It seems to me that most Dodger fans believe that the only thing standing between a World Championship Trophy and the LA Dodgers are a couple of relief pitchers. Some say one, some say two, some say three. They often use the example of the 2016 Cubs who went out and got Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees as a two-month rental. The narrative is that Chapman was the missing piece that enabled them to win the Series. That idea is revisionist history.
Chapman helped the Cubs get there, but he was very average against the Dodgers and the Indians in the NLCS and World Series. The Cubs won in spite of his shortcomings. See, it’s a team game, and how you start or how you are in the middle is not important at the finish. Yes, I want to see the Dodgers get another arm or two, but it may or may not happen and it may or may not be the guys you want. Right about now, Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson have to be high on Friedman’s list.
Sbuffalo wrote this a couple of days ago:
Forget Vásquez. No indication the Pirates would actually trade him and if they did the price would be too high. No way they should give up Smith, Lux or May. Like Ned Colletti said, anytime you pick up a relief pitcher from a losing team, there is always risk because you don’t know how they will react to the pressure of a pennant race/playoff environment or the the change of city/team.
That is some sage advice. Vasquez certainly has some warts and he could become Jim Johnson in the bright lights of LA. I wholeheartedly agree with S Buffalo. I think Friedman will pickup an arm or two, but it won’t be Vasquez. He’s not going to stop what he is doing: which is to make this model sustainable for years to come.
About this same time last year, the Red Sox bullpen was in huge disarray. Their closer was struggling and the bullpen was ranked in the bottom third of all teams. They picked up Nate Eovaldi and Steve Pearce and the rest is history. You can always use another bat… especially a RH bat that KILLS LHP, like Nick Castellanos. Shane Greene scares me, but I guess you never know.
Even if AF stands pat, I won’t lose my mind because there are internal options and I think you will see some pitchers step up. That’s what winning the World Series is all about: Stepping Up on the Big Stage and it might just boil down to Kershaw, Ryu, Buehler, Jansen, Maeda, Baez, Urias, Garcia, and Kelly. I am prepared to deal with that. All I can say is that the Dodgers better bring their bats this year. RVS: do your magic!
R.I.P. MJ – You Will Be Missed
After I posted about MJ and others last night, I was contacted by TO Dave and Watford Dodger. TO had some interesting information, but it was Sherlock Holmes (aka/Watford Dodger) who solved the mystery from across the pond. We have not been able to find an obituary. Maybe some of you in California can do that, but we did find a FaceBook Page where the last entry in the class of 1977 was Michelle Jamison (cancer). That was MJ’s real name. She has e-mailed me many times which is why I know that.
If you remember, MJ said she had been in a bad accident as a kid. Watford went way back and found the Article about it in The LA Times. What a Sherlock! So, while the news is not good, at least we know and may you Rest in Peace, MJ, You are missed.
Comes the Dawn
After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
And company doesn’t mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts
And presents aren’t promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,
And you learn to build all your roads on today,
Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans,
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure…
That you really are strong,
And you really do have worth.
And you learn and learn…
With every goodbye you learn.
Author: Veronica Shoffstall
MT’s Minor League Lowdown
I spent a lot of time this AM searching about MJ, so time is short and this will be too.
OKC did not play.
Tulsa lost 7-3. Rincon homered and Wong doubled and that’s about it.
I’ll try and post more later….
AC’s Minor League Lowdown
Tulsa Drillers 3 – Midland RockHounds 7 (A’s)
Justin De Fratus started and pitched 5.0 innings allowing all 7 runs on 10 hits. Victor Gonzalez and Yordy Cabrera completed the final four innings without any further damage. Offensively, Carlos Rincon slugged his 5th HR, while Cristian Santana (21), Connor Wong (3), and Omar Estevez (10 each hit doubles. Drew Avans was the only Driller with a multi-hit game with 2 singles.
RC Quakes 0 – Stockton Ports 11 (A’s)
Three Ports pitchers, Bryce Conley, Eric Martinez, and Jake Bray combined on a no-hitter against the Quakes. While the offense was non-existent, the pitching was not much better…so let’s move on.
