The Dodgers left Brooklyn after the 1957 season and brought professional baseball to Southern California. Their arch-rivals, the Giants, moved to San Francisco, giving the West coast two teams. But professional sports were already in LA because the NFL’s Rams, had moved west from Cleveland in 1946. One of the conditions of the Rams move into the coliseum was that they had to have at least one African American on the team. So, they signed tailback, Kenny Washington. Washington was a teammate of Jackie Robinson when he was at UCLA. He was also considered a better baseball player than Robinson. After the signing, all hell broke loose among the other NFL owners. So, Dan Reeves, the Rams owner, signed a second African American to the team, running back, Woodrow Strode.
If that name sounds familiar, Woody Strode became an actor. He starred in John Ford’s, Seargent Rutledge, he was the Ethiopian Prince in The Ten Commandments, and he played John Wayne’s handy man Pompy, in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. He also was in The Professionals with Burt Lancaster and Lee Marvin, and had a small part in Gregory Pecks, Pork Chop Hill. Reeves Rams won the first professional title when they were the champs of the NFL in 1951. It was their only win in four trips to the NFL’s championship game.
The 58 Dodgers were an aging squad. Jackie Robinson had retired after the 1956 World Series when he was traded to the Giants, and then retired instead of reporting. Roy Campanella was paralyzed in a car accident in January of 1958. We would never know how Campy’s pull power would have played at the coliseum. Snider hurt his elbow trying to throw a ball out of the coliseum. Furillo would play 122 games and have the last good season of his career. Hodges was 34 and not the same hitter he was earlier in his career. The Dodgers did have some kids who were just starting their careers. Don Drysdale was the team’s ace. Koufax was not Koufax yet, Podres was a solid pitcher for them. But Carl Erskine and Don Newcombe were past their prime. Newcombe would be traded to the Reds after losing 6 games and not winning any. Pee Wee Reese was in his 18th and final season.
In December of 58, they traded under-achieving outfielder, Gino Cimoli to the Cardinals for former ROY, Wally Moon. They then traded infielder Sparky Anderson to the Phillies for Rip Repulski, Jim Golden and LHP, Gene Snyder. Reese was released, but he retired and joined the coaching staff. In April, SS Maury Wills was returned to them from the Detroit Tigers. This would turn out to be a very fortunate return for LA.
The starting 8 for LA C, Roseboro, 1B, Hodges, 2B, Neal, 3B, Gilliam, SS, Zimmer, LF, Moon, CF, Demeter, RF, Snider. Joe Pignatano was Roseboro’s back up. Furillo battled injuries and missed 104 games. Rookie Ron Fairly played in 118 games as a backup outfielder. Norm Larker backed up Hodges. Zimmer got off to a horrible start. He played in 97 games. But once Maury Wills was called up in June, he lost his starting SS job. They traded for Chuck Essegian to be a backup outfielder and pinch hitter. 
The pitching was good. Big D was the ace with 17 wins, Podres had 14. Craig and McDevitt 11 and 10 respectively. Koufax, finally getting close to the pitcher they thought he would be, was 8-6. Clem Labine was their closer. He was 5-10 with 8 saves. Larry Sherry was called up from AAA and went 7-2 with 3 saves. Craig was an early season call up as well. Stan Williams worked out of the pen and started 15 games. Art Fowler and Johnny Klippstein were the other arms used frequently. Photo, Craig, Drysdale, Koufax, Podres.
The only team they had a losing record against was the Reds, 9-13. They were 11-11 with the Cubs. At the end of April, the team was 11-6 and tied for first place. By the end of May, they were just 2 games over .500 at 25-23 and were in 4th place, 5 games behind. The race was pretty tight.
They had a seven-game winning streak towards the end of June and finished the month at 43-35, a game and a half back in third place. They were either in second or third place all of July and then finished that month at 58-47, one half game behind in second place. 
They were in second place all of August. They got a boost from callups like Craig and Sherry. Craig, who had gone 3-0 in his four games in the first half, was 8-3 down the stretch. His ERA was just a tick over 2. Sherry, who was a rookie, lost his only first half decision. Down the stretch he was 7-1 with a 2.37 ERA. Both pitchers were very good on the road. Wills provided some speed and good defense.
At the end of August, they were 72-59 after beating the Giants, 5-2 in their second walk off win in a row. That game was Koufax’s 8th win of the year, he beat SF’s ace, Jack Sanford and in doing so, he struck out 18 Giants. Tying Bob Feller’s MLB record. They were a game back in second place.
