What If…

It has been widely published that the Dodgers are 31 years between World Series Championships. All Dodger fans want to forget that, but what if…I know it sounds like the Kratt Brothers. For those with small children or grandchildren you probably know Wild Kratts.

Brooklyn was nine World Series and lost their first seven:
1916 and 1920 (as The Robins – managed by Wilbert Robinson) and did not return for 21 years;
1941 (Leo Durocher);
1947 and 1949 (Burt Shotten);
1952 and 1953 (Charlie Dressen).

During these years the slogan most often spoken by Dodger fans…Wait ‘til next year. Well that year was 1955 under the direction of Walter “Smokey” Alston in his second year as the skipper. The Dodgers finally broke through beating the hated Yankees 4 games to 3, behind the brilliant pitching of LHSP Johnny Podres. In Game 7, Podres threw an 8 hit complete game shutout victory to give Dem Bums their first and only Brooklyn World Series Championship. Brooklyn came back to face NYY again in 1956, but lost yet again.

In their second year in Los Angeles, the Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox in 6, led by reliever Larry Sherry. Larry Sherry became my first Dodger hero, and it took almost all of 1960 before I was able to get his Topps baseball card. Go figure, a reliever as my first Dodger hero. Some things never change.

The Dodgers would go on to win 2 of the next 7 championships (63 and 65), before losing in 4 to the Baltimore Orioles in 1966. That would turn out to be 6 WS appearances in 11 years with 4 championships. That was a great time to grow up a Dodgers fan.

It would be 8 years before they would return in 1974, in Alston’s final WS appearance as skipper. The Dodgers lost 4 games to 1 to the Oakland A’s, where 4 of the games were won with 3-2 scores with the A’s winning 3 of them. They also won a 5-2 game. We do not need to rehash the arrogance of Mike Marshall choosing not to throw his warm up pitches in Game 5 after a long wait due to debris being thrown on the field. First pitch to Joe Rudi leaves the yard and that is the difference in the game. World Series over. Now I am not suggesting that the Dodgers would have come back to win had Marshall taken his allotted warm up pitches. To me it was just the image of arrogance. But after a year where he pitched in 106 games, finished 83 games, and pitched 208.1 innings as a reliever, I guess he had a little arrogance coming to him.

The Dodgers would go on to lose two more World Series to NYY in 1977 and 1978. Just like his predecessor, Tommy Lasorda found himself in the Fall Classic after his second year at the helm of the Dodgers. Unfortunately Reggie Jackson was unbeatable that year. I know Charlie Hough will never forget him in that series.

The Dodgers lost again in 1978 to NYY and Reggie Jackson, but this year it was his hip (and sloppy play by LAD) that turned the series around. Three trips to the WS in the 70’s but not rings.

The Dodgers were very fortunate in 1981 to even get to the playoffs, while the two best teams, Cincinnati and St. Louis, did not get in because of how the playoffs were structured after the strike. In 1981 major league baseball shut down for 50 days from June 12 to August 10. During that time a total of 713 games were lost. After play was resumed, it was decided that the team in 1st place in their respective divisions at the time of the strike would be the first half winner, regardless of the number of games played. The first half division winner would face off against 2nd half Division champions. There was no consideration given to the team(s) with the best record over the year. The Dodgers played 1 more game than Cincinnati in the first half and had a .5 game lead when the strike began. The Dodgers were named the first half champions. Houston won the second half and faced the Dodgers in the 1981 NLDS, even though Cincinnati had the best overall record in the NL West. The same was true for the NL East where the Cardinals had the best overall winning percentage, but Montreal played one more game than St. Louis in the second half and beat them by .5 game. Montreal beat the first half champion Phillies for the right to me LAD in the NLCS.