Great Lakes Loons 7 – Burlington Bees 6 (LAA)
Jack Little started and went 2.1 innings surrendering his first run (unearned). Jose Chacin followed with 5.1 innings giving 3 runs and 8 hits in a decent outing. Aaron Ochsenbein came in to close it out, but had an uncharacteristic outing allowing the Bees to get close with 2 runs before being rescued by Justin Hagenman with a strikeout of the only batter he faced to shut down the Bees for the save.
The Loons did their damage in the 1st inning with 6 runs. Leonel Valera led off with a HBP and a stolen base (20). Michael Busch singled to plate Valera for his first Loons RBI. Jacob Amaya followed with a walk, and after a K, Kody Hoese singled to score Busch for run #2. A WP moved the runners up to 2nd and 3rd, and Jair Camargo hit a 2 run single, and moved to 2nd on a throwing error. After a fly out, Romer Cuadrado reached base on the 2nd error of the inning with Camargo scoring. Chris Roller followed with a triple to score Cuadrado for the sixth run.
The 7th Loons run was scored on Chris Roller’s 2nd triple (6) and Michael Busch’s sac fly. Kody Hoese and Chris Roller both had 2 hits on the night.
Ogden Raptors 6 – Grand Junction Rockies 5
On a night after the Raptors learned that Kevin Malisheski was named Pitcher of the Week in the Pioneer League, the Raptors got back into their winning ways after having their 12-game winning streak snapped on Sunday.
Ogden started with a 3-0 and 6-2 leads, and then had to hold on after the Rockies got within 1 run with a run in the 6th. Then a pair of 2019 draftees Jeff Belge (18) and Nick Robertson (7), and 2018 draftee Reza Aleaziz shut down the Rockies combined to allow only a sole single with each pitching an inning apiece.
Andy Pages (10) and Sam McWilliams (10) both hit 1 out HRs in the 1st inning to get things rolling for the Raptors. After a walk to Sauryn Lao, March Hernandez tripled (2) to score Lao for the third 1st inning run. They scraped together three additional runs on a couple of singles, errors, walks and WP’s spread out over the third and fourth innings.
Sam McWilliams and Sauryn Lao each had a pair of hits.
AZL Dodgers Lasorda 4 – AZL Padres (1) 7
The score was tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the 8th and with 3 walks and a HBP by Yujo Kitagita scored one run, Gabe Benavides came in to put out the fire, and instead served up a Grand Slam HR for a 5 run 5th. Meaux Landry hit a 2 run HR (4) in the 9th to get closer, but that was it. Meaux Landry and Aldrich De Jongh each had two hits with De Jongh’s being a double (7) and triple (2).
AZL Dodgers Mota 1 – AZL Brewers Gold 2
After Aldry Acosta threw a perfect first inning with a strikeout, Jose Rodolfo followed with 6.0 solid innings allowing 1 unearned run on 3 hits with 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. Carlos Alejo pitched the final 2.0 innings but unfortunately allowed the winning run.
An Alex De Jesus single with 2 walks and 2 WP scored him for the sole Mota run. De Jesus went 2-4 with Ismael Alcantara (4) and Imanol Vargas (4) each hitting doubles for the other 2 hits.
DSL Dodgers Bautista 7 – DSL Braves 4
The Bautistas scored their 7 runs in the second inning with not a lot of offense. The scored all 7 runs using three singles, 5 walks, three errors, and a WP. Four Baustista pitchers kept the Braves under control with Hendrick Briones (2.2 IP) and Carlos De Avila (2.0 IP) shutting down the Braves down the stretch to maintain the lead and victory. Yohandry Sequera had a 2-4 night.
DSL Dodgers Shoemaker 5 – DSL Pirates 0
Pitching was prominent in this shutout victory with Osvanni Gutierrez (5.0 IP), Eli Moron (3.0 IP), and Frankelyn Feliz (1.0 IP) shutting down the Pirates. Hector Martinez was 2-3 with the only multi-hit game.
Thanks for the update and the info on MJ. Thanks Watford for tracking this down. This is sad to hear, but I suspected as much when we stopped getting posts. I will miss her. I feel almost like I knew her from all of her posts. This is a good community where we all come together with love of our Boys in Blue. Thank you for providing this not so safe space where we can argue, agree, disagree and connect with others who share about our beloved Dodgers.
RIP MJ, I hope heaven is all Blue for you!
