Like many things over the years, the role of the bench has changed. The Dodger bench consists of 4 players. The usual suspects are Kike, Rojas, Rushing and Kim. Two left-handed hitters and two right handers. When the season started, the entire bench was RH. Kim was at OKC learning the ropes, so was Rushing. Then AF totally surprised us all by DFAing Taylor and then Barnes, calling up Rushing and keeping Kim when Edman was activated from the IL. 

                                           Back when the rosters were set at 25, and there were no restrictions on how many position players you could carry, the bench would usually have at least 5-6 players. You had your starting 8, then the back-ups for those guys. You had 4 starters until the late 60’s. Bullpens usually had a long man, who doubled as a spot starter. Most benches would carry at least one power bat. Could be left-handed or right. Most of the starters would play 120 plus games. Occasionally because of injury or other reasons, the main guy might play less. 

                                           Take the 1930 Brooklyn team. Four starters, Bisonette, Frederick, Herman and Gilbert, all played 142 or more games. The starting catcher, Al Lopez, caught 128. The SS, Wally Gilbert, played in 135 games. Only OF Rube Bressler, 109 games, who was 35, and 2nd baseman, Neal Finn, 87 games played less. Finn’s backup, Jake Flowers, played in 89 games and actually had better numbers than Finn. Another huge difference was age. Two players who saw bench time were 25. All the others were 30 or older. The two backup catchers were 33 and 35. 

                                           1939 was the year the Dodgers began to turn their fortunes around and become perennial contenders and not the second-class team they had been for so many years. They were no longer the Daffiness Boys. Dixie Walker was one of the players on the bench as a reserve in 39. So was Yankee legend, Tony Lazzeri. That year they finished 3rd after years in the second division. 1940 saw them move into second place. They only won 4 more games than the year before, but the arrival of Pee Wee Reese to play SS, Walker becoming the regular center fielder and the addition to the lineup of Joe Medwick, helped the team immensely. A young rookie CF made his debut also in 1940. His name was Pete Reiser. 

                                           Up until 2020, when September rolled around, teams could call up as many players up to 40 as they liked. Second division clubs would bring up their prized prospects to get a taste of the majors. Corey Seager got a taste of that in September of 2015. His performance helped him become the starting SS in 2016. Bench players after WWII were mainly older guys on their way down, even some premier players in the last days of their careers. 

                                           The first year, 1946, after the war ended, Brooklyn’s bench consisted of several fringe players like Augie Galan, Medwick, Billy Herman. A couple of kids also made their way into some games, Eddie Miksis, who was 19. The new RF was 24-year-old Carl Furillo, who was teamed with Dixie Walker and Pete Reiser. Bruce Edwards, the starting catcher at age 22, had 3 different caddy’s that year, all 28 or older. 

                                          Duke Snider and Gil Hodges were part of the bench in 47 at some point in the season. Old pro’s like Arky Vaughn and Cookie Lavagetto were still in play. Lavagetto would break up Bill Bevens no-hitter in the World Series with a 9th inning PH double. Al Gionfriddo, another bench player, would rob Joe DiMaggio with a great catch to save another Series game. Of course, the biggest news in 47 was the arrival of Jackie Robinson.  

                                           How many of you out there have ever heard of Marv Rackley? I had never heard of him at all. But he was one of the three starting outfielders on the Dodgers in 1948. He hit .327 in 88 games. He had just 1 homer in his career, which spanned 47-50. He was a career .317 hitter. Gene Hermanski played left and Furillo was the center fielder for most of that season. Snider spent the bulk of the year in the minors. 

                                          During those “Boys of Summer” years, Brooklyn’s revolving door position was left field. Snider and Furillo had right and center locked down. But left field was basically a tryout camp. Had he been healthy, Pete Reiser might have been the guy. But crashing into concrete walls took its toll and he was not the player he once was. So, guys like George Shuba, Hermanski, Cal Abrams, and Andy Pafko all got their shots. 

