Today in 1985, Pedro Guerrero appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated. After a disappointing 4th place finish in 1984, a red hot Guerrero leads the Dodgers to 1st place in the NL West in early August. LA ultimately wins the division before losing the NLCS to the Cardinals.
Today in 1979, Don Sutton strikes out his 2,487th career batter, passing Don Drysdale to become the Dodgers’ all-time strike out leader. His 2,696 Ks as a Dodger remain 2nd most behind only Clayton Kershaw. In all, Sutton will strike out 3,574 batters in his big league career.
Today in 1969, Willie Stargell hits a 506-ft HR in the Pirates 11-3 win over the Dodgers, becoming the 1st player to hit a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium. Stargell will repeat the feat with a 470-foot shot in 1973 and remains one of just 5 players to accomplish the feat.
Happy 39th birthday to Tim Federowicz. Federowicz spent the 1st 4 years of his MLB career with the Dodgers, mostly as a back-up. He played another 4 big league seasons and earned a silver medal with the 2020 US Olympic team before finishing his career at AAA OKC in 2021.
Happy 45th birthday to Carl Crawford. Crawford was one of the all-time great Devil Rays, playing 9 seasons in Tampa and being selected to 4 AS teams before signing a huge deal with Boston. He played 4 seasons with the Dodgers after coming to LA in a big 3-team trade in 2012.
Happy 73rd birthday to John Hale. Hale was drafted by the Dodgers in 1971 and made his MLB debut with the club in 1974. After bouncing between LA and AAA Albuquerque for 4 seasons he made his only other big league appearances during his 2 seasons with the Mariners.
Today in 1948, Ernie Harwell calls the 1st MLB game of his HOF career as the Dodgers defeat the Cubs 5-4. After being acquired in an unusual player-for-broadcaster trade, Harwell fills in for a recuperating Red Barber. He’ll later spend 42 years as the Tigers’ broadcaster.
Today in 1941, Brooklyn catcher Mickey Owen records all 3 outs of the 3rd inning via foul pop-ups, becoming the first catcher in NL/AL history to accomplish such a feat. The catches account for 3 of Owen’s 4 put outs on the day as the Dodgers beat the Giants 11-6.
Happy 39th birthday to Mike Freeman. A baseball journeyman, Freeman played for 6 different teams during his 6-year MLB career. In 2017, he was picked up by the Dodgers and played mostly at AAA OKC but appeared in 4 games in LA. He finished his career in the Reds organization.
Happy 48th birthday to the late Luke Allen. Allen made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2002 and played 6 of his 8 career big league games with LA. After his playing days, he impacted the lives of many young people as an instructor at a girls’ softball training facility.
Happy 51st birthday to Eric Milton. Milton enjoyed the best seasons of his 11-year MLB career with Minnesota, where he threw a no hitter in 1999 and was an AS in 2001. After battling injuries, he pitched his final 5 games in the big leagues in 2009 with the Dodgers.
Happy 53rd birthday to Eric Weaver. Weaver made his big league debut with the Dodgers in 1998, appearing in 7 games in his only year with LA. He was traded to Seattle ahead of 1999 and finished his MLB career with a season with the Mariners and a season with the Angels.
Happy 97th birthday to the late Joe Pignatano. Pignatano played for both the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers and earned a WS ring with the club in 1959. After retiring as a player, he went on to be a longtime and very popular MLB coach, including with the Miracle Mets in 1969.
Today in 1959, the AL beats the NL 5-3 in the 1st ASG played on the west coast at the LA Coliseum. Don Drysdale and Wally Moon both start while Jim Gilliam and Charlie Neal come off the bench. Gilliam, the only Dodger to represent both Brooklyn and LA in ASGs, homers.
Happy 62nd birthday to Kevin Elster. Elster finished his 13-year MLB career by playing 80 games for the Dodgers in 2000. His greatest moment by far with LA was when he hit 3 homers to beat the Giants 6-5 in the inaugural game at Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T/Oracle/Whatever Park.