Very sad news regarding MJ. I will miss her. My thoughts are prayers are to you, MJ, and your family. RIP.
I loved MJ’s post. Sorry to hear the bad news. RIP MJ. Love you.
I hope she had family or someone close there with her at the end. I almost got a sense the Dodgers and this community were her family. Pity that we didn’t know or could have helped in some way.
What a joy we will now miss in losing MJ. What a delight she was, a passionate Dodger fan and friend to us all. Yes she will be missed.
It is always a sad moment when a member of a family is lost even when it is a long distance family. Something special is lost that cannot be recovered. Rest in peace MJ.
Damn. RIP MJ. From your posts you seemed like a really nice person. Hopefully your Dodgers can win it this year for you.
RIP Michelle. Thanks for being a big part of this Dodger community.
Swami in India said: “Insult not my death with your pity, ye who are left on this desolate shore still to mourn and deplore; it is I who pity you.”
Thanks for bailing me out AC…. I got consumed trying to find the obit today.
Pretty good sleuthing, gentleman. Condolences to any of MJ’s survivors. She was probably a well liked person.
I don’t think it’s a good idea to associate the need for relief help as a guarantee of winning the WS. No one can give that guarantee. But, it is a need of the team and their chances of getting that win would increase depending on who we bring in. I don’t think anyone would argue with this logic. As long as it doesn’t hurt the big picture (the future), it has to help us.
I think this 2019 version of the Dodgers have been through Hell and kept going!
They are going to write a different narrative this time, let by Co-World Series MVP’s Clayton Kershaw and Julio (Andrew Miller) Urias.
Someone will need to step up big time.
Is that Kike, is that Maeda, is that Ryu, is that Beatty, is that Kelly?
Doesn’t matter who but someone needs to just go on a tear and carry us for 11 wins.
Sincere condolences to MJ’s family and friends and all those who knew her and traded comments with her on this blog.
This? For AC. It would be interesting to see how many relievers who had good Seasons last year also having good seasons this year vs how many who are having bad years. It would speak to the unpredictability? of relievers. Make for an interesting write up before trade deadline
We are all well aware that the Dodgers have not won a World Series since 1988. I do not have exact stats, but it seems intuitive that no baseball franchise with as much relative regular season success has ever gone that long without a title We all know about the past plight of the Red Sox and Cubs, but they went decades without a playoff team. The Dodgers have made the playoffs in ten of the last fifteen seasons, but no title. The Red Sox have now won four titles during that span, the Giants three, even the Cubs have one.
To me, this is not a run of bad luck of happenstance. There are reasons for it, and of course there is not just one reason. But the fact that the Dodgers organization for several decades has been obsessed with profits over titles, is significant. Peter O’Malley ended up complaining about the high costs of ownership. Fox just wanted to build their network, had no real interest in running the franchise. McCourt was a grifter who took the profits for himself. And Guggenheim, while doing some good things, clearly shies away from allowing the front office to pick up the final pieces necessary to give them the best shot at the title. Just note that we have not made a big-time FA acquisition since Greinke, and that just about all of our moves at the trade deadline involve two-month rentals, or second- or third-tier relievers. They simply have refused to risk a long-term contract for a star acquisition.
We could make a case that a better bullpen would have gotten us past the Cardinals in ’13 and ’14, the Mets in ’15, the Cubs in ’16, and would have won us the Series in ’17. Obviously, there were other reasons. But it is true that there are always a few top teams which have better bullpens than we do, and that it shows up in the playoffs. That Game 1 in St. Louis a few years ago; once it got to extra innings, I was virtually certain that the Cardinals, with the better bullpen, would win it. Or the game where Elbert gave up the home run to Carpenter, I think. Get into the Series against the Yankees, and that will likely be the case again. One more thing: baseball is what the social scientists call a closed system, in that every entity in that system can have an effect upon all the others. If we only pick up our usual iffy bullpen pieces, or none at all, it is likely that other contenders will do better than that. during the next week, so that we are relatively worse off.