They lost 4 of their first 5 in September and fell 3 games back. They then won 5 in a row, 3 of which were shutouts to pull within a half game. By the time that homestand was over, they were 2 back and left for their last road trip which would take them to SF, St. Louis and then Chicago. Their record was 80-66. They won the first game, 4-1 behind Craig and were tied for first. Drysdale won game 2, 5-3. Podres then completed the sweep of the Giants with a 8-2 win and they were in first by a half-game.
They lost game one in St. Louis, 11-10 and fell one game back. Craig shut the Cardinals out, 3-0, his second shutout in three starts and they were tied for first again. On to Chicago they took two of the three games, with Craig winning the season finale against the Cubs and they were tied for first with the Braves. They did not call it a playoff; they called it the tie-breaker series.
They went to Milwaukee straight from Chicago for a three-game playoff with the Braves. First game would be in Milwaukee, Monday, the 28th, and the next two, if needed in Los Angeles. Danny McDevitt got the start against Braves Carl Willey. LA scored 1 in the first. Norm Larker drove in Charlie Neal who had singled and moved to second on an infield out.
The Braves scored 2 off of McDevitt in the second driving him from the game. After a line-out, Logan walked, Crandall singled and then Bruton singled driving in Logan. Sherry relieved McDevitt and then Willey reached on an error by Wills to load the bases. Crandall then scored on a ground out by Bobby Avila. Sherry then recorded the last out without any further damage.
The Dodgers tied the game in the top of the third. Neal singled and then Moon grounded into a force out at second. Moon went to second on a single by Larker. Hodges singled to score Moon. Demeter singled to load the bases, but Roseboro flied out ending the threat. Sherry and Willey tossed scoreless 4th and 5th innings, although the Braves got 2 runners on in each and did not score. In the top of the 6th, Roseboro led off with a homer off of Willey, and the Dodgers were up. 3-2.
Sherry pitched the rest of the game without giving up a run and the Dodgers went up a game in the standings. The teams flew to LA after the game. The Dodgers had proposed that Tuesday’s game should be played at night to give the teams more rest. The Braves opposed this and NL president, Warren Giles declared all games would be day games.
The attendance for game two was 36, 358, well below the coliseum’s 90,000 capacity. The game featured both team’s aces, Lew Burdette against Don Drysdale. The Braves drew first blood, scoring 2 runs in the top of the first. Mathews walked with one out and Aaron hit a double. Aaron’s hit drew some argument from the Dodgers as Duke Snider had recovered the ball quickly and fired to Neal at second. Neal thought he had gotten Aaron easily, but umpire, Augie Donatelli said he missed the tag entirely.
Frank Torre singled driving in both runs and giving the Braves a 2-0 lead. LA scored in the bottom of the first when Neal tripled to center on a ball Bruton misjudged. He was then singled home by Moon. In the top of the second with 2 outs, Logan singled. Lew Burdette then singled to center, Logan was heading to third and Snider threw the ball to Gilliam, but Logan obstructed Gilliam’s view and he missed the ball allowing Logan to score. But the error was charged to Snider. Braves up, 3-1. The Dodgers got a run back in the bottom of the 4th inning when Charlie Neal hit one over the left field screen.
The Braves retaliated in the top of the 5th when Eddie Mathews slugged one over the right field fence off of Drysdale. That was it for Bid D and Podres came in to relieve him. Podres kept the Braves off of the board during his 2.1 innings of relief. Chuck Churn came in with 1 out in the seventh and got the final out. In the bottom of the 7th, Larker singled. Roseboro then hit a double-play grounder, but Larker crashed into Johnny Logan, the Braves SS trying to break up the double-play and Logan had to be taken off of the field on a stretcher. Felix Mantilla, the second baseman, moved to SS and Red Schoendienst came in to play second.
In the top of the 8th, Crandall tripled, and Mantilla drove him in with a sac-fly for the Braves 5th run. The Dodgers were retired in the bottom of the 8th by Burdette. Koufax pitched the top of the 9th for the Dodgers. He loaded the bases with three consecutive walks. Koufax got the next two hitters and Clem Labine struck out the only hitter he faced to end the threat.
In the bottom of the 9th, Burdette gave up singles to Moon and Snider. Lillis rean for Snider. Hodges then hit another single to load the bases, and Don McMahon came in to relieve him. He gave up a single to Larker which scored Moon and Lillis and advanced Hodges to third making the score, 5-4. Warren Spahn relived McMahon. Furillo pinch hit for Roseboro and Pignatano ran for Larker. Furillo hat a sac-fly to tie the game. Spahn gave up a single to Wills and was pulled for Joey Jay. Jay got Fairly, a pinch hitter to ground out and Gilliam flew out leaving the game tied at 5.
