Tagged: Willie Davis

Fifty years ago, Orioles gave Dodgers afternoon blues

willie_davisBy Mark Langill

Today marks the first Dodgers-Orioles day game at Dodger Stadium since the original Los Angeles dynasty came crumbling down nearly 50 years ago in Game 2 of the 1966 World Series.

An error-filled 6-0 defeat marked the final game of Sandy Koufax’s career, and the bright skies also broke the heart of longtime center fielder Willie Davis, whose all-time marks in the Dodger record book are overshadowed by two seemingly routine fly balls lost in the sun.

With six National League pennants in 13 seasons, manager Walter Alston’s Dodgers were overwhelming 8-5 favorites by Las Vegas oddsmakers to beat the Orioles, making their first World Series appearance since moving to Baltimore from St. Louis in 1954.

Baltimore defeated Don Drysdale, 5-2, in the first game of the Fall Classic, but why should L.A. worry with Koufax in the wings? Koufax led the Dodgers to World Series titles in 1963 and 1965, masking an average but efficient offense fueled by the stolen-base threat of shortstop and team captain Maury Wills.
Continue reading →

Farewell, Alan Young — and remembering ‘Mr. Ed’ at Dodger Stadium

Today, we remember Alan Young, the “Mr. Ed” actor who passed away Thursday at age 96. Young and his horse companion made a memorable visit to Dodger Stadium for the 1963 season premiere, highlighted above. Sandy Koufax, Willie Davis, Leo Durocher, Johnny Roseboro and more appear.

The link between Willie Davis and Andre Ethier

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers at Angels, 12:05 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Andre Ethier, LF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Scott Van Slyke, RF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Corey Seager, SS
Austin Barnes, DH
Rob Segedin, 3B
Elian Herrera, 2B
(Scott Kazmir, P)

By Cary Osborne

I never got to see Willie Davis play baseball.

Davis, who died six years ago today, played his last Major League game exactly one year to the day before I was born.

What I know about him is based mostly off the random story.

I interviewed comedian and Dodger superfan George Lopez for a 2012 piece in Dodgers Magazine and asked who his favorite player was growing up.

Continue reading →

October 2, 1962: Dodger Stadium’s longest nine innings

Maury Wills throwing out the first pitch Monday before the second-longest nine-inning game in Dodger Stadium history.

Maury Wills throws the first pitch Monday before the second-longest nine-inning game in Dodger Stadium history.

By Mark Langill

It took four hours and 13 minutes to realize the irony of bobblehead-honoree Maury Wills throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Monday’s Dodgers-Phillies marathon that featured 17 runs, 26 hits, 10 pitchers and 367 pitches. L.A.’s 10-7 victory came within five minutes of the all-time Los Angeles record for longest nine-inning home game.

Wills played in the longest game on October 2, 1962, one of the most exciting yet overlooked episodes in the history of the Dodgers-Giants rivalry.

Continue reading →

Remembering ’65: ‘The Sound of the Dodgers’

remembering-65-wide-v1-wood

By Jon Weisman

One day in May, this little item appeared deep in the game notes of the Times’ Frank Finch:

Maury Wills and Willie Davis cut records with Stubby Kaye Friday afternoon as well as doing single platters. During the session Jimmy Durante made a record called ‘Dandy Sandy,’ singing the praises of Prof. Koufax. Wills said it would be a smash.

You didn’t think I would leave you hanging, did you?

Continue reading →

Six-hit Seager’s greatest hits

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Cary Osborne

Still marveling over Corey Seager’s six-hit game (home run, three singles, two doubles) on Thursday for Oklahoma City? Every year of his minor-league career, Seager has gone on a ridiculous run at some point with at least one monster game.

But as you’ll see below, an offensive explosion is nothing new for the highly regarded prospect:

2012 (Rookie League Ogden):

  • August 4-10: six games, 17 for 32, four home runs, 12 RBI, 1.529 OPS
  • Highlight: 3 for 4, with two home runs, five RBI and one walk August 5
  • Note: Seager had three four-hit games and one two-home run game.

2013 (Low-A Great Lakes)

  • June 5-21: seven games, 14 for 27, three homers, four doubles, 12 RBI, 1.626 OPS
  • Highlight: 3 for 4 with two homers, one double and six RBI on June 21
  • Note: Seager didn’t have a four-hit game that season, but he had three two-home run games.

2014 (High-A Rancho Cucamonga/Double-A Chattanooga)

  • May 16-23 (Rancho): eight games, 20 for 34, three homers, eight doubles, 11 RBI, 1.688 OPS
  • Highlight (Chattanooga): 4 for 6, with two homers, six RBI on July 6
  • Note: Seager had five four-hit games and two two-homer games.

2015 (Double-A Tulsa, Triple-A Oklahoma City)

  • April 11-19 (Tulsa): 19 for 34, two homers, eight RBI, 1.412 OPS
  • May 25-28 (Oklahoma City): 13 for 18, three homers, 10 RBI, 2.194 OPS
  • Highlight: 6 for 6, one homer, two doubles six RBI on May 28
  • Note: Seager already has three four-hit games this season and two two-homer games.

