Dodgers

The Dodgers are one of the oldest and most successful teams in baseball. Besides their eighteen World Series appearances and six World Series championships, the Dodgers have left their mark on baseball in a number of ways.

From the start of the century through the 1930's, the Dodgers were a rag-tag bunch who were more likely to hurt themselves than to do damage to the opposition. On one occaision, three Dodger runners found themselves on third base at the same time! The "Daffiness Boys" or "Bums" were so bad that they finished in sixth place or lower (out of eight teams) in the National League a total of twelve times between 1922 and 1938.

From the early 1940's until the late 1950's, the Dodgers transformed themselves into one of the most powerful teams in major league history. Led by the likes of Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, and Roy Campanella, the "Boys of Summer" reached the World Series seven times between 1941 and 1956. During this time, Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier by becoming the first black ballplayer to play in the major leagues in the 20th century.

In 1958, the Dodgers headed west to Los Angeles. Since their California invasion, players like Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Maury Wills, Don Sutton, Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, and Dusty Baker have taken the team to the World Series nine times and brought home four World Series championships.

Great achievements in Dodger history include Sandy Koufax's four no-hitters (still the most by a left-handed pitcher), Maury Wills' 104 stolen bases in 1961 (first man to ever steal more than 100 bases in a season), Don Drysdale's string of 56 consecutive shutout innings pitched which was later broken by Orel Hershiser.

The Dodgers have also been involved in some of baseball's greatest moments. Don Larsen's World Series perfect game came against the Dodgers in 1956. Bobby Thompson's famous "Shot Heard 'Round the World" homerun against them sent the Giants to the 1951 World Series. Kirk Gibson's famous pinch-hit homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Dodgers a dramatic victory in the first game of the 1988 World Series.

Team History:

Brooklyn Bridegrooms: 1884-1889
Brooklyn Superbas: 1890-1910
Brooklyn Dodgers: 1911-1957 (aka Brooklyn Robins from 1914-31)
Los Angeles Dodgers: 1958-present

Home Ballparks:

Washington Park, Brooklyn, NY: 1884-1988
Washington Park II, Brooklyn, NY: 1889-1890
Eastern Park, Brooklyn, NY: 1891-1897
Washington Park III, Brooklyn, NY: 1898-1912
Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, NY: 1913-1957
Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA: 1958-1961
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA: 1962-present

World Series Championships:

1988 - Los Angeles Dodgers defeated Oakland Athletics 4-1
1981 - Los Angeles Dodgers defeated New York Yankees 4-2
1965 - Los Angeles Dodgers defeated Minnesota Twins 4-3
1963 - Los Angeles Dodgers defeated New York Yankees 4-0
1959 - Los Angeles Dodgers defeated Chicago White Sox 4-2
1955 - Brooklyn Dodgers defeated New York Yankees 4-3

World Series Losses:

1978 - Los Angeles Dodgers defeated by New York Yankees 4-2
1977 - Los Angeles Dodgers defeated by New York Yankees 4-2
1974 - Los Angeles Dodgers defeated by Oakland Athletics 4-1
1966 - Los Angeles Dodgers defeated by Baltimore Orioles 4-0
1956 - Brooklyn Dodgers defeated by New York Yankees 4-3
1953 - Brooklyn Dodgers defeated by New York Yankees 4-2
1952 - Brooklyn Dodgers defeated by New York Yankees 4-3
1949 - Brooklyn Dodgers defeated by New York Yankees 4-1
1947 - Brooklyn Dodgers defeated by New York Yankees 4-3
1941 - Brooklyn Dodgers defeated by New York Yankees 4-1
1920 - Brooklyn Dodgers defeated by Cleveland Indians 5-2
1916 - Brooklyn Dodgers defeated by Boston Red Sox 4-1

Current Stars:

Eric Karros
Raul Modesi
Ramon Martinez
Hideo Nomo
Mike Piazza

Stars of the Past:

Dusty Baker
Roy Campanella
Ron Cey
Don Drysdale
Steve Garvey
Gil Hodges
Sandy Koufax
Pee Wee Reese
Pete Reiser
Jackie Robinson
Duke Snider
Don Sutton
Dazzy Vance
Zack Wheat
Maury Wills