Stan Williams came in to pitch the top of the 10th. On the field for the Dodgers there were wholesale substitutions. Pignatano became the catcher, Moon moved to left from right, Fairly took over in center and Furillo went into right. Both teams went quietly in the 10th, and both mounted threats in the 11th. In the bottom of the 11th, Pignatano was hit by a pitch and Furillo walked. Two fly outs later, Jay walked Gilliam to load the bases. Bob Rush relieved him and got Neal to ground out ending the threat.
Williams got the Braves out in order in the top of the 12th. Rush retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the 12th. Hodges walked, and Pignatano singled him to second. Furillo then hit a ground ball up the middle that Felix Mantilla got to, but his throw to first was wild and Hodges scored the winning run. The Dodgers had won their first pennant in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate as they win the National League pennant in a game against the Milwaukee Braves on Sept. 30, 1959.
After the game, the Dodgers flew to Chicago to take on the AL Champion G0-Go ChiSox. For the aging Dodgers, it was a chance to win their second championship in five years, and possibly their last. Pee Wee was a coach, Hodges, Snider, Gilliam and Furillo were the last of the Boys of Summer still playing.
The first game featured future Hall of Famer, Early Wynn against Roger Craig. Wynn had his fifth and final 20-win season that year, winning 22 on his way to exactly 300 career wins. Craig had been an important piece of the Dodgers stretch run. At old Cominsky Park in front of 43,103, including Joan Crawford, Orson Welles and Adlai Stevenson, the Sox wasted no time getting to Craig. In the bottom of the first, Craig walked Fox with one out and Landis singled. Kluszewski then singled in Fox. Lollar then singled in Landis and the Sox led 2-0.
Wynn kept LA off of the scoreboard and in the bottom of the 3rd, the roof fell in on Craig and the Dodgers. With one out, Fox doubled and then scored on Landis’s single. Kluszewski then slugged a two-run homer to chase Craig. Churn came in to relieve Craig. Lollar got to second on an error by Neal and scored on a single by Goodman. Doubles by Al Smith and Wynn and Rivera’s fielder’s choice hit scored 2 more. 2 outfield errors by Duke Snider capped the inning as the Sox scored 7 to go up 9-0. Kluszewski hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 4th, and that ended the scoring. Wynn shut the Dodgers down for 7 innings. Gerry Staley pitched the last two innings for a save??? Sox won 11-0.
Game 2 in Chicago featured Bob Shaw against Johnny Podres. Dodgers were shut out the first four innings. In the bottom of the first though, the Sox jumped ahead 2-0 again. Big Klu grounded out with runners on first and third to drive in 1, and then Lollar singled in the second run. Neal slammed a homer in the top of the 5th for the Dodgers first run of the series. In the top of the 7th, Chuck Essegian hit a 2-out pinch-hit homer. The next batter walked, and then Neal hit his second homer of the game and LA was up, 4-2. The Sox got something going against Larry Sherry in the bottom of the 8th. With 2 men on, Al Smith doubled to deep left driving in a run, but Sherm Lollar was thrown out at the plate trying to tie the game after Wally Moon faked making a catch, and it fooled Lollar enough so that he was a dead duck at the plate. Sherry pitched a scoreless ninth and the Dodgers evened the series with a 4-3 win.
Saturday was an off day, and the teams resumed the series on Sunday afternoon in front of 92,394. The largest crowd in World Series history. Don Drysdale faced Dick Donovan. Both pitchers traded zeros through the sixth inning. Drysdale got the Sox in the top of the 7th. In the bottom of the inning, Donovan gave up 2 walks and a single loading the bases. Staley replaced Donovan and Furillo greeted him with a 2-run single. He got the last hitter to end the threat. In the top of the 8th, Drysdale gave up two singles and was relieved by Sherry. Sherry then hit a batter to load the bases. The Sox scored their only run on a double play grounder by Smith, and Sherry got out of the jam with no more runs scoring. The Dodgers got the run back in the bottom of the 8th. Wills singled and Neal doubled him home. Sherry shut the Sox down in the 9th for his second save of the series.
Monday’s crowd was a little bigger, 92,650 than Sundays. Wynn and Craig faced each other for the second time in the series. This time the Dodgers scored first with a 4-run bottom of the third that chased Wynn. Moon singled with 2 outs and then scored on a single by Larker, Norm went to second when the Sox mishandled the throw for an error. Hodges singled driving in Larker. Hodges went to third on a Demeter single and scored on a passed ball. Roseboro the singled to end the scoring. LA was up, 4-0. In the top of the 7th, the Sox tied the score when Kluszewski knocked in one with a single, and then Lollar followed with a 3-run shot. Hodges got LA back in front with a blast off of Staley in the bottom of the 8th. Sherry pitched a scoreless 9th, and LA was one game away from a championship with a 5-4 win. 