Seager has 11 four-hit games in his career. Just five Major Leaguers have had at least 11 four-hit games since 2012 – Miguel Cabrera (18), Ben Revere (12) and Andrew McCutchen, Daniel Murphy and Denard Span (11 each).

Seager was one hit short of the Pacific Coast League record of seven hits in a game. It’s happened four times, the last being former Colorado Rockie Neifi Perez, who did it for Colorado Springs on August 25, 1996.

The Dodgers have had five six-hit games in a nine-inning contest in franchise history – Shawn Green (May 23, 2002), Cookie Lavagetto (September 23, 1939), Wally Gilbert (May 30, 1931), Jack Fournier (June 29, 1923) and George Cutshaw (August 9, 1915). Paul Lo Duca (May 28, 2001), Willie Davis (May 24, 1973) and Hank DeBerry (June 23, 1929) had six hits for the Dodgers in extra-inning games.

Kershaw’s 1,500th and other milestones ahead in ’15

Photos: Jon Soo Hoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Photos: Jon Soo Hoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Dodgers at Angels, 7:05 p.m.
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Scott Van Slyke, LF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Juan Uribe, 3B
Justin Turner, DH
Joc Pederson, CF
(Brandon McCarthy, P)

By Cary Osborne

With 1,445 career strikeouts entering the season, Clayton Kershaw should become the second-youngest left-hander in baseball’s modern era to reach 1,500 strikeouts for his career.

And with that, we start the conversation of potential Dodger milestones in 2015.

The fastest MLB pitcher to reach 1,500 strikeouts was Sam McDowell, who hit the mark on June 27, 1969, at 26 years, nine months and six days. Based on Kershaw’s 162-game averages, he should reach the halfway point to 3,000 in early May, less than two months after his 27th birthday.

That would best Fernando Valenzuela, who at 27 years, six months and 13 days old struck out Ron Gant for number 1,500 on June 14, 1988.

Kershaw could also surpass Orel Hershiser (1,456 strikeouts) for sixth place in franchise history as soon as Opening Day. Valenzuela is the next target, at 1,759. Hershiser and Valenzuela rank fourth and fifth respectively in Los Angeles Dodgers history.

In addition, Kershaw has a chance to become baseball’s all-time best Opening Day pitcher, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Kershaw’s 0.35 Opening Day ERA (one run in 25 2/3 innings) trails only Rip Sewell’s 0.29 (one run in 31 innings). Andy Messersmith is third at 0.67 (two runs in 27 innings).

Here’s another note about Kershaw. He comes into the 2015 season ranked tied for fifth all-time in strikeouts per nine innings, among pitchers with at least 1,250 innings pitched. At 9.44, he is even with San Francisco’s Tim Lincecum. Here is the top four:

  1. Randy Johnson (10.61)
  2. Kerry Wood (10.32)
  3. Pedro Martinez (10.04)
  4. Nolan Ryan (9.55)

Now onto the others. This one is kind of a crazy thought. This marks Adrian Gonzalez’s fourth season with the Dodgers and third full year with the team. With 13 home runs this season, he will crack the franchise’s all-time top 10 in home runs by a first baseman. With 20, he’d be seventh all time. Gonzalez has 52 home runs as a Dodger. Eddie Murray is 10th at 65. Gonzalez also needs 34 RBI to reach 1,000 for his career.

Jon SooHoo/© Los Angeles Dodgers,LLC 2014Andre Ethier is all over the Dodgers’ top-10 lists. He is seventh in franchise history among outfielders with 1,238 hits. Hy Myers is sixth at 1,253.

Ethier is also seventh in home runs by an outfielder with 145. Willie Davis is sixth at 154. And, Ethier is seventh in RBI for an outfielder with 629. Matt Kemp is sixth at 648.

With two home runs, Ethier will crack the Los Angeles all-time top 10. Adrian Beltre sits at No. 10 with 147, followed by Davis.

Ethier has 281 career doubles. Bill Russell ranks 10th in franchise history with 293, one behind Gil Hodges at 294.

Ethier has 453 career extra-base hits. Ron Cey is fourth in L.A. history at 469.

New shortstop Jimmy Rollins is one of the greatest offensive players at his position in baseball history. Among shortstops all time, he ranks sixth in doubles (479), eighth in home runs (216), 11th in stolen bases (453), 14th in triples (111) and 20th in hits (2,306). If he duplicates his numbers from 2014, he would move up to seventh in home runs, 12th in triples and 13th in hits.

At 470 stolen bases, Carl Crawford needs five to surpass Roberto Alomar and move into 42nd all time. He also needs 132 hits to reach 2,000 for his career.

We close with the closer. Kenley Jansen has 106 career saves, which ranks fifth in franchise history. If he saves 24 games this season, he would surpass Jeff Shaw’s 129 and move into second all-time behind Eric Gagne, who saved 161 games as a Dodger.