VaDodger's Blog

August 2nd in Los Angeles Dodgers History
VaDodger :: about 1 month ago :: 113 views

Last night's Dodger debut of Manny Rameriz ended in disappointment for Dodgers fans as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers by a 2-1 score.  With a chance to be the hero in the bottom of the ninth, Rameriz grounded into a double play on a great pitch by Brandon Lyon and Rameriz' opportunity to make his first night in Los Angeles a special one went out the window.

On this day in 1995 another Dodger trade deadline acquisition made his debut, but with much less fanfare that the Cooperstown-bound Rameriz.  A July 31st trade with the Minnesota Twins brought veteran righthander Kevin Tapani to Los Angeles for his first assignment, he'd go up against the Colorado Rockies in Coors Field.

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July 28th in Los Angeles Dodgers History
VaDodger :: about 1 month ago :: 83 views

This weekend's sweep of the Washington Nationals by the Los Angeles Dodgers was a sweep earned by the excellent pitching of Chad Billingsley, Derek Lowe and Clayton Kershaw.  It is clear that the 2008 team's fate is tied to whether its pitching staff can be dominant down the stretch.

The 1990 Dodgers were a rarity in the team's history in that they were better offensively than they were on the mound.  The team's 4.49 runs per game placed it third in the National League, while the pitching staff's yield of 4.23 runs per contest put the Dodgers in the middle of the pack.  On July 28, 1990, the Dodgers relatively explosive offense was on display in the team's dramatic comeback win over the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.

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July 27th in Los Angeles Dodgers History
VaDodger :: about 1 month ago :: 79 views

Almost 45,000 fans packed Dodger Stadium on Wednesday July 27, 1966 to watch a duel between future Hall of Famers Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles' ace lefty Sandy Koufax.  It is fair to say that on this night, the fans got more than their money's worth.

At the end of the day the Dodgers had a thrilling 2-1 win in 12 innings, a victory earned by Sweet Lou Johnson's pinch-hit single off of Darlod Knowles that drove in Nate Oliver with the winning run.  The real story in the game, however, was the performance of the two starting pitchers.

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July 24th in Los Angeles Dodgers History
VaDodger :: about 1 month ago :: 112 views

Nothing is more frustrating for a Major League team than to be shutout by its opponent.  On July 24, 1966, the New York Mets experienced frustration times two as they were blanked by the Dodgers in both games of a doubleheader at Dodger Stadium.

The shutouts were two of the 20 (13 of them and one in the twinbill of the complete game variety) the Dodgers would have in their 95 win, National League championship season.  For the Mets, the games were symbolic of the struggles they'd experience en route to 95 loss, ninth place season.

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July 23rd in Los Angeles Dodgers History
VaDodger :: about 1 month ago :: 112 views

Seemingly mired in mediocrity but still very much alive in the National League West, the 2008 version of the Los Angeles Dodgers needs a hero.  They need someone to make the big plays, get the big hit and will his team to victory on nights where defeat seems almost certain.

The 2004 NL West division winning Dodgers had no such problem.  That team's season long success was largely due to the efforts of third baseman Adrian Beltre, and the slugger's magical campaign was on display four years ago today at Dodger Stadium.

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