1959, start of the season – A young 11-year-old boy reads about his heroes in the daily sports page. A right of passage in those days. Games on TV were few and far between, especially Dodger games. The only televised games were those from San Francisco on KKTV channel 11.
Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett did the announcing. Doggett would do the 3rd and 7th innings, Vinny the rest. It was the Dodger’s second year in LA. I had been to a couple of games at the coliseum in 58 and they were not a very good team.
This season would start with Reese retired and Zimmer taking over his job at SS. Neal at 2nd. Gilliam played 3rd and Hodges at 1st. Roseboro was the catcher with Moon, Demeter, and Snider in the outfield. Moon had come over in a trade for Gino Cimoli.
Furillo was injured, so Snider moved to RF for the younger and fleeter Demeter. I remember all of their numbers, Hodges 14, Neal, 43, Zim 23, Gilliam 19, Roseboro 44, he would change to # 8 later, Moon 9, Demeter 2, and the Duke 4.
They opened in Chicago and Big D lost a 6-1 decision. Bob Anderson threw a 6 hit complete game. The only run came on a HR by Drysdale. They would win the next day 5-3 with Klippstein getting the win. Then they went back to LA for the home opener against the Cardinals and Lindy McDaniel. Podres was on the wrong end of a 6-2 loss.
But Big D shut the Cards out the next day 5-0. Klippstein won his 2nd the next day in relief, beating Ernie Brolio and the Dodgers had a 3-2 start. After 10 games they were 7-3 and tied for first. At the end of April, they were 11-6 and still tied.
Things were looking much better than 58, but there was a long way to go. Drysdale finished April 3-1. Klippstein was 3-0. Reliever Art Fowler was also 2-1. The bullpen was proving to be a major force.
May started off with 3 losses. they were 3-6 after 9 games. They then had a 4 game winning streak followed by a 5 game losing streak. At the end of May, they stood at 25-23, 5 games out of first. They went 18-12 in June to get within 1.5 games of the lead.
The team was making fans believe they could be a pretty good team. Moon had perfected hitting balls over the left-field screen at the coliseum and the term Moon Shot was used by Vin to describe his LF HR’s. My favorite player, Duke Snider was having a better 59 than his down year in 58.
Hodgers, Roseboro, Neal, Gilliam, were all performing at a better clip than the prior year. But Zimmer was in a horrendous slump. He would soon be replaced by 26 year old Maury Wills. A career minor leaguer. Wills would add speed to a very slow footed lineup. Larker, and Fairly added some pop. Furillo would get into 50 games and have some real clutch hits.
Chuck Essegian came over in a trade and was clutch off of the bench. I was really getting into collecting baseball cards during this season and I would use my lunch money to go to a local store near my school and buy as many packs as I could.
I was doing what all kids that age dream of, playing when I could and emulating my favorites batting stance. I had Sniders down pat. And I used it for years.
As the summer dragged on, the excitement behind the team grew. With each clutch win you began to believe they could win the pennant. On the 31st of August, after Koufax beat the Giants 5-2, they were 1 game back. But they started September off 1-4. They then won 5 straight, pulling within a half game of the lead. They split two with the Braves, did the same with the Reds and went to SF for a crucial 3 game series which they swept behind Craig, Drysdale and Podres. They split a 2 game series with the Cardinals and then went to Chicago tied for the lead. They took 3 of 4 from the Cubs to end the season tied with the Braves for the pennant.
A 3 game playoff was declared and they won game 1 3-2 with Sherry getting the win. Back at the Coliseum, they went 12 innings. Then in the bottom of the 12th, with Gil Hodges on 2nd, Furillo hit a grounder up the middle that Felix Mantilla got to, but his relay to first was wide and Hodges scampered home with the winning run. LA had it’s first NL pennant.
This was heady stuff for an 11 year old. Of course all of the games were during the day while we were at school, so I was listening on my old transistor radio while in class. Some teachers allowed the kids to watch the games on TV, but not mine.
I had to be careful not to get too excited and accidentally cheer when they did something good. But during the days that followed, we would all imagine it was us out there playing.
I was always dreaming that someday, I would be patrolling CF or playing 1st base for the Dodgers. I could never see myself in any other uniform. Of course, the only uniform I had in my future was Army green. But at the time, that was not the plan.
I hope kids today still have that dream. That innocence that we had. I look at the kids on this Dodger team, and the ones who are close and soon will be in the bigs and I see that the dream still lives.
I no longer dream of playing for the team, but I live that dream through these kids who have so much talent. I wish all of them much success.
P.S. The cover photo is a Young “Bear” Cub!