I can’t tell anyone whom we should get, given the various prices the other teams want. But if we want to somehow break the cycle of being good, but not quite good enough, we have to gamble more in terms of giving up future prospects. Alternatively, we could pick up key free agents during the offseason, but we don’t do that any longer. We desperately need a top closer, not just for this playoff run, but for the next few seasons. Where or when are we going to get him? You can build an impressive car, even with some secondhand parts, but if you do not attend to the brakes, you haven’t finished the job. And in general, that is why we keep falling short of winning a championship, and some other team gets to celebrate. The Red Sox franchise of the last 15 years has mostly gone all-out to win a title when it has had the chance. We do not. Does anyone think it is a coincidence that they have four and we have none during that period?
Interesting?
I quite like this line:
I do not have exact stats, but it seems intuitive that no baseball franchise with as much relative regular season success has ever gone that long without a title
That sentence embodies it all.
I’m with you William, this is the year to go all in. This is a very complete team, we have a lot of prospects and few openings on the Major League roster. I can assume that we’re flush with cash after operating under the cap for a couple of years with league leading attendance, rising ticket prices, the most lucrative broadcast contract, the All-Star game on the horizon etc. Not to mention a lot of payroll coming off the books next year. Normally this would be great timing on all fronts to invest in impact players. Sadly, this is the worst year to acquire impact players that I can remember due to the entire NL, sans Miami, being in striking distance from a Wild Card.
We’re just about down to a week before the deadline and there’s little chance that the standings are going to open up much. Not when the Cubs are losing late in the game to the Giants. Supply will remain tight, but it’s up to AF to pull the trigger on the best of what is available.
I still have faith that AF will do something to help this team as he has in the last 3 years. But, I’ll be sick if the Astros and Yankees improve their rotation and we swing and miss on a shut down reliever, or two.
This is a special team, we know it, AF knows it, Kasten knows it, Guggenheim, Magic and Billie Jean King. On top of that, AF wants another contract. He can’t afford to strike out.
I think that you may have hit upon something. The Dodgers have been set up for long term success better than at any time since the early 80’s, but still no World Series victory. Conventional wisdom is that you just try to get to the post-season and after that it’s a crapshoot, but if that’s all that it is, then the probabilities are that the Dodgers would have won the Series since 1988. I think that most observers would have picked the obviously better Red Sox to win last year – it wasn’t a crapshoot.
Here’s the record since ’88:
1995 – NLDS
1996 – NLDS
2004 – NLDS
2006 – NLDS
2008 – NLCS
2009 – NLCS
2013 – NLCS
2014 – NLDS
2015 – NLDS
2016 – NLCS
2017 – WS (loss)
2018 – WS (loss)
The approach in the past few years has been to set up to win the regular season with depth and then to try to add a piece or two for the post-season at the deadline with varying degrees of success. Molly Knight published a great piece in The Athletic with a list of all of the deadline deals since the last Series victory in 1988:
https://theathletic.com/1089597/2019/07/22/how-the-dodgers-trade-deadline-deals-have-failed-to-deliver-a-championship/
It’s quite the list.
But the question raised by William – no big star signings since Zach Greinke is correct but is by design with the current management. And have the Dodgers “gone for it”? I think that trading for Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, Manny Ramirez count as “going for it”, but most seasons have involved the Dodgers obtaining spare parts at the deadline.
What does “going for it” look like this year. They have to fix the bullpen. No John Axford, Zac Rosscup or Mark Madsen please – get a pitcher who can actually get someone out in the late innings please.
William, I’d argue that management has done plenty to get this team to a point where it can compete in a playoff series, and win a playoff series (and multiple playoff series in a year). When you get to October, the front office’s job is done and it’s now on the players and the manager on the field. We hope the front office put the best team and best players on the field for the manager to guide. I think the front office did that.
The problem has been that Clayton Kershaw, the “best pitcher of this generation”, hasn’t shown up in October (except 2015 when he was good vs the Mets), If regular season Kershaw showed up in October, we’d have multiple rings this past decade and therefore we would not be having these conversations.
From 2013 thru now, we’ve been as good as anyone, but our best players, our stars, have not stepped up when it matters. Thus, the need for a 7th inning guy or an 8th inning guy has been magnified. If the stars step up, the role guys can be off a bit, and we’d still win.
Lakers never won a title when Shaq/Kobe/Magic, etc were half as good as they were in the regular season. Bum and Posey stepped up in October, hence the Giants have 3 rings. Tom Brady’s and Joe Montana’s stats in Jan aren’t significantly worse as compared to their stats from Sept-Dec. Our best player has a playoff ERA that is nearly 2 runs higher than his regular season ERA. Fix that problem, or get a “best player of his generation” who actually does it in October, and our bullpen worries won’t be as big.
