About the LA Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team which plays in the western division of the National League in  Major League Baseball (MLB). Their western division opponents include; the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, and the San Francisco Giants. The Los Angeles Dodgers play home games at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, CA.

Los Angeles Dodgers' history stems to the 1860's when they were the Brooklyn Atlantics and changed to Brooklyn Bridegrooms after joining the American Association in 1884 where they won a title two years before the league folded in 1891 and renamed itself Brooklyn Superbas as it joined the NL where it took another eight years to take back to back titles in 1899 and 1900 before dropping out of contention for a few years. They took the Brooklyn Dodgers name in 1913 because players were seen dodging trolleys outside the stadium to get to games.

The Dodgers then went on to win two pennants with Jeff Pfeffer pitching and Zack Wheat in the OF in 1916 and 1920. For 21 years they went without another pennant. "Brooklyn's Golden Decade" started with the the first African American signing of Jackie Robinson in '47 who played with players such as Pee Wee Reese, Arky Vaughan, Gil Hodges, Roy Campanella, and Don Newcombe throughout the decade that the Brooklyn Dodgers took six pennants and one World Series.

The Dodgers success carried right through the fifties and sixties even after moving to Los Angeles in 1958. Walter Alston Managed the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers during this time using an edge in pitching with Sandy Koufax earning three Cy Youngs. Alston retired in 1974 and was not truly replaced until Tommy Lassorda stepped in as manager two years later taking the first two pennants he had a shot at as manager. From 1979 to 1982 a Los Angeles Dodgers player won the NL rookie of the year with Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Howe, Fernando Valenzuela who also took the NL MVP that year, and Steve Sax.

Orel Hershiser threw 59 consecutive scoreless innings in 1988 and, along with NL MVP Kirk Gibson the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series. But by 1992 the team finished in last place, only the second time in club history, the first time since 1905. that did not last long, though, and the Los Angeles Dodgers won pennants from 1994 to 1996 when Lasorda stepped down from his twenty year management career. During this time stars from the team include Hideo Nomo, Mike Piazza, and Eric Karros.

Willie Keeler, who played for Brooklyn in the late 1800's and early 1900's has the best batting average in club history with .352, but Garry Sheffield has him beat in slugging with a .573 avg. and Mike Piazza is just barely behind at a .572. Duke Snider, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 and following the team to Los Angeles before leaving in 1962 leads all time with 1271 RBI's and 389 home runs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers play out of Dodger Stadium which opened in 1962. To sell out Dodgers stadium, 56,000 Los Angeles Dodgers fans would have to buy tickets. From there, they will be able to see the Los Angeles skyline and the Elysian Hills backed by the San Gabriel Mountains. Inside the stadium hang the retired numbers #1 for Pee Wee Reese, #2 for Tommy Lasorda, #4 for Duke Snider, Jim Gilliam's #19, #20 of Don Sutton, Walter Alston with #24, Sandy Koufax with #32, Roy Campanella's #39, #42 for Jackie Robinson, and Don Drysdale's #53. While most fields are being torn down and replaced by brand named fields, the Los Angeles Dodgers are playing out of a privately owned field that had some small remodeling in 2000, paid for by several investors, and keeps the original Dodger Stadium name that it has had for over forty years. Bermuda grass is used on the open air field with pure sand beneath.