Thanks to Burt Hooten and Rick Monday (and the snow out day), the Dodgers beat the Expos in Game 5 of the best 3 of 5 NLCS, and the right to meet NYY (AGAIN) in the 1981 World Series. In Game 1 (in NY), Ron Guidry faced Jerry Reuss. NYY jumped on Reuss early and scored 5 unanswered run in the first 4 innings. Steve Yeager hit his 1st HR of the series in the 5th, and Jay Johnstone had a PH RBI single and Dusty Baker a sac fly in the 8th to get the score close, 5-3. But that is how the score ended with NYY winning Game 1.

Game 2 was a great pitching duel for 7.5 innings between Burt Hooten and Tommy John. NYY got an unearned run in the 5th to take a 1-0 into the bottom of the 7th. Steve Howe relieved Hooten in the 8th, and after a fly out, he gave up 2 singles and was himself relieved by Dave Stewart. Stewart allowed both runners to score on a single, pick off error, and sac fly for the eventual 3-0 lead and win.

The Series shifted to LA for Games 3-5. Thanks to a 3-run 2-out 1st inning HR by the Penguin, the Dodgers jumped out in front early. NYY scored two each in the 2nd and 3rd off of Fernando to answer, and the Dodgers scored 2 in the 5th due to a Pedro Guerrero double and a run scored on a double play ball. The 5 -4 scored stayed intact for the remainder of the game. Fernando pitched a complete game for the win.

Game 4 featured Bob Welch and Rick Reuschel. Neither pitcher lasted long, with Welch not recording an out. The game bounced back and forth, but in the end the Dodgers prevailed 8-7. Steve Howe pitched 3.0 innings in relief to get the victory. His only run, a HR to…yeah, that guy named Reggie.

Game 5 was a rematch of Game 1, with Jerry Reuss pitching a complete game over Ron Guidry, 2-1, to take a 3 games to 2 lead back to NY. To this point the home team had won all 5 games, so NYY was feeling pretty good about things.

In Game 6, after NYY scored the first run, the Dodgers came back and scored 8 runs from the 4th-6th inning, and coasted to a 9-2 WS clinching victory. Who here does not remember that Bob Watson fly ball dropping into Kenny Landreaux’s glove for the championship and Steve Howe jumping into the arms of Steve Yeager. That moment will stay with me as long as the Kirk Gibson HR.

The Dodgers waited 7 years before they got back to the World Series, and had to beat a superior NY Met team to get there. But they did beat the Mets 4 games to 3 to go limping (literally) into the World Series against the heavily favored Oakland A’s. Perhaps the greatest moment in LA Dodger history occurred in the 9th inning of Game 1. All I need to say is Kirk Gibson and Dennis Eckersley’s back door slider and the improbable walk off HR and 5-4 victory.

That Game 1 loss and Orel Hershiser seemed to take the wind out of the A’s sails, as Orel pitched a 3 hit complete game 6-0 victory in Game 2.

Now back in Oakland, former Dodgers, Bob Welch and Rick Honeycutt, together beat the Dodgers 2-1 in Game 3 to give the A’s life. Tim Belcher and Jay Howell bested yet another former Dodger pitcher, Dave Stewart 4-3 in Game 4 to take a 3 games to 1 lead.

Orel Hershiser took the mound in Game 5, and a pair of 2 run HR’s off Storm Davis; one by Mickey Hatcher in the first, and one by Mike Davis in the 4th, gave the Dodgers a 4-1 lead after 4. Rick Dempsey doubled home Mike Davis with the fifth run in the 6th. Stan Javier had a pair of RBIs for the A’s in the Dodgers 5-2 clinching victory.

That would turn out to be the last time the Dodgers have win the World Series. We are running up to 31 years now. But what if…Kirk Gibson does not hit that HR in Game 1. There is no doubt that the series turned on that 1 at bat. The Dodgers had no business even getting to the World Series. 1988 was supposed to be the Mets (100 wins) and A’s (104 wins) as MLB’s two best teams. But somehow the Stunt Men and Kirk Gibson’s 1 AB staved off the Oakland A’s to win it all. And because of the strike and playoff rules, the Dodgers got into the playoffs and wound their way through to win the WS. So how close are the Dodgers to being 54 years between World Series championships.

