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The Los Angeles Dodgers began their history in Brooklyn in 1883. The team tried a number of names, including the Robins, Superbras, and Bridegrooms, but returned to a shortened version of their first nickname, the Trolley Dodgers, in 1932.The Dodgers by any name have ha a run of success. Though the first 50 years were not a dominant era, the team did win five pennants in the National League and a pennant in the American Association (AA).
The early history of the team did involve the start of the rivalry with the Giants. The Giants and the Dodgers used both play in New York City, the Giants in Manhattan and the Dodgers in Brooklyn. A third team was in the city, the Yankees, but the Giants and the Dodgers played in the National League. The season play resulted in a heated rivalry.
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Later on, both teams would move to California in the same year and to cities (Los Angeles and San Francisco) whose natural economic and cultural rivalry on the West Coast would only add to the existing hatred between the clubs.
The Dodgers became increasingly competitive in the ‘40s, taking the NL Pennant in 1941 and finishing in the top three in the NL in every year but 1944. The ‘40s also marked a historic year in 1947 when Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player allowed to play in Major League Baseball.
Second baseman Robinson won the Rookie of the Year Award that year. He would go on to win the NL MVP in 1949 and become a six-time All Star. The All Star was one of the keys to a team that took home the NL Pennant in 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1955, and 1956.
The Dodgers string of pennants meant World Series appearances, which meant series with the New York Yankees. The Yankees beat them four times-in 1947, 1949, 1952, and 1953-each time having the Dodgers say wait till next year.
Next year came in 1955 when the two met again in the World Series. Pitcher Johnny Podres, outfielder Sandy Amoros, and shortstop Pee Wee Reese finally put down the Yankees in seven games.
The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958 in a controversial move that left many Dodgers’ fans feeling betrayed. The cross town rival Giants moved that year as well, to San Francisco, keeping the rivalry intact.
The Dodgers continued to remain competitive after the move, winning a World Series in 1959, 1963, and 1965.The club won with pitching, defense, and speed. Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale won four of five Cy Young Awards from 1962 to 1966. Shortstop Maury Wills led the league in steals from 1960 to 1965. The rest of the offense sputtered along.
The team always seemed to be near the top with Walter Alston as manager, but he eventually stepped down leaving a hole he had filled for over two decades with incredible success. His successor was Tommy Lasorda.
Lasorda had similar success winning pennants in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s with players like pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, pitcher Don Sutton, and infielders Steve Garvey, Dave lopes, Bill Russell, and Roy Cey. The team finally won a World Series in 1981 after two losses in 1977 and 1978.
Lasorda would repeat the magic in 1988 with NL MVP Kirk Gibson and NL Cy Young winner Orel Hershiser. The Dodgers were underdogs that year in the World Series, but a hobbled Gibson would come out in the first game to pitch hit and hit the walk-off home run that gave the Dodger a 5-4 win over the A’s and set the tone for a series the Dodgers dominated on the way to a 4-1 series victory.
Joe Torre comes in as manager to a club that has a lot of talent but a lot of tension as well. The club floundered last season with a battle in the clubhouse between the young and the old. This year Torre, free agent acquisition Andruw Jones, and Japanese import Hiroki Kuroda have come aboard to take the team deep into October.
The Dodgers hope they have cleaned up the back of the starting pitching rotartion with Chad Billingsley, who went 12-5 last season, and Jason Schmidt, who is coming back from a season-ending surgery last year. The top of the rotation is manned by Brad Penney. Penney had a great year with a 16-4 record and a career-best 3.03 ERA. Derek Lowe will pitch second and the newest Japanese import, Kiroki Kuroda, will pitch third. Kuroda went 12-8 last season in Japan and brings his sinking fast ball to the states this season. The bullpen is lead by closer Takashi Saito who collected 39 saves last season with a 1.40 ERA and held opposing batters to a .151 average against him. Jonathon Broxton and Scott Proctor are amazing setup men that will hold any lead until Saito can come in to end the game.
Catcher Russell Martin, first baseman James Loney, and rightfielder Matt Kemp are the quality youth that the Dodgers have been collecting for so long. If they mix well with centerfielder Andruw Jones, second baseman Jeff Kent, and leftfielder Juan Pierre the offense will be scary. That group can collectively run, make contact, and hit the ball out of the park so the Dodgers can play any kind of game they want to, which is a rarity. That kind of elasticity on offense will make the tough schedule of division opponents that much easier, hopefully.
Dodgers Stadium could potentially see it s first pennant team in 20 years with this team. If Joe Torre can work the magic that worked so well for the Yankees, the Dodgers can be choosing a new moment to celebrate with Kirk Gibson’s walk off home run in 1988.