For the third straight day, a record-breaking crowd showed up. This time there were 92,706 fans in attendance. Sandy Koufax started for the Dodgers with Bob Shaw starting for the Sox. Hoping to see a World Series win, what they saw was a full-blown pitcher’s duel. They also witnessed World Series history as for the first time ever, three pitches combined for a shutout. Shaw, Billy Pierce and Dick Donovan combined to shut LA out on 9 hits. They also allowed 2 walks but struck out only one Dodger hitter. A victim of non-support, Koufax went 7 innings allowing 5 hits, 1 walk and striking out 6, Stan Williams pitched the last 2 innings. The only run scored in the 4th inning when Lollar hit into a double play and Fox scored. They headed back to Chicago with LA leading 3 games to 2. 
Game 6 was a must win for Chicago, so they went with their ace, Early Wynn. LA countered with Johnny Podres. Both would leave the game in the 4th inning. In the top of the 3rd, LA struck first. With 2 outs and a runner on, Duke Snider hit his 11th and final World Series homer for a 2-0 lead. As Smith watched the ball sail over his head, a fan knocked a beer right on his face.
The Dodgers put the nails in the Sox coffin in the top of the 4th. Larker singled and was moved to second on a sacrifice by Roseboro. Wills single scored Larker. Podres then doubled home Wills. Donovan replaced Wynn. Gilliam walked and Neal hit a 2-run double. Moon followed Neal with a 2-run shot to make it 8-0 LA. Kluszewski hit a 3-run shot off of Podres to knock him out of the game in the bottom of the 4th. Sherry relieved Podres and he shut down the Sox for the rest of the game going 5.2 innings. Chuck Essegian set a World Series record with his 2nd pinch hit homer off of Donovan in the 9th, and the Los Angeles Dodgers won their first World Series in their second year in LA. Sherry was voted the series MVP, 2 wins 2 saves. Hodges hit .391 for the series and Neal, .370. LA hit seven homers to the Sox 4. Sherry was awarded a Corvette for his MVP award. He still had the car when he moved 2 houses down from the home I lived in in Highland Park. The Dodgers got their parade, and the Boys of Summer who were still around, Snider, Hodges, Reese, Gilliam, and Furillo, their second ring.
1959 was Resse’s only year as a coach, he left to go into broadcasting. Furillo was released during the 1960 season and he sued the Dodgers claiming he was injured when he was released. They would settle out of court. Carl was pretty bitter about the whole thing. He went to work for the Otis elevator company in New York and did that until he retired. Snider would be sold to the Mets after the 62 season. Hodges went to the Mets in the player draft when the league expanded by two teams in 1961. Gilliam stayed a Dodger. 
This photo of the 1959 team is the original photo.
Later photos were photo shopped to include Chuck Churn
Minor League Scores
OKC beat Las Vegas, 8-5. Edman was 0-2 with 3 walks and a run scored, Taylor 1-3 with 2 walks and a run scored, Max was 2-3 with a homer and 3 RBIs and he walked once. Edman was the only one of the trio to strikeout. Ward, 29, and Trejo, 4, also homered. N. Anderson got the win with 2 innings of scoreless relief. OKC has won 4 of the 5 games.
Tulsa beat Midland, 2-1. Ortiz-Mayr went 6 innings allowing 1 run. Lockwood-Powell and Izarra drove in the runs. Izarra’s single walked the game off for Tulsa. Sublette got the win in relief.
Great Lakes was leading 3-0 in the top of the second when the game was suspended due to bad weather.
Visalia beat Rancho 4-3. Visalia had a 4-1 lead after the 3rd inning. Rancho scored single runs in the 3rd, 4th and 9th. Hainline hit his 1st homer in the third for the first run. Decker and Munoz had doubles. The loss went to Cam Day who went 4 innings and gave up all four runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. Connor Brogdan, on a re-hab assignment pitched the 5th, allowing 2 hits, no runs and striking out 2. Barrett and Gonzalez finished up.
Had to come home early from the lake, some bad weather up there.
Got home around 11 last night. I watched the game and came away with a couple of observations. The Cards starting pitcher, Pallante, pitched a lot better than his record says he would. He was around the strike zone most of the time. He only gave up 4 hits and walked 2. He pretty much had the Dodgers hitters off balance the entire 7 innings he pitched. You don’t win many scoring just 2 runs. Ohtani, despite scoring both runs and stealing a couple of bases, is not your atypical lead-off hitter. He is a power hitter and as such should hit lower in the lineup. Betts is much better at getting on base in the leadoff role. Too many watched strikes from all the hitters. I saw Lux take two right down the pipe and then swing at a ball 2 inches off the ground. Bad approach, bad results.
