Los Angeles Dodgers History is replete with tales of success, making it one of the best teams in MLB history. The team was founded in 1883 in Brooklyn and known as Brooklyn Atlantics. It was initially known by many nicknames, before it became the Dodgers in 1932. In 1958, the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles. The first four seasons were played in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. After that they moved to their current home, the Dodger Stadium. It is the third oldest ballpark in MLB and has the largest seating capacity at 56,000.
The winning ways of the Dodgers started early. They were finalists in the 1916 & 1920 World Series finals, but lost. In 1941 they captured their third National League pennant, but lost to the Yankee. This triggered off one of the biggest rivalries and the Yankees – Dodgers rivalry forms the stuff of legends. The Dodgers made history by inducting into their ranks the first black MLB player, Jackie Robinson. The Dodgers captured their first World Series title in 1955 by defeating the Yankees, giving them all the more reason to celebrate. In the sixties, Koufax and Drysdale dominated with their pitching and helped the Dodgers to capture three pennants. They won two more World Series Titles in 1963 & 1965, defeating the Yankees and Minnesota Twins. This was their second victory against arch rivals Yankees and the first since the move to Los Angeles. Though they won pennants in 74, 77 and 78, they lost in each World Series appearance. Helped by pitching sensation Valenzuela the Dodgers won the World Series in 1981. In 1988, another sensational pitcher, Hershiser, led them to a World Series triumph. The injured Gibson’s home run is etched in gold in hearts of Dodger fans. The Dodgers thrive in rivalry and have another rival in the San Francisco Giants and this is the oldest rivalry in baseball. The Dodgers, along with Giants and St. Louis Cardinals have made the maximum World Series appearances at 18. They are tied with Giants for the maximum number of world Series titles won at 6.
The Dodgers were in the forefront of integration of professional sports in US. Their farsighted General Manager, Branch Rickey, was instrumental in hiring the highly talented black player Jackie Robinson. It was a momentous event in US sports history. Robinson was one of the star players of the Dodgers for many years.
In 1950, Walter O’Malley acquired the Dodgers and though he initially tried to buy land in Brooklyn for the Dodgers ballpark, he was not successful. In the fifties, O’Malley successfully negotiated with Los Angeles city officials for relocating the team to LA and to build a ballpark there, provided he was given suitable land and the rest is history. The Dodgers stadium located in Chavez Ravine is the largest ballpark, by seating capacity, in US. They played their first game as Los Angeles Dodgers on April 18, 1958.
The Dodgers have many historical firsts to their credit:
- First MLB team to have a black player.
- First baseball team to win three successive championships in different leagues from 1889 to 1890.
- First to broadcast games on TV in 1939
- They introduced batting helmets in 1941
- Along with San Francisco Giants they were the first West Coast teams
- First to open an office in Asia.
- Holds the record home opener crowd of 78,762 in 1958.
- World record for attendance of 115,300 in 2008.
- MLB record for home start going 13 to 0 in 2009.
The Dodgers have a band of loyal fans that have stood by them through thick and thin. They have helped the Dodgers hold attendance records. The Dodgers set a franchise record for single season attendance by attracting over 3.8 million fans. The Dodgers cap is consistently among the top three memorabilia sold. The Dodgers uniform has practically remained unchanged for 70 years. After trail blazing by employing the first black player in MLB history, they did it again by being one of the first teams to sign up Asian players. The Dodgers held starting clinics in China and Korea. A part of the Dodgers competitive psyche comes with its intense rivalry with the Giants, Yankees, LA Angles and the San Diego Padres. Though they have been having some ownership disputes of late, the history of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is one to be envied and emulated by other teams.
