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 1960s
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The 1960s marked the first full decade of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The location changed, but the results didn't as the Dodgers won two World Series (1963 and 1965), three National League pennants (1963, 1965 and 1966) and just missed a fourth pennant in 1962.
In 1962, Walter O'Malley finally had the stadium he had been seeking for so many years. After four seasons at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the ballclub moved into its new home, Dodger Stadium. The 56,000-seat stadium opened on April 10, 1962 with a game against the Cincinnati Reds. The sparkling new venue did wonders for the Dodgers as they won a Los Angeles record 102 games and tied San Francisco, which won a playoff, two games to one.
Individually, the 1962 season was a success for pitcher Don Drysdale, the Cy Young Award winner; and speedster Maury Wills, who stole a record 104 bases en route to league MVP honors. Tommy Davis won the batting crown and posted a club record 153 RBI and pitcher Sandy Koufax led the N.L. in ERA.
The Dodgers didn't miss another opportunity in 1963 as they won the National League pennant. Winning 19 games in the final month of the season, the Dodgers staved off their challengers. Once again, the Dodgers faced the Yankees in the World Series, but Los Angeles shocked the Bronx Bombers, sweeping them in four games while holding a potent Yankee offense to just four runs.
Koufax was the key to the championship year. The overpowering left-hander, who was later named Player of the Decade, was 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA and 306 strikeouts. He was selected Most Valuable Player and Cy Young winner, while also garnering World Series honors and was named to the All-Star team.
In 1965, the Dodgers were once again World Champions. After winning the pennant with a 97-65 record, the Dodgers won a hard-fought, seven-game World Series over the Minnesota Twins. Koufax was again masterful as he posted two complete game victories in the Series, including a 2-0 shutout in Game 7. The Dodgers followed up in 1966 with another big year as they once again won the National League pennant before losing to Baltimore in the World Series.
Like Koufax, Drysdale was another pitching great of the decade. He won 158 games for the Dodgers and was selected to the All-Star team seven times. Johnny Podres also continued his outstanding pitching in the 1960s with 68 victories, including an 18-5 mark in 1961. Ron Perranoski was the Dodger bullpen stopper, compiling 101 saves and 54 wins with the Dodgers from 1961-67. During the 1963 championship season, he was nearly unbeatable, going 16-3 with 21 saves and a 1.67 ERA.
Although the pitching was the mainstay of the team in the 1960s, the Dodgers did produce some outstanding hitters. Tommy Davis won two consecutive batting titles in 1962 and 1963 and had a lifetime .304 average with the Dodgers. The other Davis -- outfielder Willie Davis -- enjoyed 14 seasons with the Dodgers. The all-time leader in many offensive categories, Willie Davis posted a club-record 31-game hitting streak in 1969. From 1960-64, 6-foot-7 slugger Frank Howard provided the Dodgers with 121 home runs, including 31 in 1962.
John Roseboro, who joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957, played in three World Series during the 1960s (catching every inning) and was a five-time All-Star during his career.
After working as director of scouting for the Dodgers, Al Campanis was named Vice President, Player Personnel in December of 1968 and he would hold that position until 1987. During his tenure, the Dodgers won a World Championship, four N.L. pennants and six Western Division titles.
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| 1960 |
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April 19, 1960: Johnny Podres and the Dodgers beat the Giants, 4-0, in the first contest between the two teams at Candlestick Park.
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| 1961 |
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Sept. 20, 1961: The Dodgers eke out a 13-inning, 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs in the last game played at the L.A. Coliseum.
Sept. 27, 1961: Sandy Koufax fans seven Phils to set a National League record with 269 K's. |
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| 1962 |
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Jan. 23, 1962: Jackie Robinson is elected to the Hall of Fame.
April 10, 1962: The gates open for the first game at brand new Dodger Stadium.
April 11, 1962: Jim Gilliam's home run powers Sandy Koufax to a 6-2 victory over the Reds for the Dodgers' first win at Dodger Stadium.
April 12, 1962: Left-handed reliever Pete Richert makes his Major League debut and fans the first six Reds he faces, including four in one inning.
May 21, 1962: Sandy Koufax strikes out 10 Giants in an 8-2 win in the first Dodgers-Giants game at Dodger Stadium. Tommy Davis celebrates his Dodger Stadium debut with three RBIs.
June 18, 1962: Tommy Davis' ninth-inning homer gives Sandy Koufax a 1-0 win over St. Louis' Bob Gibson at Dodger Stadium.
June 30, 1962: Sandy Koufax K's the side on nine pitches to open up his first no-hitter, fanning 13 Mets total in a 5-0 win at Dodger Stadium.
Sept. 7, 1962: Maury Wills swipes four bases to break the National League record of 81, set by Cincinnati's Bob Bescher in 1911.
Sept. 28, 1962: Maury Wills' steals his 104th of the year, after breaking Ty Cobb's Major League record (96) on Sept. 23.
Oct. 3, 1962: Season ends with Tommy Davis leading the National League with 230 hits 153 RBIs and a .346 average.
Nov. 15, 1962: Don Drysdale wins the Cy Young Award.
Nov. 23, 1962: Maury Wills is named the National League's Most Valuable Player. |
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| 1963 |
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May 6, 1963: Manager Walt Alston asks if anybody wants to "step outside," ending all complaints about a crowded team bus.
May 11, 1963: Sandy Koufax tosses his second no-hitter against the Giants in an 8-0 victory at Dodger Stadium.