Bobby Miller’s stuff wasn’t all that bad, but the guy has no clue where the hell the pitch is going. Looks like he is lost out there. Then he gets behind and hangs a ball to a guy looking for a fastball. I have to believe, watching his body language and facial expressions, that he has no trust in his stuff whatsoever. This leads me to believe a huge part of his problem lies between his ears. You can see him getting mad at himself. Honeywell mopped up, but it might not be enough to keep him on the roster. Ben Casparius is going to be called up today. Edman will join them tomorrow. 2 game lead with 38 to play. 21 of those games are at home where they are 38-22. Doesn’t look like they will win 100 this year. They are also going to find out just how tough they are. They need at least to win 25 of those games. That would make them finish at 97 wins. Padres would have to win 28 of their last 38 to tie.
Nice write upon the 1959 team and the World Series. That team definitely won the championship because of their pitching. Larry Sherry? Who knew?
I was at game 5. The picture showing the ump and the crowd in the background sitting at the peristyle end of the stadium. If that was taken during game 5 then my dad and I were among those in that picture. Even though the Dodgers lost and we were sitting beyond the action, it was a great day. As a 10 year old I got the day off school, Sandy Koufax was pitching, it was the World Series, and I was there with my dad. He was not into baseball at all, but he knew how much I loved the game and the Dodgers. But, he found and bought the tickets (which he probably couldn’t afford) from a neighbor and surprised me the day of the game. One of the best days ever as a kid!
I watched much of the game yesterday. This team doesn’t seem like it’s in a pennant race. With so many injuries to both position players and pitchers there is no consistency with this team. Which is not a criticism, but understandable. And yet, they remain one of the top teams in baseball. Maybe, that’s a reflection of the quality of the other teams? Anyway, it’s hard to believe they are still leading the division. But, they are.
Hopefully, with the return of Muncy and the addition of Edman they can field and fine tune a solid lineup for the remaining of the season and the playoffs. And, who knows with the starting pitching? It’s hard to keep track of who is on the IL and who isn’t. I’m somewhat concerned with Ben Casparius being called up to pitch. Will he last more than 3 or 4 starts before he will need TJ surgery? Or, maybe, he’ll make a spot start and then return to OKC and delay his almost certain arm surgery until next year. Of course, I’m being sarcastic. But it’s seems to be what has happened this year to their young pitchers.
Kershaw pitching today. Let’s see if he can confirm his effectiveness from his last start. That would be huge for the pitching staff and the team. I’m hoping Walker Buehler can do the same in his next start. Bobby Miller? Next year??
Carry on.
Haha, that’s so cool you were there!
I was at Game 5 too. That’s where I met DiMaggio (he sat right behind me) and Nat King Cole (he sat two rows in front of me). My uncle was dating Millie Hearst (I kid you not) and we went to her house to pick up the tickets. She was very nice to me and what a place that was! We sat in row 7 right in front of the opening to the Dodgers dugout. They were all RIGHT THERE! It was an incredible experience, though the Dodgers and Koufax lost.
Also amazing that you, a 10 year old, and me, an 11 year old were both there for that game AND the Campanella Night. What are the odds we would both be here 65 years later?
Pretty crazy, right?
Sure is.
As good as Sherry was in 1959, he was overused in 1960. He pitched 142.1 innings. He started 3 games and pitched in 57 overall. He had a 14-10 record. One of his starts was a complete game. He also saved 7 games that year. But he was gone after the 1963 season to the Tigers. Perranoski had taken over as the closer. Larry pitched until 1968. But to me, it was Craig who was so important down the stretch. I watched that last game he pitched against the Cubs that kept them even with the Braves. It was a critical performance. Kind of like when Buehler shut down the Rockies to win game 163 and win the division.
I remember that year. I’ve told my World Series experience that year many times so I’ll spare you all that one. I still vividly remember the first time walking through those long dark tunnels, coming out into the brilliant sunshine and staring down at the acres of fulgent green grass that was the Coliseum floor. I’d never seen anything like that before in my short life. The place was enormous. The third base foul area was the size of my back yard in Missouri, where we played neighborhood football games. And outside the right field fence was another area large enough to fit a Little League field.
The Coliseum. To an 11 year old. I’d go many times over the next few years, to baseball and football games. I was on the UCLA sidelines as a recruit in ‘65 for the USC game. Face to face with Gary Beban and Mike Garrett. I’ll never forget looking up and taking in that view of a stadium where I had so many times looked down. The sounds, the smells, the colors. It’s one of those unforgettable moments in my life. We all have them. One caption at a time.
