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 1970s
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The Los Angeles Dodgers of the 1970s were a team of winners. Three National League pennants and three appearances in the World Series (1974, 1977 and 1978) along with 910 victories (second-best decade in Dodger history) are certainly enough credentials for a successful decade.
Peter O'Malley was named club president on March 17, 1970 and his father, Walter O'Malley, assumed the position of Chairman of the Board.
In the 1970s, no Dodger team ever finished lower than third. In 1971, the Dodgers finished just one game behind division winner San Francisco. But in 1974, the Dodgers reached the top, winning the division and posting 102 victories, the most by a Dodger team since 1962. The Dodgers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the League Championship Series, three games to one, to earn a trip to the Fall Classic for the first time in eight years.
After 23 years, Hall of Fame Manager Walter Alston retired and handed over the reins to Tommy Lasorda, who became only the second National League manager to win pennants in his first two seasons (1977 and 1978). The results were carbon copies as his teams in 1977 and 1978 defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the League Championship Series in four games, only to lose to the New York Yankees in the World Series in six games.
During this era, the Dodgers had an infield featuring first baseman Steve Garvey, second baseman Davey Lopes, shortstop Bill Russell and third baseman Ron Cey. The foursome began playing as a unit in 1973 and would spend a record 8 1/2 seasons together.
In 1977, the Dodgers made history when four members of the team hit 30 or more home runs: Steve Garvey (33), Reggie Smith (32), Ron Cey (30) and Dusty Baker (30). Behind the plate, catcher Steve Yeager was the picture of durability. One of the best Dodger catchers in history, Yeager played 14 seasons with the ballclub and was a tri-World Series MVP in 1981.
On the mound, the Dodgers had many stars. Don Sutton won 166 games during this decade, including a career-high 21 victories in 1976. In his final four seasons with the Dodgers from 1970-73, Claude Osteen won 66 games while Andy Messersmith won 55 games during his Dodger career (1974-76, 1979). Burt Hooton won 112 games in 10 years with the Dodgers, including 71 in the 1970s while left-hander Tommy John notched 87 wins and a 2.97 ERA in six years.
Out of the bullpen, the Dodgers looked to Jim Brewer in the early 1970s. In 1974, Mike Marshall became the first reliever in baseball history to win the Cy Young Award. The right-hander appeared in a record 106 games, had 21 saves and posted a 2.42 ERA. In the late 1970s, Charlie Hough and Terry Forster were the aces of the bullpen.
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| 1970 |
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March 17, 1970: Walter O'Malley becomes chairman of the board and his son, Peter O'Malley, succeeds him as president of the Dodgers.
May 7, 1970: Wes Parker becomes the first and only Los Angeles Dodger to hit for the cycle with a game-winning, 10th-inning triple to beat the Mets, 7-4.
May 26, 1970: The Dodgers beat the Giants, 19-3, on 20 hits in their most lopsided contest with their biggest rivals.
July 20, 1970: Bill Singer tosses a no-hitter against the Phillies, giving up no walks in the 5-0 win. |
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| 1971 |
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Aug. 1, 1971: Manny Mota swipes home to beat the Reds, 5-4, in the 11th at Dodger Stadium. |
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| 1972 |
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January 19, 1972: Sandy Koufax is elected to the Hall of Fame, the youngest honoree in history at age 36.
May 20, 1972: Bobby Valentine's first-inning homer and Al Downing's two-hitter give the Dodgers a 3-0 win over Houston in the shortest game in Dodgers history at exactly an hour and a half.
May 31, 1972: Manny Mota's 10th-inning triple gives the Dodgers their 10th straight win over the Giants at Candlestick Park.
Sept. 2, 1972: Pitcher Doug Rau triples and fires a three-hitter at the Cardinals in his big league debut, a 3-1 Dodgers victory.
Oct. 24, 1972: Jackie Robinson dies of heart disease at age 53. |
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| 1973 |
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May 8, 1973: Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell ties himself as the first player to hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium.
June 13, 1973: The Dodgers infield of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey wraps around the horn for the first time in Dodgers uniforms. |
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| 1974 |
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May 11, 1974: Jimmy Wynn belts three homers, including a grand slam, to beat the Padres, 9-6, in San Diego.
July 23, 1974: Steve Garvey, the first write-in All-Star is named MVP after the National League wins, 7-2, in Pittsburgh.
Aug. 20, 1974: The Dodgers bang out 24 hits and set a club record with 48 total bases in an 18-8 rout over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Davey Lopes has five hits including three homers and a double.
Aug. 24, 1974: Davey Lopes steals five bases 3-0 win over the Cardinals.
Sept. 25, 1974: Dr. Frank Jobe transplants a tendon from Tommy John 's right wrist to his left elbow, and eighteen months later John is pitching again.
Oct. 1, 1974: Don Sutton picks up his 19th victory with an 8-5 win over the Astros to clinch the NL West for Los Angeles. Reliever Mike Marshall appears in his Major League-record 106th game.
Oct. 9, 1974: The Dodgers beat the Pirates, 12-1, to win the National League pennant, 3-1. Don Sutton wins his 11th consecutive LCS game including his Game 1 win.
Oct. 17, 1974: The A's win their third straight world championship with a 3-2 win over the Dodgers in Game 5 in Oakland.