Having said that, I would hope that we now realize that it’s quite likely that Kershaw cannot be relied on to be a stopper in Oct. And if we accept that fact, then we should realize that as a counter, we need to fortify the bullpen and make these games October games shorter by having the dominant bullpen.
As much as I like Kershaw, I have to agree with everything you said.
No big star signings?
Sad to hear about MJ! I enjoyed her presence on this board a lot. You could tell from her comments and from her FB page, that she was very passionate about the Dodgers! Reading about her accident put everything into heart wrenching perspective. What a horrible experience for a 14 year old girl to have to go through. I can’t even begin to imagine how profoundly that impacted her life. RIP in eternal peace MJ!
I have a little different view of the bullpen. We will have Maeda, Hill, Stripling for the pen or Maeda, Urias, Stripling. We maybe just need one more. Maeda looked really good the other night out of the pen. I would not give away top farm kids for one reliever. I think any reliever is going to be expensive.
Very sad to hear about MJ. Maybe my memory is faulty, but I don’t recall her ever mentioning cancer. Given that living with cancer is mostly long and protracted (my father lived with it for about a year before passing away in 1986), I can imagine that MJ was living with it while posting on this site, but never a mention of it, or any descent into self pity. Among other virtues, she was clearly a strong woman.
As so many others have said, Rest In Peace MJ.
A sad day for all of us, as MJ was a big part of things here, and universally liked.
Brooklyn, you have surmised the same as me. I said much the same to Mark earlier, that if she did know she was very ill, she wasn’t looking for pity, and if she didn’t know, then things must have happened rather quickly.
Either way, it is a life cut too short, like many others by this terrible disease.
RIP MJ – you were one of the best.
The latest rumor is the Dodgers are interested in Mychal Givens. He’s not an upgrade IMO.
All these names that rumor has it the Dodgers are interested in all have flaws.
1 Not an upgrade.
2 Will cost top 4 prospects.
3 Pitching good this season but never pitched good in their career before this season.
At this point for me its Ken Giles or stand pat. I know some of you don’t want him because he sucked in the 2017 playoffs. Small sample size. The Blue Jays want pitching that they can control long term, specifically starting pitching and they probably want near MLB ready and MLB starting pitching. So I say let them have their picks among every pitching prospect except Dustin May. And let them have Ross Stripling if they want him.
On a side note. I like what I see in Casey Sadler, hopefully he can help out. It’s just a 4.2 inning sample size but I can hope can’t I.
Playoff bullpen, you play your best every game in the playoffs.
Jansen
Urias
Baez
Maeda
Giles
Those above would be the best.
Maybe Sadler, maybe not.
Maybe Kelly with that big contract, maybe not.
An MLB Network post mentioned Giles and Chris Martin a RHP from Texas. I’m not feeling it for 2 righty relievers but I know nothing about Martin. So, BB you feel okay with Jansen, Urias (who will have innings limitations) Baez, Maeda (and maybe Kelly) and the addition of Giles for the playoffs? 3 or 4 starters and 5 relievers? And 3 deadweight guys taking up space in the pen? Roberts could burn through 5 relievers in 3 innings. That’s not going to cut it.
Just now reading about MJ. Very, very sad. I remember her mentioning a good while back that she was a Stroke survivor. Although I thought the worst after not hearing from her for all this time, I held out hope that she and Andrew Toles had run away together. A fond farewell to our beloved Comma Queen.
Brilliant Rudy!
If I could take a drink for every comma MJ used, I’d be drunk as all hell!! Thank u MJ
I was hoping for a different outcome on our search for MJ. We became pretty good internet friends the last few years. I wish see could have seen the Dodgers win it one more time. She was as passionate about the Dodgers as anyone on here. I also don’t recall her mentioning a battle with cancer. MJ, rest in peace.
Her last posts were on 05/05/19. She had been gone a few days. I can only surmise she was battling with a killer, but she said nothing, except that she was happy for others. Her posts were short (not like her) and very conciliatory. She was struggling. I can only hope that she passed peacefully in her sleep and is beside the Big Dodger in the Sky rooting and willing the boys in Blue to their finest hour this fall.