And in the end, all we will have are those memories we’ve made. Have you ever arranged them, one at a time? Top 10. Top 20. I have. And memories of the Coliseum are up there. Meeting Joe DiMaggio. On the sidelines for USC UCLA. Being there among 90,000 when the lights went out on Roy Campanella Night. I’m fortunate to have such memories.
I was at Roy Campanella night as well. It was some sight with the lights out and all the cigarette lighters ignited. Now, it’s much safer with cell phones!
I had the same reaction as you Badger with the first time entering the stadium and seeing the field.
No matter how many more titles the Dodgers win, 1959 will always be my favorite.
It was a Hello Baseball moment for this 8 year old.
And I agree with Badger…walking though the tunnel and seeing the field at the Coliseum for the first time was unbelievable. And, obviously, unforgettable.
That too was my favorite Dodger team. I was 8 also years old that year and experienced my first live game at the Coliseum earlier that season. I agree with Badger and you, that entering the Coliseum for the first time, was an experience unlike any other. For the young baseball fan, the experience is akin to driving through the tunnel into the Yosemite Valley for the first time. It absolutely takes your breath away! Add to that the sounds of Vin Scully’s voice everywhere describing the action for you, and you have a truly unforgettable!!!!
My first time at Dodger stadium, it wasn’t even the Dodgers playing. I saw the Angels vs the White Sox. Jim Fregosi and Bobby Knopp came to our Little League opening ceremonies and gave our whole league tickets for a game. We took over the left field pavilion. The same 2 players came the following year and gave us tickets again. Angels vs White Sox again only this time in the new Angel stadium. Sat in nosebleed! I don’t remember the ’59 World Series. I was only 4 years old!
That beer photo is epic.
Fantastic article Bear! My favorite World Series was 1981 and 1988. I was soooo mad the Yankees had a 2 game lead in 81 and was ecstatic the dodgers won 4 straight. And 88 with the Gibson homer plus an incredible Orel Hershiser!
I loved this article. And the great photos. Thanks Bear. I, too, still have memories as a kid of Dodgers baseball at the Coliseum. My parents took me to my first Dodger game for my birthday in 1960. Dodgers/Cubs. I remember the smell of cigar smoke in the tunnel and then, the green grass of the field and the vivid blue of the Dodgers. Up to then, baseball had been black and white— newspaper photos and the nine games on black and white TV with the Giants — so the colors were amazing. During broadcasts Vin would describe the screen in left but I had no idea what he was talking about and just how short it was until I saw it in person. We sat about 5 rows up from first base — my mother worked for Arden Farms in LA and these were corporate seats— and a young Frank Howard posed for a photo during batting practice that I took with my new Kodak Brownie. For some reason Wally Moon was my favorite player — probably because of his name. I still have the picture of Howard, along with some great memories.
Thanks Bear. Great piece on the 59 team. Sorry you got chased off the lake with poor weather but nice to have you back. That configuration of the Coliseum. That had to make for interesting baseball with that short porch in left. That’s an awesome picture of the umpire with what I suspect is the Olympic torch in the background. And the beer being spilled on Smith’s head and the fan above celebrating or trying to catch the ball, is a classic.
Regarding the game, if I’m Doc and Prior, by first advice to Miller would be to stop his overt emotional displays about himself on the mound. All the negative self-talk is bullshit. He’s even pissed off at himself when he gets away with a mistake. His high exceptions for himself don’t match his current ability to locate. Stop the displays and just get busy with the next pitch. He needs a brain-flush. His fastball is great and his breaking ball shapes are fine. He just can’t locate anything but the fastball. And he just battles himself over that. I forget on which homer, but up 0 and 2, he grooved a a fastball in a situation that begged for an off speed pitch but he didn’t trust it. There’s potential there if he gets out of his own way.
Kiermeier is such a polished centerfielder in so many ways. I had kind of lost my eye for quality centerfield play. And then I saw Kiermeier patrol center. He gets great jumps , takes great direct routes to where the ball is going to land with NO wasted steps.
He damn near caught the homer in center. His nose was fence high with his arm and glove extended as far as possible, and it tick off the top of his glove. I think that’s an 8 foot fence so he was 2 feet off the ground, used the fence for leverage, and barely missed it. That’s 10+ feet off the ground where it tipped his glove.
A Big League try if ever I saw one.
Not to blast Pages who is better suited to a corner spot, He too made a nice leaping catch to his left. Not to be an A-hole but he had to leap because he took a poor initial angle to the ball. He’ll get better but Kiermeier is a Dude there.