Sometimes the best teams do not win championships. That is why the goal is always to get to the playoffs and then let a hot bat or hot arm lead the way to a victory. Maybe this is the year. But it is going to take a Burt Hooten or Orel Hershiser to carry this team, and hot bat like Mickey Hatcher or 4 (Pedro Guerrero, Ron Cey, Steve Yeager, and Steve Garvey) to get hot for a playoff run. Who is that going to be this year? Thus far, the Dodgers certainly appear to be the class of the NL. Will that be good enough to get through 2 playoff series and into the Fall Classic? That is why they play the games. Any team can get hot at the right time, and be unbeatable for a series or two or three. This year it needs to be the Dodgers. They have the players to do it, even if they are not perfect. No team is. So this year it is what if…Clayton gets a little of that Hooten Magic? What if,,,Belli, Corey, AJ, JT all get hot in October? Or what if…CT3, or Kike’ or Joc come off the bench to become heroes? What if…Joe Kelly has another 2018 and KJ goes back to his pre 2017 KJ? What if…Doc lets Rich Hill pitch a complete game shutout in Game 4? What if…LA gets a downtown parade in October.

This article has 57 Comments

  1. What if Negron hits 3rd and is the hero ??? What if Kenley actually can have an 1, 2, 3 inning ??? What if Doc stops making dumb pitching moves and crazy lineups ???? What if Dodgers call up Lux ???

  2. You said “Sometimes the best teams do not win championships. That is why the goal is always to get to the playoffs”

    That’s why you stock your minor league teams and for the most part go with your prospects. Truthfully I’d rather the Dodgers consistently go to the playoffs than go for it all by trading a bunch of top prospects for players that you never know will produce when it counts.

    And thanks for taking me down memory lane as I was a youngster in 1977 and a teen in the 80’s and I enjoyed those Dodger teams.

    1. “That’s why you stock your minor league teams and for the most part go with your prospects. Truthfully I’d rather the Dodgers consistently go to the playoffs than go for it all by trading a bunch of top prospects for players that you never know will produce when it counts.” — SPOT ON!

  3. Johnny Podres grew up in my neck of the woods (literally in the Adirondacks in Witherbee, NY). My family’s next door neighbor, a man named Sherm Chappell, was Johnny’s catcher in High School. Together they went to Brooklyn for open tryouts with the Dodgers. Johnny, of course, was signed. Sherm said that he, as a catcher, could hit and field his position, but couldn’t run a lick and that’s why he didn’t get an offer. I saw Sherm hit a golf ball and I believe he could hit. Sherm went on to be a teacher, coach and later a prinicipal of a High School. So, both of them did alright for themselves.

  4. They should prepare Urias, May, Gonsollin for Bullpen and long relief for October. Dodgers should call up LUX. The White experiment does not look good ( Bring up Gyorko).

  5. AC, you have brought back so so many good memories of some of my very favorite Dodger players and times. I first rooted for the Brooklyn Dodgers as a young girl. I experienced all the exciting times throughout the years with the Blue Crew that you wrote about and the Dodger players that made it all happen. Heck, I even named my parrot Pedro after Pedro Guerrero. I still have the tapes of the Oakland series. So thank you for that amazing write-up. It brought back a lot of memories.

    1. My Dodgers fandom dates back to the Boys of Summer — wonderful to be a Dodgers fan and recall so many great players

  6. On last night’s game, Maeda was terrific and a Joc made another great catch in left field.

  7. AC wrote: “Who here does not remember that Bob Watson fly ball dropping into Kenny Landreaux’s glove for the championship and Steve Howe jumping into the arms of Steve Yeager.” I guess I”m the only one here who doesn’t! I was 10 at the time, but I didn’t start following baseball until 1983. In fact, I didn’t even know who Tommy Lasorda was when he appeared on an episode of “CHiPs” in 1982!