As a past, part-time contributor (I posted only occasionally), I grew fond of MJ and her kindheartedness. I fondly remember her obsessing over one of the other posters here and his alleged dual identity. I found it comical and part of the interesting daily reading I come here for so often. As a former high school teacher, I cringed at times over her use of commas, but her content was so spot on. Maybe she had a teacher at one point in life demanding use of an Oxford comma. That can lead to too, many, commas, I suppose. 🙂 MJ was so much more than the Queen of Commas. She is missed. I bet her punctuation is perfect now, matching her insightful baseball perspective. Rest in peace.
Nicely said!
Come to think of it, I haven’t see Quasimodo, AKA Bumsrap’s alter ego according to MJ. It makes me a little suspicious that Quasi was actually MJ’s alter ego.
I hope Quas is OK…
I too remember the duel identity as the last of MJ on this site. I had recalled a favorite fast food location in Corona that we spoke about as she grow up 5 miles down the freeway from where I live. She was 3 years younger than me but knew 20 years more about the Dodgers then I do. I was a regular poster in here 10 years ago until Mark stopped the blog for a short while. When I returned to reading this blog, the first thing I remember about MJ was a lady flashing the crowd at Dodger Stadium and many of the regulars in here saying she was our very own L A Dodger Talk blogger MJ. Of course it wasn’t but she always posted comments on all subjects and knew her Dodger baseball well. She will be missed. RIP MJ
Baker’s, Naugles, or Pup n Taco?
Naugles
I was bummed el Torito in Rancho closed.
Haha I just ate at the Naugles in Seal Beach/Fountain Valley last week.
I don’t know how we could do it, or if it’s even the right thing to do, but personally I think it’d be great if we could reach out to MJ’s family and let them know how much of a valuable member she was to this blog, and that a bunch of strangers who she’d never met respected her so much and will miss her.
I wonder if they even knew that she was such a frequent visitor here. Maybe this was her escape from her reality and hopefully we all provided her with a comfort place.
I can’t find any family… so far. I think WE were her family.
I don’t know the first thing about Mychal Givens. However, I did read that he’s a flyball pitcher, which makes his stats look not so bad, given that he pitches in the Camden Yards bandbox for half the season, and plays in other HR friendly ballparks like Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park.
I’m not recommending that he’s anyone the Dodgers should be considering, since like I said, I don’t know the first thing about him. Maybe someone else on this site has seen him and can offer greater insight.
He seems to have regressed from two years ago when Baltimore refused to deal him. Going from Camden Yards to Dodger Stadium would help but he’s not really on my tier 1 wish list these days.
Will Smith DH’ing with Ruiz catching in OKC tonight. So much for that call up many were hoping for today.
Rocky Gale was outrighted to OKC and removed from the 40-man roster freeing up a spot for any upcoming moves.
Roster now down to 38.
The “A” team is playing tonight
Joc 1B
Alex LF
JT 3B
Belli RF
Mad Max 2B
AJ CF
Corey SS
Martin C
Meanwhile, back to tonight’s game vs Anaheim (of Los Angeles):
Joc (1b)
Verdugo
JT
Belly
Muncy
Pollock
Seager
Martin
Maeda
DODGERS TO CREATE CENTERFIELD PLAZA, RENOVATE PAVILIONS IN LATEST ROUND OF STADIUM IMPROVEMENTS
Two-acre Centerfield Plaza to include Sandy Koufax statue, unique food offerings, retail space, and entertainment and kids areas
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced plans for the creation of a new Centerfield Plaza and renovations to the Left and Right Field Pavilions as the club continues to enhance the Majors’ third-oldest ballpark with modern and fan-friendly amenities. These projects are expected to be completed in time for the 2020 season, when the Dodgers will host Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game presented by Mastercard.
“Dodger Stadium has always been and remains the most beautiful place ever built to play or watch the game of baseball, and these renovations will enhance every aspect of the fan experience with modern and family-friendly amenities,” said Dodger President & CEO Stan Kasten. “This latest project continues to demonstrate ownership’s commitment to give a first-class experience to the best fans in baseball.”