                                         The infield did the same with guys like Spider Jorgenson, Arky Vaughn, Rocky Bridges, Bobby Morgan, Rocky Nelson, all backing up the starting 4. Sandy Amoros arrived in 52 and played in 22 games. He was usually in left. He was key in winning the 55 series. As a defensive replacement for Gilliam in left, he made the catch of a lifetime robbing Yogi of extra bases and starting a double play. 

                                         As the Dodgers entered their last two seasons in Brooklyn, the starters were beginning to show their age. Snider, Amoros and Gilliam were the only members of the starting 8 who were under 30 in 1956. Jackie left after the 56 season. Charlie Neal, Cimoli, Chico Fernandez, and Zimmer were the under 30 members of the bench. A 21-year-old fleet footed CF made his debut in 56, Don Demeter. 

                                       Zimmer took over at SS in 58, and Pee Wee became a bench player. Dick Gray was the new 3rd baseman. With Neal now at second, Gilliam and Cimoli patrolled left most of the time. Joe Pignatano was Roseboro’s backup. The team as most remember, struggled and finished 7th that first year in LA. But in 1959, the play of the bench players became an important part of the team’s success during the season, and into the World Series. 

                                     Several changes to the lineup occurred in 59. They traded Cimoli for Moon to play left. Demeter became the CF and Snider moved to right. Jim Gilliam became the starting 3rd baseman, and Zimmer, who got off to a horrid start, was replaced mid-season by Maury Wills. Norm Larker, 20-year-old Ron Fairly, Joe Pignatano and Carl Furillo were the main bench pieces. They made another trade and got RH-hitting outfielder Chuck Essegian. Essegian would become Alston’s go to PH from the right side. 

                                   The 59 team would tie the Braves for the NL pennant and have to play 2 games against them. The first one was in Milwaukee, a 3-2 win. Roseboro homered off of Carlton Wiley in the top of the 6th for the winning run. Both benches would play huge roles. The Braves jumped out to a 2-0 lead at the coliseum. Only 36,000 plus fans were there. Neal tripled and scored on a Moon single in the bottom of the inning. Braves made it 3-1 in the top of the second. Logan singled and went to third on a single by Burdette, Snider threw the ball to third, but Gilliam’s vision was obstructed, and he missed the ball, giving Snider an error and the Braves another run. Today, that run would not have scored. 

                                  Neal homered in the 4th and the Braves tacked on runs in the 5th and 8th innings. In the bottom of the 7th, a key play happened. Norm Larker led off with a single. Roseboro hit a double-play ball to Logan, but Larker crashed into Logan, who even though he finished the play, was injured and had to be carried from the field. Felix Mantilla, the second baseman, moved to SS, and Red Schoendienst, who was 36 at the time, came in to play second. 

                                 Koufax loaded the bases on three walks in the top of the 9th. He got the next two hitters without allowing a run and Labine got the last out. In the bottom of the 9th, Moon and Snider singled. Lillis ran for Snider. Hodges singled to load the bases. McMahon relieved Rush. Larker singled scoring Moon and Lillis. Hodges went to third. Spahn relieved McMahon. Furillo PH for Roseboro while Pignatano ran for Larker. Furillo hit a sac fly scoring Hodges. Spahn allowed a single to Wills and was pulled for Joey Jay. Fairly PH for Labine and flied out.

                                 LA brought in Stan Williams to pitch, Fairly took over in CF, Pignatano became the catcher, Moon moved to left and Furillo went to right. There was no action in the 10th, but both teams mounted threats in the 11th. The Braves loaded the bases with 2 outs, but Adcock grounded out to end the inning. Pignatano was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the inning. Furillo walked. After two fly ball outs, Jay walked Gilliam to load the bases. Rush relieved him and got Neal to ground out ending the inning.

                                Braves went quietly in the 12th. In the bottom of the 12th with Rush on the mound, he got the first two outs. Hodges then walked. Hodges took second on a single by Pignatano. That brought up Carl Furillo, in his last full season in the majors. Furillo hit a ball that Mantilla could not handle cleanly, he then threw the ball to first but threw it away and Hodges scored the winning run. If not for the clutch play by the bench players, LA might have lost. 