June 11, 1963: Nick Willhite becomes the first pitcher in Los Angeles history to debut with a shutout, beating the Cubs, 2-0, in his first Major League contest.
Aug. 8, 1963: Frank Howard and Bill "Moose" Skowron connect for back-to-back pinch-hit home runs, tying a Major League record.
Sept. 12, 1963: Catcher John Roseboro smacks a first-inning grand slam and adds another run later to drive in all five runs in the Dodgers' 5-4 win over the Pirates.
Sept. 24, 1963: Don Drysdale's 4-1 win over the Mets at Dodger Stadium clinches the National League pennant for Los Angeles.
Sept. 28, 1963: Tommy Davis' two hits gives him a .326 average, good enough for his second straight batting title.
Oct. 2, 1963: Sandy Koufax fans the first five batters in the World Series opener and ends the game with 15, a Series record. Los Angeles beats the Yankees, 5-2, at New York and cruises on to a Series sweep. |
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| 1964 |
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Feb 2, 1964: Dodgers spitballer Burleigh Grimes is elected to the Hall of Fame.
April 14, 1964: A 400-foot blast by Ron Fairly and three hits from Maury Wills lead Sandy Koufax to a 4-0 win over the Cardinals in his ninth complete game and only Opening Day start.
June 4, 1964: Sandy Koufax tosses his third no-hitter, fanning 12 Phillies in a 3-0 victory at Connie Mack Stadium. |
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| 1965 |
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Aug. 22, 1965: With Sandy Koufax on the mound, San Francisco's Juan Marichal attacks John Roseboro with his bat. A bench-clearing 14-minute brawl follows.
Oct. 9, 1965: Claude Osteen blanks the Twins, 5-0, in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium to get the Dodgers their first win of the World Series.
Oct. 14, 1965: The Dodgers win their second championship in three years behind Sandy Koufax's three-hit shutout over the Twins. Koufax is named World Series MVP.
Nov. 3, 1965: Sandy Koufax is named Cy Young Award winner by a unanimous vote.
Sept. 9, 1965: Sandy Koufax tosses a perfect game against Bob Hendley and the Cubs at Dodger Stadium for his fourth no-hitter. Sweet Lou Johnson walked in the 5th inning and scored on an error. His seventh-inning single was the game's only hit.
Oct. 2, 1965: Sandy Koufax sets the modern Major League record with his 382nd strikeout in a National League pennant-clinching, 2-1 win over the Braves. |
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| 1966 |
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April 18, 1966: Don Sutton picks up first Major League win with a 6-3 victory over Houston.
July 12, 1966: Sandy Koufax makes his only All-Star Game start in a 2-1 National League win on a scorching-hot day in St. Louis.
Sept. 4, 1966: The Dodgers become the first team in history to draw 2 million fans at home and also on the road.
Sept. 11, 1966: Sandy Koufax and Larry Miller each shut out the Astros to take over first place and record the fourth shutout in three days for Los Angeles.
Sept. 12, 1966: Dodgers reliever and future pitching coach Ron Perranoski fans six straight Cards in a 3-2 win.
Oct. 2, 1966: The Dodgers split a doubleheader at Philadelphia and clinch the National League pennant. Sandy Koufax picks up the win in the nightcap, his 27th of the season and last of his spectacular career.
Oct. 9, 1966: The Orioles shut out the Dodgers, 1-0, to complete a World Series sweep.
Nov. 1, 1966: In the last year that only one Cy Young Award is given for both leagues, Sandy Koufax is the unanimous winner for the 2nd-straight year and becomes the first 3-time winner.
Nov. 18, 1966: Due to an arthritic left elbow, Sandy Koufax announces his retirement. |
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| 1967 |
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Jan. 29, 1967: Branch Rickey is elected to the Hall of Fame.
April 21, 1967: Los Angeles Dodgers fans are stunned when water falls from the sky! Well, it's just rain, but it's the first rainout in Los Angeles Dodgers history after 737 games on the West Coast. |
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| 1968 |
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April 13, 1968: Don Drysdale's four-hit shutout over the Mets, 1-0, is his 191st win, breaking the club record set by Dazzy Vance.
May 31, 1968: Don Drysdale's scoreless-innings streak appears to be over when he hits Dick Dietz with the bases juiced in the ninth inning. But home-plate umpire Harry Wendlestadt rules that Dietz made no effort to avoid being hit and the Dodgers prevail, 3-0, over San Francisco.
June 8, 1968: Don Drysdale sets the Major League record with 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings before finally allowing a run to the Phillies. |
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| 1969 |
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Ja. 21, 1969: Roy Campanella is elected to the Hall of Fame.
April 7, 1969: Bill Singer is credited with baseball's first official save in a 3-2 win over the Reds.
June 28, 1969: Don Drysdale and the Dodgers equal the National League's shutout margin record by handing the Padres their second 19-0 defeat of the year.
Aug. 5, 1969: Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell smacks a 506-foot, six-inch homer out of Dodger Stadium. It is the first ball to leave the park and Stargell will do it again on May 8, 1973.
Aug. 11, 1969: Don Drysdale, the last active Dodger to have played in Brooklyn, retires.
Sept. 3, 1969: Willie Davis' base hit in the Dodgers' 5-4 win over the Mets at Dodger Stadium extends his club-record hitting streak to 31 games. |
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History