The latest round of stadium improvements will include:
• Creation of Centerfield Plaza: The new Centerfield Plaza will create a stadium “front door” with almost two acres of unique food offerings, entertainment and kids areas, retail locations, sponsor activations, more social and standing room areas and greater access for those with special needs. A new kids play area will be constructed just beyond the wall in straight-away centerfield, and fans will be able to enjoy the game from on top of a newly-constructed batters eye wall. The new Centerfield Plaza will pay homage to Dodger history with statues and a permanent home for the “Legends of Dodger Baseball” plaques.
• Pavilion Renovations: Renovations to the Left and Right Field Pavilions will include new restrooms, enclosed bars with views into the bullpen, the creation of standing room areas at the top of each pavilion, enhanced ADA seating and “home run seats” just beyond the outfield wall.
• New Elevators and Bridges: Elevators are currently under construction in the Right and Left Field Plazas to help move fans easily to and from this new Centerfield Plaza. Additionally, bridges will be constructed to connect the new pavilion standing room decks to the rest of the stadium for a 360-degree connection around the park’s perimeter. These new elevators and bridges will also provide easier access to the Dodger Stadium Express stop in Lot G through the Centerfield Plaza.
• New Sound System: A new sound system will replace the current speaker tower and provide an enhanced audio experience to fans on all levels of the ballpark with more directed sound inside the stadium.
• Sandy Koufax Statue: The Dodgers will honor Hall of Fame left-handed pitcher Sandy Koufax with a statue, the second at Dodger Stadium following the dedication of the Jackie Robinson statue in 2017. Both statues will reside in the Centerfield Plaza, as the Robinson statue will be re-located from the Left Field Reserve.
“In 1955, I joined the Brooklyn Dodgers,” said Sandy Koufax. “It was my honor to be with Jackie Robinson in life. Now in Los Angeles, it is again my honor to be with him in bronze and to thank the Los Angeles fans for treating me so well on this journey.”
The Dodgers remain committed to modernizing Dodger Stadium, while also keeping with the midcentury modern architecture that defines their 1962 home. Under the ownership of Guggenheim Baseball Management since 2013, Dodger Stadium has undergone a series of fan-friendly improvements including the creation of two new entrance plazas on the field level, tiered seating and bar areas overlooking both bullpens, two new HD video screens, new team stores, wider concourses, renovated restrooms, enhanced concessions and kids play areas. There have also been structural and behind-the-scenes upgrades to Dodger Stadium’s infrastructure as well as the construction of new home and visiting clubhouses, batting cages and weight rooms.
Photo renderings of the renovations can be downloaded at this link:
https://ladodgers.sharefile.com/d-sb5690dc0b2a4e779
The video (with renderings) from today’s press conference can be downloaded at this link:
https://ladodgers.sharefile.com/d-s6df6b86227143288
Gavin Lux (what else) has homered again for OKC. Will Smith then homered right after.
They are lighting up a very bad 34 year old minor league pitcher. Garlick hit one out in the 1st inning too.
Heck I’d like a shot at some of that pitching!
2020 All-Star Game Logo
I hope it is the Dodgers who are hitting the HR’s against the Angels in the upcoming game. The Angels have power. I think we’ve given up too many HR’s and need our starters to pitch more cleverly. I can’t help but think our BP problems became more severe with the injury to Hill. Using Stripling, Urias, & Maeda as starters have weakened our BP even further. Maeda has slid in his record. Stripling doesn’t really belong in the starting rotation, and Urias has been subjected to an undecided management of his role on the team. They have really babied him but not given him a real job. I would think come playoff time, Hill should still be a starter if healthy. He is a wily old coyote on the mound and we need him. Urias in the BP makes sense, but give him an actual role and stick to it. Doc’s changeability is a real liability when it comes to pitching as pitchers need routines. They thrive on repetition. Doc is not a good manager for pitchers. He is like a bull in a china shop with his randomness. Do Honeycutt and Doc actually get along? They have such different personalities, temperaments, that it’s hard for me to see a mutual view they both share as to the use of the pitching staff. I still believe it will be our offense that saves the day and our starters that will make a difference in the playoffs. I agree with some of the comments against relying on Kershaw as we have in the past. He’s not the same pitcher he was and teams have hit him well. He’s still an asset, as is Kenley, but they are on the wane as far as effectiveness goes. Things change and the management has to change accordingly. But, no dope fiend moves, please!