Great article!
Thanks Mark
I remember listening to my transistor under my pillow following the Phillies when I was younger. Until my dad came in and took it away! Like you Bear I was dreaming of playing 3rd base like my hero Richie Allen! But my baseball dream ended after Little League when I discovered basketball. Thx once again taking us down memory lane Bear
My high school did not have a baseball or football team. There were only 82 in my graduating class. So, I played basketball but was never good enough to play in College. Our little school did win the State Championship in 1969! I was a Freshman and did not play. I averaged 17.1 points a game the rest of the way and 17.7 rebounds. Here’s the kicker – my high point game was 21, and at least half were offensive rebounds. I always believed every rebound was mine.
My transistor radio was tuned to WLW and KMOX out of St. Louis – they were the only stations I could hear the Dodgers on. Later, I got a short wave radio and could get some games too.
Was Harry Carey still around when you were listening to the St Louis games? I heard my first Dodger games via Harry Carey broadcasting the Cardinal vs the Dodgers.
KFI.
I was a pitcher/catcher until Wills showed up. Then I was a shortstop. Had I been drafted it would have been as a hitter. That’s what the scouts told me anyway. My fate lay elsewhere.
I remember that song, but it never hit me before like it just did.
Rule 5 pick, Brett de Geus, made the 26-man roster for the Texas Rangers. He will not be offered back to the Dodgers at this time. Jordan Sheffield’s fate, the other player selected in the Rule 5 draft, seems to still be undetermined by the Rockies.
Slated to begin year in majors
March 26, 2021
De Geus has been informed that he’ll make the Rangers’ Opening Day roster, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
https://www.rotowire.com/baseball/player.php?id=16632
Happy for deGeus but I would have rather seen him returned to us. I think he’s going to have a good MLB career.
Old friend Charlie Culberson also made the Rangers roster but to do that they had to DFA Rougned Odor whom they owe 27 million over the next two years. That means if Culberson sticks with the Rangers for two years he’ll probably be making about 1/10 the amount of the guy they are paying not to play for them. It’s a strange world we live in.
So did Kyle Garlick!
He earned it.
.300 BA
1.011 OPS
5 HR
13 RBI
He is 29, so he had better make hay while the sun shines!
Someone else believes that Price starts the season in IL and that May will be the 5 starter?
I think Price will be the 2nd lefty in the pen and Santana will win the last job.
Not sure what happens to Alexander.
Report today said it looks like May will be the 5. But Price is not starting the year on the IL.
I would love to have access to a stat that keeps track of fly ball/home run distances and ballpark dimensions so we could determine how many home runs Kike, for example, or Joc, would have hit in 2021 if they had re-signed with the Dodgers. Of course there are other elements that would make the comparison imperfect, but it would be fun to have.
I read 3 things that Doc said.
1 Bellinger is going to bat 4th this year.
2 Lux is going to play everyday against both LHP and RHP.
3 Muncy is going to bat either 5th or 6th depending on RHP or LHP.
And of course I read speculation is that May is the 5th starter. I’m glad about this. I don’t want his high OPS against LHB coming in late in games.
I wonder what Muncy’s position in the lineup has for Will Smith. Personally I like Smith batting 3rd and Turner batting 5th with Muncy 6th.
Betts, Seager, Turner, Bellinger, Smith, Muncy, Pollock, Lux.
Wow. With those guys you could go Betts, Seager and start picking names out of a hat.
I have always figured May was in the rotation. Why wouldn’t he be?
CDC Director warns U.S. facing “Impending Doom”. We may think we’re done with Covid but Covid is not done with us. What are stadium policies around the league?
At least at the beginning, I would put Bellinger in sixth position and Muncy in fourth, until Belli realizes that not only does the first base side exist, there is more ground where he could hit …
Betts
Seager
Turner
Muncy
Smith
Belli
Pollock
Lux
Because Spring Training stats are a perfect predictor, Turner should start the season in LF and Pollock on the bench.
No first inning issues tonight for Julio! The only question for him this year is where he finishes in the CY Young voting! I don’t even think Mookie’ has hit a ball to the warning track this spring.
SMITH BOMB.
Ohtani just has no idea where his fast ball is going! I’d just sit on his curve all day long. Just like Will did. He just has to catch most of the time.. I’ll let Kersh have Barnes but the other guys have to learn to pitch to Smith! The kid can just flat out hit!
Could be our starting 3b someday.
Ohtani and Jansen use the same GPS system.
T never was any tickets for me to be had and now I can see how much of a show was put to me for a sold me. I just don’t see why all that trouble. and it ain’t even April yet.