    Also, I wouldn’t say “The Dodgers had no business even getting to the World Series.”. It’s not like the Mets ran away with the NL that year. Yes they won 100 games, but we won 94. We led all of baseball in ERA that year, and pitching like that will always give you a legit chance in a playoff series. We had the Cy Young winner AND the MVP on our team, not the Mets!

    As far as today, let’s take this series. It’ll be a fun next 6-7 weeks fighting for home field for the World Series with NYY and Hou.

    1. While 1963 will always be the most satisfying WS victory, 1981 was my favorite Dodgers WS win. The way they came back against both Houston and Montreal to get to the WS, and then go 2 down against the hated NYY and come back to win 4 straight. I was at all three games at Dodger Stadium. That was special for me.

      In 1988, the Dodgers had four players with a OPS greater than .700; Gibson, Rick Dempsey, and Mike Marshall, John Shelby. The Mets had 10; Darryl Strawberry, Wally Backman, Lenny Dykstra, Keith Hernandez, Gregg Jeffries, Howard Johnson,Dave Magadan, Kevin McReynolds, Mackey Sasser, Mookie Wilson..Many of us thought that Matt Kemp should have won the MVP over Ryan Braun (including me), but that was also the case of 1988 when many believed that Strawberry deserved the MVP over Gibson. I remember being happy, but also very surprised. Just like you will never find a Dodger fan who believed that Braun was more deserving than Kemp, you will not find a Mets fan who believes that Gibson deserved it more than Straw. Some speculate that Kevin McReynolds, who was third in MVP race, took away some higher votes for Straw.

      David Cone, Doc Gooden, Ron Darling, and Sid Fernandez – vs. – Orel Hershiser, Tim Belcher, Tim Leary, John Tudor. Bullpen Closer – Randy Meyers – vs. – Jay Howell . Orel deservedly won the CY, but Cone was #3. The Dodgers had the best pitcher, but NYM had a better overall starting 4 and the better closer.

      The Dodgers were huge underdogs in that series and Gibson went .154/.233/.385/.618 in that series, so MVP or not he was not a factor.

      I love the Dodgers as much as any Dodger fan, but I do not believe that the Dodgers were a better team than either the Mets or A’s. They won the WS, just like the team that was not as good as the Dodgers, Cardinals, Nationals or Royals (or Angels or Orioles) won the 2014 WS. In 1988, the Dodgers jumped on the back of Orel Hershiser, while in 2014, the Giants did so with Bumgarner. It is the hottest players/teams that win championships, not always the best team.

      1. Mike Scioscia’s home run off Dwight Gooden should never be forgotten! That was, and remains, one of the most significant home runs in Dodger history.

        The Dodgers were definitely not the better team in those 2 playoff series.

  8. To answer Jeff directly. Do I know Doc personally? No. But my son does, and he said Doc was one of the most genuine people he ever met. He could talk you up and fill you with positive thought all day long. That was when they were teammates for a short time in 2004. How I know that is that I asked my son after Doc was hired what he thought of him, and he talked a ton about Doc, and since my son does not talk a lot about anyone, I knew he liked and respected Doc. That was also the time when one of his closest friends was the favorite to become the manager, Gabe Kapler. So to say the things he said about Doc when he wanted Kapler said a lot to me.

    You want emotion in the dugout? How about Alex Cora and AJ Hinch. The two most recent WS winning managers. Both are absolute robots compared to Doc. Cora is off in a corner much of the game. Gee, maybe they have something other than high fiving and jumping up and down after a single AB or play to worry about during a game.

    Maybe it is too bad, but the likes of Tommy Lasorda, Sparky Anderson, Billy Martin, Earl Weaver, and Lou Piniella are long gone. As Mark said yesterday, the game has changed, and management has changed with it.

    While I am generally a believer in Doc Roberts (and AF) Doc is not my favorite manager. For personal reasons, Tito Francona will always be my favorite manager. Agreed that Tito is more animated, and he has won 2 championships. But he did not win anything in Philly, and has not won in Cleveland. The PLAYERS win or lose. Doc did not throw to Carson Kelly for either of his HR’s. That was KJ and Julio. I am guessing that Doc should have thrown a tantrum in the dugout after the HR. Or maybe they will talk about the positives and negatives in the clubhouse.