Happy 66th birthday to Sid Bream. Bream was one of a slew of anticipated 1980s Dodger prospects after he hit 69 HR in parts of 3 seasons at AAA Albuquerque. He was eventually traded to Pittsburgh for Bill Madlock and later enjoyed success with the early 1990s Braves.
Happy 67th birthday to Jim Gott. Gott pitched 5 seasons with the Dodgers and later spent 3 years as a radio host for LA. In a 1991 game, he walked the pitcher to allow the game-winning run against the Braves (LA lost the NL West to Atlanta by 1 game) but I’m sure I’ve moved on.
Today in 2022, the great Vin Scully passed away at the age of 94. Vin was the voice of the Dodgers for 67 years and though he retired in 2016, it still felt like he was an enormous part of our lives. Not too often someone can mean that much to so many. Miss that man dearly.
Today in 1982, the US Postal Service releases a stamp commemorating Jackie Robinson. It is the first stamp by the USPS that depicts an individual baseball player and the first of 3 to feature Robinson, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame 20 years earlier in 1962.
Happy 37th birthday to Onelki García. García was drafted by the Dodgers in 2012 and appeared in 3 games with LA in 2013. He played his only other 2 big league games with KC in 2017 before playing in Japan with Chunichi and Hanshin and most recently in the Mexican League.
Happy 48th birthday to Matt Guerrier. The Dodgers signed Guerrier to a 3-year deal just ahead of 2011 in hopes he would fill an on-going bullpen need. He pitched in 70 games that season but injuries diminished his availability and he was eventually traded to the Cubs in 2013.
Today in 2015, reigning MVPs face each other for the first time ever when Mike Trout bats against Clayton Kershaw. Trout strikes out in his first at bat and goes 0 for 3 on the day against Kershaw, who tosses 8 scoreless innings as the Dodgers beat the Angels 3-1.
Today in 1982, Vin Scully becomes the 6th recipient of the Ford Frick Award during HOF induction ceremonies. He earns the honor for his phenomenal work over the course of his 32-year career - a career that isn’t half way over yet as he eventually retires 34 years later in 2016.
Today in 1957, Gil Hodges hits a grand slam as the Dodgers beat the Cubs 12-3. The slam is the 13th of Hodges’s career, setting a new National League record. After his retirement in 1963, his 14 grand slams remain the NL mark until surpassed by Hank Aaron in 1974.
Today in 1924, Dazzy Vance equals a MLB record when he strikes out 7 consecutive batters in a game in the Robins’ 4-0 win over the Cubs. The mark holds up until Max Surkont strikes out 8 straight in 1953. Tom Seaver, Aaron Nola, and Corbin Burnes hold the current record with 10.
Happy 58th birthday to Brian Bohanon. Bohanon threw 3 no hitters in HS and played college ball at the University of Houston-Victoria where his coach was Terry Puhl. He enjoyed a 12-year MLB career which included starting 14 games for the Dodgers after a 1998 trade.
Happy 66th birthday to Dave Anderson. Anderson played 10 MLB seasons, 8 of those with the Dodgers. He was a very useful utility player for LA in the 1980s but is perhaps most well-known for an at bat he never had - acting as the on-deck decoy for Kirk Gibson in the 1988 WS.
Happy 69th birthday to the late Myron White. White was a 2nd round draft pick by the Dodgers in 1975 and passed up a football scholarship to UCLA to sign with LA. He made his MLB debut in 1978, playing all 7 games of his big league career with the Dodgers that season.
Today in 2008, the Dodgers make one of the biggest splashes in team history when they acquire Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox in a 3-team deal. With Mannywood in full force that season, Ramirez helps LA to an NL West crown, NLDS win over the Cubs, and NLCS appearance.
Today in 2006, Greg Maddux is traded to the Dodgers from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for SS Cesar Izturis. The 40-year old future HOFer goes 6-3 for LA in 12 games. It is the 1st of 2 stints with the Dodgers for Maddux, who will return to the club to finish his career in 2008.