To repeat myself, Kiermeirer is a deadman walking but he’s making his execution difficult.
Tell me Freddie’s not hurt.
no freddie today, no Smith.
Clayton better pitch well today or this could get ugly.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!
Words I never thought I would say…..Dodger offense might be better with Austin Barnes at this point. Smith looks lost at the plate.
Are the Dodgers just planning to forfeit today? Poor Kershaw sad lineup!!
just never any urgency.
I know being cautious with freeman n smith is tired blah blah blah. For all the money spent this is who they send out there. Barnes is back to being Barnes and smith couldn’t hit triple a pitching currently but at least he can throw.
Honeywell DFAed. Casparius officially up.
Surprise for me. Honeywell pitched well.
Can not be said about Buehler or Miller.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Honeywell started out well but of late he hasn’t kept the team close. I am happy with this move now and in the future. C what we got in Casparius and in the future he has options. Honeywell pitched yesterday and they need innings now. He has no options so he was a logical choice.
Another great article thanks Bear.
I’m a Friedman fan, but I absolutely can’t understand his roster moves lately.
They’re close to falling behind both SD and AZ, yet they keep Miller around to rehab at the MLB level while they dfa Honeywell who actually has some use.
Same holds true for Buehler, but he has no options remaining so it’s a slightly different situation. Miller should be re-learning the control of his pitches and re-learning his self-control of his emotions and that should not be done in Los Angeles.
Now we hear that Freddie’s finger is worse than yesterday to the point where he can’t grip a bat. The front office has a habit of calling these injuries day to day for a week and thereby losing a roster spot while ultimately moving the guy to the IL anyway.
He goes for a CT scan tomorrow. Let’s just hope that the scan doesn’t show something a lot worse than a jammed finger. In the meanwhile, Mr. Muncy may be about to become a first baseman again, hopefully on a very short term basis.
Muncy’s tune-up for first base could start with throwing ground balls to the infielders between innings.
What would you have Friedman do STB? There has to be a pitcher to start every game and another 9 guys to fill out a lineup card. All we can do going forward is hope that those guys who started out the year playing .600+ ball will be back on the field and doing it again in September/October.
For one thing, I’d bring back Knack to take Miller’s next start.
It’s quite impressive that after that beyond horrible start, Gavin Lux’s batting average is now at .250
Not exactly threatening lineup today. Last 4 players with OPS under .700. Be good Kershaw.
Plus Ohtani
Rojas with dp bases loaded
Ahmad k with runners in scoring position
could b the worst offense in majors today
u r right kershaw needs 2 b near perfect
Scratch Ohtani off that list lol
So much about this team is impressive.
How well they’ve done with injuries.
How well they’ve done with the waiver wire.
How Lux has recovered.
I’m not a huge Roberts fan to say the least, but his work this year has been pretty notable. I’ve read and heard some say that he will receive MOY votes.
?
I mean Dave took this team to 100 wins with tons of injuries last year, including maybe the entire pitching staff (minus rookie Bobby Miller)?
I think Roberts has done a really good job each of the past two seasons. With all that has happened this year regarding injuries and underperformance, the Dodgers are within a game of the best record in the National League. Pretty impressive in my opinion.
You know I have no complaints. Flat tires, one after another, and the team still competes.
6 innings 70 pitches no real stress innings and Roberts is going to pull Kershaw.
Somebody here was just complaining that Doc never lets his bull pen start a fresh inning after the starters pitch. Poor guy can’t do anything right
Couldn’t resist that one, RFF, Im just having some fun.😀
That was me, Keith, and yes the best way to avoid pulling your starter with 2 out is not to let him start the inning in the first place. 😃
😀
Got to keep CK fresh. After all, he’s very old and fragile.
I think they should limit him to 2 innings or 30 pitches on his next start.
This way we can use the bullpen a little bit more.
He’s postseason starter #2 right now behind Flaherty. Glasnow & Yamamoto would slot above if healthy. Stone only other postseason option unless things go to hell. Wroblex & Knack mean trouble.
Well, I think Kershaw confirmed he can be an effective starter. Much needed right now. Why not another inning? Oh well, it worked out all right.
Miguel Rojas…you can’t stop him. You can only hope to contain him! Lux continues to spray hits all over the diamond. Comeback player of the year?
Daniel Hudson…..why? Talk about a fat pitch. Nootbar crushed the pitch. Vesia to close it out?
I’d think Kopech will be up as well?
Whew nail bitter, every win is a good one
THAT was a much needed win.
Meanwhile, AZ, who was down 6-0 in the 7th at Tampa, just took a 7-6 lead in the 10th thanks to Joctober’s 2 out base hit.