  9. Right now Houston looks downright scary. Alvarez is a beast and they have 7 guys with an OPS of close to .900 or above and with that starting staff!!!!!!! Right now they’re better than the 17 team and better than Boston last year. And right now we’re not good enough to beat them. Several guys are going to have to step up offensively especially Seager and Bellinger. Sorry Mark but for the last 2 and a half months Belli has not been great!

  10. Interested to learn that your son is close friends with Gabe Kapler. He’s a very interesting guy. My son went to high school with him, although they didn’t run in the same circles.

  11. Nice journey down memory lane AC! So many fine players and wonderful moments. I didn’t become fully invested as a Dodger’s fan until 1958 when they first moved to LA. I was 7 at the time. The first Dodger game I attended at the LA Coliseum, Johnny Podres pitched. One of the unique things I remembered about him was that he stood to the side of the dugout and smoked a cigarette during the game. As an 8 year old I thought that was so cool. Of course my friends and I all wanted to smoke, and this gave me more ammunition to encourage us to begin.

    Depending on my time to day, I hope to write a post on Dave Roberts for tomorrow. Your insight from your son’s observations about him speak volumes. So many people in the industry are quoted as having similar thoughts about him. He wasn’t my first choice either(with my limited information, I was leaning towards Kapler), but then again, I wasn’t involved with the interview process. I will admit, that I’m not at all unhappy with the hire(, and whatever problems the Dodgers, that is our first place Dodgers with the most wins in baseball, might have, Dave Roberts is not among them. Thanks for sharing your son’s opinion of Doc.

  12. Considering his recent inane comments, I wonder why anyone would/should have to answer Jeff directly!??!
    A.C. – A great bit of Dodger history again… I had an high school english teacher that required all of us to read Jim Murray’s sports (L.A. Times) sports column daily and he would talk with us about it.. Mr. McGuire didn’t have any interest in sports, But said no one was as better at grammar…A.C., you remind me of Jim Murray…

    1. I found a book of hundreds of Jim Murray columns at an antique store in Healdsburg a couple of years back. I go to it regularly. I appreciate very much what you said, but I would not put me anywhere near who I consider the greatest sports journalist of my lifetime. But again, a huge thank you for that compliment.

  13. Good history AC. I became a Dodger fan in 1955. I was a freshman in HS and a catcher. Roy Campanella was my favorite. All we had was the Saturday game of the week on radio. I must of drove my Dad crazy. I was raised on a farm and Saturday was a work day. I would skip work when I could and go to the house to listen to the game. When I was a senior in HS in 1957, I saw my first game on TV. The 1957 World Series. It had to be a Sunday game because my Dad would never let me me watch a game on a week day. We had to work. We did not have a TV, but a friend did. The reception was terrible. You could not see the baseball. All you saw was a blurred picture of the players. The voice was good. I think Mel Allen was the announcer.

  14. AC
    What a great write up, Wonderful memories.
    I think anyone who became Dodger fans in the 1950’s was blessed to have lived through a golden age. Baseball has changed and while I am loving everything about the 2019 Dodgers, I can’t help feeling nostalgic for those days. Not only have we all got to enjoy this wonderful Dodger ride, we got to do it listening to Vinny,

    I also got to attend the week end series in 1981. I am sure you recall Sandy pitching batting practice and Pedro took him deep to the left field seats. I saw the ball coming off the bat as it was hit right me. If I do nothing it hits me in the belly button, but I tried to bare hand it and it bounced off and over my shoulder to a lady in the row behind.