Since I don’t often take your word for it, I’ll call shenanigans on your claim that the Cubs won in spite of Chapman. Here’s some bullets for you.
He appeared in 13 games 15 2/3 innings that post season.
The Cubs were 10-3 in games that he pitched
He finished 9 of those 13 games
He didn’t pitch in just 4 of their games
ERA 3.45 against post season teams
21 Ks in 15 2/3 innings
1 HR, 6 walks and 11 hits
He wasn’t lights out, but he definitely helped them win.
In the 7th game, Chapman came in to protect the lead and coughed up two runs, to give the lead back to the Indians. However, the game went 10 and the Cubs offense pulled it out.
The Cubs had a 3.94 Bullpen ERA is 2016. The offense won it! Chapman was not the reason they won! They won because they hit their way out of a deficit.
They needed to win 11 games that post-season. He appeared in 10 of those wins. Without him, they don’t win.
Shenanigans!
Yea Kershaw has lost it this year. His era is all the way up to.284. Get rid of the bum!
Maeda is throwing too man pitches, but his stuff is much better. He has the bullpen Maeda stuff today, which I”m very happy to see (for October’s sake)
If there is no trade deadline BP acquisition Kenta will be moved to the BP. He seems to be more aggressive out of the BP and “nibbles” way too much as a starter.
Seems reasonable and likely to me, too.
We need a Roy Campanella type catcher. He must be in the minors. He certainly is not in the majors.
Maeda needs to go to the pen where he can be aggressive knowing he has to pitch only one inning. He does not trust his stuff and he nibbles.
Sorry, Joc annoys me. He will probably hit a HR in the 9th to win the game and make me happy. In the mean time he looks terrible at the plate.
I wish the pitchers would learn to let double play balls go to the shortstop. That’s not the first time recently the pitcher deflected a ball that would have been a DP.
~
Maeda frustrates the hell out of Orel.
Goodbye Yimi, it was nice knowing you!
Yimi – another BP HR – as soon as he comes in
Rick – for fear of repeating myself –
Yimi Garcia is not, or ever will be a MLB quality Pitcher.
He has no bottle.
The funniest thing I read all night was that Joc would have won the HR Derby if Yimi was pitching.
It is indeed sad news hearing of M.J.’s death. There’s been more than one death of friends near me lately. This old age comes with too high of a percentage of pain but I’ve also found that joy visits too. I haven’t been posting so much lately due to a recharge in my love-life department. It’s been really cool and very timely to find someone to help fight the loneliness and helps with the everyday tasks that are unrewarding when done alone. We’ve tried it before but the planets were out of alignment back then. This time it feels right and I can say we both feel the same. I just hope the outside powers that be don’t make it too big a challenge though it’s worth fighting for to whatever extent. So friends, even though the newness will stay hopefully to the end of time (which ain’t far enough ahead) my Dodgers will stay a part of me as will this community. R.I.P. MJ, see you soon enough. Well………….I might have a few too many sins to pay for, Haaaaaaaa!
love it! Happy for you!
No outside power, Quasimodo. It’s all up to you! Hope it works and continues to make you post here. 🙂
Oh Dino what were you doing or did Belli run through a stop sign?
Yeah – was out by a wide margin.
Another game lost by one run, that could have been avoided.
The moment I saw Belli trying to go for home, I knew Dino had blown it again. Twice in one game is too much.
The Dodgers looked kind of anaemic and lifeless for most of the game. Cory is really coming around, but Turner is not having a good year. He has been the heart and soul of this team for some years now, but he is either distracted or physically not able to perform at the same level that he had been. Both offensively and defensively, his game has suffered. The team should make sure he doesn’t get hit so often. That will also take a toll.
The catcher spot continues to be non productive offensively and the defense as a whole has suffered big time. Joc at 1B is just wrong. Muncy at 2B is weak. This has to be addressed somehow. I won’t even mention our BP. Only the starters can protect the BP and that means little to no runs allowed. We gave that game away. Why we can’t beat that team amazes me.
Jeff – our record against the Angels is woeful.
We can only hope that AF has something brewing for some BP help, because there’s now nobody in there that you can trust, hand on heart.
Quas, so happy for you. Enjoy every second. Life is too short.