                              Furillo would have his last hurrah as a pinch hitter in game 3 in Los Angeles. He hit a 2-run pinch hit single off of Dick Donovan in the 7th inning that gave LA a 2-0 lead in the 3-1 win. Furillo was released early in the 1960 season. Chuck Essegian, another reserve, would hit 2 pinch hit homers in the World Series. This series is just one example of how important a bench can be. 

                              They quit allowing trades on August 31st a few years ago. Teams in the pennant race, would trade before that deadline to get players for the play-off run. In 2015, AF picked up Utley, Heisey, and Ruggiano at that deadline. In 2016, he traded Ellis for Ruiz. In 2017, he got Curtis Granderson. In 2018, he brought in David Freese. That turned out to be a very good trade for LA. He also picked up pitcher, Ryan Madson. 

                               That was the last year such trades were allowed. More recently, the play of bench players Kike Hernandez, and Chris Taylor, helped LA win playoff games with performances that the regulars would be extremely envious of. Kike’s three homer, 7 RBI game in the NLCS against the Cubs in 2016. Taylor hitting a walk-off homer in the Wild Card game and then hitting 3 bombs and driving in 6 runs in game 5 of the 21 LCS to keep LA alive. 

                             The bench’s role has changed some. Once they had guys who were home run hitters coming off of the bench, now the Dodgers bench is mostly strong defenders. We really do not know what they will get out of Kim and Rushing, but Kike and Rojas, they are defenders first. Anything they get from them with the bat is a plus. A good bench can go a long way to bring the team success both in the regular and the post season. 

MiLB Game Summary Reports

Reno Aces (Arizona) 8 – OKC Comets 7

Kyle Funkhouser started for OKC and completed 3.2 innings.  He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits, 0 BB, and 4 K. 

• Ryan Ward – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (16)
• Michael Chavis – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI
• Alex Freeland – 1-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (7)

Ryan Ward starting off with a 💥

Comets take the early 2-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/c4JsNKThH6

— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) June 7, 2025

Alex Freeland sizzles his 26th extra-base hit — 7th homer — for the Triple-A @OKC_comets 🔥

MLB's No. 45 prospect (@Dodgers) has reached base safely in 21 of his past 22 games. pic.twitter.com/c4oLEyd1i6

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 7, 2025

Note – OKC has now allowed 30 consecutive stolen bases.

Box Score

Amarillo Sod Poodles (Arizona) 6 – Tulsa Drillers 5

In his AA debut, Patrick Copen was sabotaged by his defense, including his own.  He completed 5.1 innings allowing 5 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, 3 BB, 9 K.

• Kody Myers – 2-4, 2 runs
• Noah Miller – 1-2, 1 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (1)
• Double – Taylor Young (8)

Box Score

Great Lakes Loons 2 – South Bend Cubs 2 – Suspended after innings

San Jose Giants 10 – Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6

After a series of outstanding starts, Christian Zazueta had one to forget.  3.1 IP, 5 runs, 8 hits, 2 BB, 1 K

• Jaron Elkins – 4-5, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (5)
• Roger Lasso – 2-4, 1 RBI
• Elijah Hainline – 2-3, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, HR (3)
• Eduardo Quintero – 1-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR (11)

Quintero is in a rare class with what he’s done so far this year. In the past 20 seasons, for Low-A players in their age-19 season or younger, he’s got the 6th highest single-season wRC+ (200+ PA). https://t.co/W3xok6ErZw pic.twitter.com/hKQKGK8AsY

— Future Dodgers (@FutureDodgers) June 7, 2025

Quintero is in a rare class with what he’s done so far this year. In the past 20 seasons, for Low-A players in their age-19 season or younger, he’s got the 6th highest single-season wRC+ (200+ PA). https://t.co/W3xok6ErZw pic.twitter.com/hKQKGK8AsY

— Future Dodgers (@FutureDodgers) June 7, 2025

Box Score