Dbacks lose in 12.
Padres lost too. Lead is 3 over SD and 4 over Az.
Dodgers win!! Ha told u they would lol
with this offensive juggernaut and Barnes in the lineup no doubt at all.
kershaw pitched a great game!! I am pumped won’t have to go to work tomorrow and listen to the redbird fans!!
this was a playoff performance by Kersh today. No homers stayed out of the middle of the plate. His stuff looked like it had life. If he stays healthy and continues what he did today he is in the playoffs.
Kersh is savin our bacon. Near the very top of greatest regular season pitchers of all time. Tho October’s have not been kind.Miller could use a dose of Kersh’s mental toughness.
He didnt start the beginning of the season so when it gets to October his arm won’t know what month it is.
Ya know, I keep reading how he has choked so many times. And he isn’t the same in the playoffs. Sorry, that is pure BS. Yes, he has had a few bad games. Most of them came early in his career. But since then, his record in the post season is 8-5. That is counting his awful start last year. A couple of games he got beat by 2 runs or less. One, he gave up a 2-run homer to lose 3-2. I still would take him on the mound in a must have game over almost every pitcher on this roster. Oh, and do not forget a couple of clutch relief performances.
Great performance by Kershaw!
The hall of fame pitcher now has the best ERA of all the starters. Hope he keeps it up after so many had given up on him after two starts. A great competitor who continues to succeed.
The Dodgers have a bonafide closer now.
It’s all coming together. Kershaw back to being effective. A closer who isn’t afraid of the big moment. Bottom of the order contributing to the offense. Muncy and Edman additions.
The last area is the starting pitching.
Thanks guys, I appreciate it a lot when I know something I have written strikes a chord with the readers. In 1959, I was 11. I was living in Highland Park at a home for children. My mom had placed me there when things got a little too much for her to handle. In 1958, I went to my first game at the coliseum. We sat in the knothole section which was way down the right field line. What struck me the most was that the players looked like ants. That place was that huge. First celebrity I saw, John Russell, the actor who was “The Lawman” on TV. He was sitting about 2 rows from us. One thing about living in a place like that was we got to go to a lot of events that my mom would never have been able to afford. 4th of July at the coliseum they would have a 3-ring circus and fireworks. We also went one time to the Moulin Rouge in Hollywood where a bunch of children show TV stars appeared. Including Soupy Sales. When the home opened its new rec center in 1961, Norm Sherry, who along with Larry lived on the same street as the home, and Tommy Davis, came to the dedication. Talk about being elated. I got to talk hitting with TD for about 20 minutes. Best seat I ever had at the coliseum was in the 5th row, just to the right of the left field screen on the aisle. Got my first foul ball then.
Great article Bear. It was before my time but I now have a better understanding of the 1959 WS champs.
We moved from Missouri to the Valley, one town over from my grandfather who was a huge baseball fan with access to tickets through his work. We went often. There was no Little League in the town I lived in outside of Kansas City so my 11 year old year in Canoga Park was my first in baseball. I was hooked immediately. But when I was 15 we moved to Seal Beach so going to Dodger games with my grandfather stopped. I sure missed those times with him. My stepdad wasn’t a sports fan at all.
Couple of notes about the game. Kersh showed you do not need an elite fastball to get outs. His outing reminded me of something Greg Maddux would do. Some guys asked why Doc pulled him after only 70 pitches. Well, I do not know how many of you have ever been in St. Louis in August when the humidity is 70 plus, but it is not a pleasant experience. It is hard to breathe, and I cannot imagine how tough it must be to expend that kind of energy. Had CK had a clean inning, I think Doc would have sent him back out. But in that humidity, not a chance. 3 hits for Miggy Ro and Lux. Freddie will have an MRI tomorrow.
I think Robert’s pulled Kersh at the right time obviously now. But, at the time the inning before was stress. He is still building strength, the heat, the sluggers coming up, Phillips was ready. Arenado and Goldschmidt setup well for Phillips. Kersh had more problems with lefties today. If we were in the playoffs and he had 70 pitches I would probably let him go batter to batter. I was afraid he was going to bring in Vesia. So thankful he didn’t do that.
Good point Bear, I’ve been just a few miles east of St Louis in August for a visit, I had forgot how miserable it was there until you mentioned it.
We hit the river cruise before the game on Friday and couldn’t even enjoy a beer it was so hot. We were drenched.
Love love love the article!! Thanks Bear
Yes Bear. Awesome story. Thx
FYI: I’m not sure if it was noted elsewhere, but Casparius is another P from the 2021. That also produced Nastrini and Sheehan
I loved that draft for some reason.