    PS I also Loved Jim Murray

  15. I too have never seen that play. Definitely an outcome in the age of the shift.

  16. That’s what I would like to see more of from Cody, hitting the ball to center and left-center.

  17. Very refreshing, positive posts today. Love the nostalgia from AC and 2demeter2, Idahoal, DougUgle and others. Nice to skip the “who we didn’t trade for conversations” and the “playoff depth chart” for a day. Even the line up criticisms (like yesterday when I’m thinking Negron hitting 3rd? Who protects JT. And of course JT got walked and Negron came through with an RBI.) What do I know? Let Doc manage.
    I was late to the dance as a Dodger fan. I attended a Dodger try-out camp as a junior in high school and drew some interest. I got some mail and even a Christmas card from the Dodger scout which I was so proud of. I was disappointed when the Dodgers didn’t draft me. The Giants did and later the Phillies. But I fell in love with the Dodgers especially while watching the 1970 Spokane Indians. Maybe the best minor league team ever. Now I live half the year close to Camelback Ranch so I can continue to watch and root on the Dodgers. Enjoyable reading today.

  18. Thanks AC.

    My favorite WS was 1955 with both 1963 (swept Yankees) and 1988 a close second in either order.

    A couple of my favorite moments in 1988 came from unlikely heroes. First, Mike Scioscia’s ninth inning home run against Doc Gooden to keep the Dodgers from going down 3-1 in the NLCS. A walk to John Shelby made it a 2-run homer. Without Scioscia’s blast, Kirk Gibson would not have gotten the chance to win that game with his own home run in the 12th, tying g the series 2-2.

    Before Gibson’s magical home run in the WS, pinch hitter Mike Davis worked a 2-out walk and stole second base, changing the game a bit for Gibson. Pitching with a man on first and then second changed things for Eckersley.

  19. Help me here because I can’t get the game. Did Doc leave YG in the game to hit (into a double play) and then take him out for a new pitcher???

    1. Yes, but it was 8-1 at the time, and a run scored on the play.. It was against a non-pitcher, Alex Avila. No harm done.

      1. Why not give one of our bench players an at bat, I am sure they would have enjoyed it. It still makes no sense to me.

  20. Greg Holland is officially released. I would not be upset to see the Dodgers take a shot at him. I think I would love to see what Holland can do in a pennant race over the next 7 weeks to see if he has anything left. Floro/Garcia/Chargois or Greg Holland at the cost of Jaime Schultz. Who has the better chance of turning things around? What if Holland pulls a 2019 version of the 2018 Joe Kelly?

    1. Excuse me. They told me this was the meeting of the “Let’s Get Greg Holland Fan Club”. I was a member earlier but then stopped paying my dues. I might consider signing up again so put me on your mailing list.
      Any word on Gohara? Has he signed anywhere yet? I certainly wouldn’t count on him for this year but I’d love to see him in Glendale in February.

    2. He was literally shaking during his meltdown against the Dodgers. He’s been quite bad for two years now.

      1. The biggest problem with Holland is his control. Up until his two blown saves against LAD his ERA was at 2.33 and he was pitching fine. After the two blown saves against LAD, he rolled off 5 more saves before getting roughed up by Miami. He has had 4 or 5 bad games this year, two against the Dodgers and two against Miami, and one against Philly. He is not the same Greg Holland, but I have seen enough of Yimi Garcia, JT Chargois, Dylan Floro and Jaime Schultz, and am very unimpressed with Adam Kolarek. Control is generally due to mechanics. The master at looking at film and finding a flaw is Rick Honeycutt. Are you saying that Holland is not worth a try at the cost of Jaime Schultz? He is not going to close. So what if he does fail again, what does it hurt the Dodgers? They can DFA him. But at one time not so long ago, Greg Holland was better than any of those guys, and at 33 what can it hurt? SF picked up Kyle Barraclough. Not a bad gamble either.

  21. For those who are giving the Astros the WS championship, Roberto Osuna could not hold a 2 run lead in the 9th against the mighty Baltimore Orioles, and blew his 5th save. Oh yeah, and Justin Verlander gave up 4 runs in 5 innings to the O’s. Dodger starters did not give up a run in the 3 game series against a better hitting DBacks team, after giving up only 2 against the Cardinals in the three games before this weekend.

