2m buyout if they don’t pick up the team option). It looks like Bauer’s money is off the books. I don’t see us paying up for Trea Tuner as a FA. That’s another $21m off the books. And who knows if Kersh will play another season. That’s a hefty amount of money that we are unlikely to have on payroll next season. If Vargas and Amaya keep playing at this level (both are walking more than they strike out) I don’t see the Dodgers spending prospect capital at the deadline. I see them spending actual capital.
It’s early to start talking trade deadline. But what’s everybody’s thoughts? I see a scenario where AF looks to take on a salary or two that other teams want to dump. Either for a rental or a 2-3 year contract. We have lots of money to play with.
Dodgers: Ryan Pepiot Named PCL Pitcher of the Month
Brook Smith
May 5
The Dodgers have a ton of talent at the minor league level nearing the big leagues. That has been a recurring theme every year since the new ownership group has taken over. This year is once again no different, and you don’t need to look very deep to find a guy just on the horizon.
One guy that could crack the big league squad as soon as this year is Ryan Pepiot. The Dodgers’ number 6 prospect is off to an incredible start with Oklahoma City, and he was just named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month.
Pepiot has appeared in 5 games so far, allowing 4 earned runs across 21.2 innings of work. He has struck out 29 batters for the OKC Dodgers and put together a 2-0 record to go with a 1.66 ERA. If the big league club finds a need for an arm, he could end up being one of their first big call-ups of 2022. He just cracked MLB’s Top 100In addition to Pepiot,
The Dodgers also had outfielder Damon Keith named as the California League player of the month. Keith slashed .391/.519/.672 in the month of April with 10 extra-base hits, including 3 homeruns. He led the California League in several offensive categories along the way, including hits and runs scored.
Ryan is making noise, pounding on the door!
It’s nice to know there’s legitimate options in the minors. Take a peek at what Andre Jackson has done on the same team as Pepiot. Did something click? He’s already on the 40 man.
As is Michael Grove in Tulsa, not quite as impressive as Pepiot and Jackson, but his peripherals are out of site. .89 WHIP .188 Ave 13.14 K’s/9 1.46BB/9 He’s also on the 40 man already.
That Tulsa rotation is ridiculous. Beeter, Grove, Miller and Grove all have impressive numbers except for one bad game for Miller.
Thanks for the story ideas guys. I am working on a bunch.
I was watching the Angels and the Red Sox and enjoyed their broadcasters talking about the longevity of pitchers in today’s game and turn over of pitchers for every team. We can sure see that with the Dodgers. Starting pitchers have never thrown fewer innings per start and forced more bullpen innings. Older pitchers above 35 are gone earlier than every before. The current trend is to have young pitchers throw as hard as they can for 5 innings and pull the plug. 7 inning starts will be more rare in the future without some kind of rules changes (again?) Injured pitchers move on quickler and change teams more often. Development of pitchers is big deal as we see the Dodgers and success in that area may be development of many pitchers. Just not the same pitchers.
That brings up interesting questions about the value of starting pitchers.Are starters who are destined to go 5 innings every 5 days more valuable in that role then being in the pen where they can affect 2 or 3 games in the same period? Do bullpen arms become more valued than starters?
How would that effect value and salaries?
Is there still room for the Ace or 2 on a staff?
That would effect baseball records too. 300 wins at 5 inning stints seems unlikely. A 300 win Hall of Famer would be a unicorn.
All fun interesting questions if the trends in the game continue to go in the direction it’s going.
If you miss my post earlier in the day; here it is in case you miss my insightful comments for a few days:
* I hope you boys meeting up in SoCal to watch the game have a great time. I wish I was there. Wish me luck or say a little prayer for me, if that’s your bag. I go in for Surgery tomorrow for a knee replacement. I have a knee and hip already. Let’s hope all goes well but I’m off the grid for a day or 2.
Yeah, I’ve been circling that question a lot lately and I keep landing on that “third time through the order” thing. That pretty much eliminates the 6th inning for everyone. I thought 6 innings 3 runs or less for a Quality Start was a low bar. Well now it would appear 5 innings will be considered a QS.
I’d like to see 7 innings out of every starter and a complete game now and then. I’d also like to see me running 5 miles again, but that, like complete games, is a thing of the past.
Maybe we won’t need another starter. Maybe we can fake it with bullpen games again. Someone on another site suggested to me the team was successful in bullpen games. Well, whatever gets you a win on the last day of the playoffs.
Good luck with the surgery, Phil.
Just think, after tomorrow you’ll only have the other hip left to do. Ain’t life grand!
Thanks STB. I hope to do that last hip this summer as well. Change my name to Steve Austin.
We have been driving through Wisconsin for what seems forever. We left Minneapolis at3:15 EDT. We should be home by midnight. We have been pushing the Ford Transit pretty hard.
Same truck as in this video:
https://youtu.be/gI4mKdnnWG4
I really want a Ford Maverick
70’s version or the truck?
Probably the new truck. They are sweet. A little smaller than my Tacoma.
J Cobb
After a bit of advice please.
Looking to go to the Angels tomorrow night (Friday).
Are there Scalpers there or do we need to buy beforehand?
Cheers
Scalpers are a thing of the past. You might find somebody hanging out but it’s not like the old days.
https://714tickets.com/contact-us/
714-tickets is next to one of the main entrances. I’d call them. They always have the best deals last minute. They work with a ton of season tickets holders. Even if you can get the same tickets via the Angels web site, you’ll save the “service fee”(which is now like 30%) that they now charge on the official site.
Good people.
Or if you have the stubhub app, you can buy tic last min (granted there’s fees), but usually it’s season ticket holders trying to sell their seats.
Also, it’s the Angels, so nobody cares, which means you’ll get some nice seats for cheap.
Dodgers set for schedule gauntlet of 31 games in 31 days
Dodgers have one doubleheader and one off day from May 6 through June 5
This stretch includes 16 road games and 15 home games. It covers the entirety of the Dodgers’ season series against both the Pirates and Phillies.
Here’s the schedule:
May 6-8: at Cubs
May 9-11: at Pirates
May 12-15: vs. Phillies (4 games)
May 16-18: vs. D-backs (4 games, including doubleheader)
May 19: OFF DAY
May 20-22: at Phillies
May 23-25: at Nationals
May 26-29: at D-backs (4 games)
May 30-June 1: vs. Pirates
June 2-5: vs. Mets (4 games)
Amazingly, the Dodgers don’t face a team with a current winning record until that final series against the Mets. Then again, that didn’t seem to matter much when the Dodgers lost two of three games to the Diamondbacks in April. Arizona catapulted the end of that series against Los Angeles into seven wins in nine games, making it back to .500 (13-13) with Wednesday’s win.
With so many games bunched together, the pitching staff will surely be taxed. MLB teams can carry 14 pitchers on the active roster through May 29, covering LA’s first 24 games of this stretch. After that, the limit of 13 pitchers takes hold.