Nov. 6, 1974: Mike Marshall becomes the first reliever to win the Cy Young Award after setting Major League records with 208 innings in 106 appearances.
Nov. 13, 1974: Steve Garvey wins the National League MVP Award with a .312 BA, 200 hits, 21 home runs, 95 runs and 111 RBIs. |
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| 1975 |
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May 31, 1975: Andy Messersmith saves Don Sutton's 3-1 win at Wrigley Field in a game that had to be continued from the night before, and then starts the next game, a 2-1 loss.
July 23, 1975: The Dodgers tie a Major League record with two pinch-homers in one inning as Willie Crawford and Lee Lacy go deep.
Aug. 9, 1975: Davey Lopes breaks the Major League record with his 32nd consecutive stolen base without being caught. Lopes will extend his record to 38 on Aug. 12, before being caught by Hall of Famer Gary Carter. |
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| 1976 |
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April 9, 1976: Dusty Baker homers in his first at-bat as a Dodger.
April 12, 1976: The first rainout since April 21, 1967 (724 games) at Dodger Stadium prevents the Dodgers from playing the Braves.
April 25, 1976: Cubs outfielder and future Dodger Rick Monday rescues a flag from two fans who are attempting to burn it in the outfield at Dodger Stadium.
Sept. 6, 1976: Steve Yeager suffers a life-threatening injury when Bill Russell's bat breaks and a sharp fragment hits Yeager in the neck as he stands in the on-deck circle.
Sept. 22, 1976: Don Sutton beats the Giants at Candlestick Park, 3-1, for the future Hall of Famer's first 20-win season.
Sept. 29, 1976: Tommy Lasorda becomes manager as Walter Alston steps down after 23 seasons and 2,040 victories. |
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| 1977 |
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April 7, 1977: Don Sutton beats the Giants, 5-1, at Dodger Stadium to give Tommy Lasorda his first win as manager.
July 19, 1977: Don Sutton takes home the All-Star MVP Award after tossing three scoreless frames at Yankee Stadium. Steve Garvey, the top vote-getter, connects for a homer in the National League's 7-5 win.
Aug. 18, 1977: Don Sutton ties a National League record with his fifth one-hitter, a 7-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.
Sept. 13, 1977: Dusty Baker drives in five runs in the second inning as the Dodgers blow past the Padres, 18-4.
Sept. 20, 1977: The Dodgers beat the Giants, 3-1, with Tommy John on the mound to clinch the NL West.
Oct. 2, 1977: Dusty Baker's homer in his final at-bat of the season is his 30th. Steve Garvey slugged 33, Reggie Smith drilled 32, and Ron Cey belted 30 to make the Dodgers the first team with four hitters to reach the 30-homer plateau in the same season.
Oct. 8, 1977: The Dodgers clinch the National League pennant with a 4-1 win over the Phillies. Dusty Baker wins the NLCS MVP.
Oct. 18, 1977: Reggie Jackson's three home runs help the Yankees to an 8-4 win in Game 6 and 4-2 World Series victory over the Dodgers. |
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| 1978 |
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April 7, 1978: Don Sutton sets a club record by starting in his seventh season opener, a 13-4 win over the Braves in Atlanta.
May 6, 1978: Lee Lacy hits a pinch-hit home to become the first Major Leaguer to hit two consecutive pinch-homers.
July 11, 1978: Steve Garvey wins the All-Star MVP Award after he singles and triples to help the National League to a 7-3 win in San Diego.
Sept. 15, 1978: The Dodgers set the bar high with the first 3 million attendance record in Major League history.
Sept. 23, 1978: Burt Hooton notches win No. 19 as the Dodgers clinch the NL West with a 5-3 win over San Diego.
Oct. 7, 1978: Bill Russell's 10th-inning 2-out single drives in Ron Cey as the Dodgers win the Game 4 of the NLCS, 4-3, to earn a trip back to the World Series.
Oct. 11, 1978: Bob Welch stands in against Reggie Jackson and fans the feared slugger in the ninth inning to preserve Burt Hooton's win in Game 2 of the World Series. But the Yankees came back from a 2-0 deficit to win the Series, 4-2. |
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| 1979 |
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May 3, 1979: Rick Sutcliffe comes out of the bullpen for his first Major League start and beats the Phillies, 5-2, at Dodger Stadium.
May 20, 1979: Don Sutton's 6-4 win in Cincinnati moves him past Don Drysdale and into first place on the all-time Dodgers wins list with 210.
May 25, 1979: The Dodgers belt a Dodger Stadium-record seven home runs in a 17-6 rout over the Reds.
Aug. 9, 1979: Walter O'Malley dies, 28 days after the death of his wife, Kay, and ownership of the Dodgers is assumed by Peter O'Malley and his sister, Terry Seidler.
Aug. 10, 1979: Don Sutton blanks the Giants, 9-0, at Candlestick Park for his 50th shutout, passing Don Drysdale for most in club history.
Sept. 29, 1979: Manny Mota picks up his 146th pinch-hit to set the Major League record in a tough loss to J.R. Richard and the Astros.
Nov. 28, 1979: Rick Sutcliffe is named National League Rookie of the Year. |
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History