    1. STOP! Let them wallow in their swill, even though the Dodgers are on track to win the most games ever!

      Do not inject any facts. Let’s roll with “what if”, “maybes” and “OMG.”

  22. Our starting pitching has been as good as we could wish for the last two weeks. I hope it is a foretaste of more to come

  23. This probably goes against the majority opinions on this blog, but, I think Joc is doing a good job of substituting in right field for Cody. Now I like Cody playing right field and first base, but, I have to admit when I look at the lineup and see him playing first base, I feel a sense of confidence that everything will go good. The team seems to play better when he is there. Has there ever been a gold glove given to someone who plays two positions extremely well?

  24. The last 6 games our starting pitchers have given up 2 runs and the BP has given up 6. The series before that the Pads did rough us up for 16 runs in 3 games (11 by the starters) including 10 in one game. Still our starting pitching has really looked good lately (except for the one Maeda start.

  25. Joe and Orel were pointing out on the broadcast today that relatively few people know how well Ryu pitched last year. Less than 100 innings but the numbers were great.
    Since the beginning of 2018, these are his combined numbers:
    225 innings pitched
    19-5 won-lost
    1.64 ERA
    0.960 WHIP
    210 K
    32 BB
    Back in the good ol’ days, the good pitchers were supposed to go 200 innings. These are pretty great numbers for a span that goes 200 innings plus.

        1. It will be fun to see what Boras starts the bidding at. I’m guessing something like 5/100 even though they know they won’t getting anything near that.
          I agree that Ryu wants to come back here and he’ll probably even give a small hometown discount, but I could easily see SD making a crazy offer that he can’t refuse. Even Farhan might get in on the act and the Angels should definitely be involved.
          I do think Ryu will wind up somewhere on the west coast. We have a good amount of $ coming off the books this year so could certainly afford to be high bidder if we wanted to, especially since there is no crying need to spend huge dollars on anyone except maybe a closer and we know AF won’t do that.

  26. Moriyama and Moura tweeting that Doc feels there is not enough time to build Hill or Stripling back up to start this season. Competition for final playoff starter is Maeda, May and Gonsolin or Urias. I think May just stays in the rotation as the #5 and see who does best down the stretch.

  27. I don’t think there is any way that they let Ryu walk. Hill is a different story, though.

    Has anyone noticed the facial resemblance between Hill and Caleb Ferguson?

    1. I don’t see any way that Hill is back next year, especially if we try to bring Ryu back. No way we’ll go for two older, injury prone starters with all the young studs we have coming up.
      If you’re in Vegas any time soon, place a bet on Hill pitching for Boston next year. He’s from there and they’ll need starters. It’s a match made in heaven.

  28. I became a Dodger Fan at age 8 in 1951 and lived through the “the Giants is dead” when they were 13 1/2 games behind in August, only to see Bobby Thompson hit “the shot heard round the world” and beat the Dodgers! 1955 was finally “next year” as the Dodgers won their 1st World Series. I’ll never forget game 6 with the Dodgers leading 2-0. The Yankees got the first 2 on and Yogi Berra hit a ball to left that looked like a sure double, but Sandy Amoros made a great catch, threw to Pee Wee Reese who threw to Gil Hodges at first doubling up Gil MacDougal. Hank Bauer then grounded out to end the threat. Johnny Podres pitched a complete game winning 2-0.

  29. Yimi might someday turn into a good pitcher if he can ever rid himself of hisHR-itis. Chargois also has impressive stuff, if he could only harness it.

    I accidentally came across this podcast. Don’t remember where, but it might be of interest to some people here, especially the old folks, like me. Features Vin Scully and Carl Erskine in the first half, and Carl Erskine alone in the second half. Runs for about an hour.

    https://bleav.com/podcast/episode-16-the-boys-of-summer-vin-scully-carl-erskine-reunited/

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