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 1950s
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In the 1950s, the Brooklyn Dodgers became the Los Angeles Dodgers as the team made its historic move to the West Coast in 1958. Despite the change in location, the Dodgers dominated the National League, winning five National League pennants (1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1959) and World Championships in 1955 and 1959.
In eight of the 10 years, the Dodgers never finished lower than second place while winning 913 games, the most wins in a decade in Dodger history.
As the decade started, the Dodgers had a new president, Walter O'Malley, who was originally appointed as the club's attorney in 1941. In October of 1950, O'Malley became president and chief stockholder of the Dodgers, a position he would hold for 20 years.
O'Malley saw his team take back-to-back pennants in 1952 and 1953 under Manager Charlie Dressen. In 1953, the Dodgers won a club record 105 games with the well-known "Boys of Summer," including Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Don Newcombe, Carl Erskine, Jim Gilliam, Duke Snider, Preacher Roe and Clem Labine.
Walter Alston became manager in 1954 and guided the Dodgers for 23 seasons, putting together a great list of achievements: 2,042 wins, four World Championships, seven N.L. pennants, nine All-Star appearances and a Hall of Fame induction in 1983.
In 1955, the Dodgers defeated the Yankees and won their first-ever World Championship in a seven-game World Series. The Dodgers took Game 7 at Yankee Stadium as Series MVP Johnny Podres shut out the Yankees, 2-0.
The Dodgers repeated as National League champions in 1956 and once again faced the Yankees. In another heart-stopping World Series, the Yankees prevailed in seven games.
Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe made baseball history in 1956 when he became the first player to win Cy Young and MVP awards in the same season.
As the 1957 season rolled around, the team on the field was overshadowed by the publicity of the team's possible move to the West Coast. Since the early part of the decade, O'Malley had wanted to build a more modern stadium for his ballclub in Brooklyn. New York officials were unable to come up with a suitable site.
On October 8, 1957, O'Malley announced that after 68 seasons in Brooklyn, the Dodgers would be moving to Los Angeles. In a move to bring baseball to all parts of the country, the Giants also decided to relocate from New York to San Francisco. On April 18, 1958, the Dodgers played their first game in Los Angeles, defeating the Giants, 6-5, before 78,672 fans at the Coliseum.
In their final season of the decade, the Dodgers, a team in transition, finished in a first-place tie with the Milwaukee Braves. Two days later, the Dodgers had the N.L. pennant as they swept the Braves in a best-of-three playoff.
The Dodgers then faced the Chicago White Sox in their fifth World Series of the 1950s. Using timely hitting and outstanding pitching, the Dodgers brought their first championship to Los Angeles and beat the Sox in six games. Larry Sherry was impressive, winning two games and saving two, earning MVP honors. Charlie Neal and Chuck Essegian had two home runs apiece.
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| 1950 |
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April 18, 1950: Vin Scully joins Red Barber and Connie Desmond in the broadcast booth.
May 20, 1950: Relief pitchers Ralph Branca, Jack Banta, and Dan Bankhead combine for 9 2/3 no-hit innings in a 4-3 11-inning win over Pittsburgh.
May 30, 1950: Duke Snider belts three consecutive homers vs. Philadelphia.
July 26, 1950: Jim Russell becomes the first player to hit home runs for both sides of the plate twice in his career.
Aug. 26, 1950: Roy Campanella slugs three consecutive homers to help beat the Reds, 7-5 at Crosley Field.
Aug. 31, 1950: Gil Hodges belts four home runs and ends the day with 17 total bases, the most since 1894. He also became the first Dodger to have four extra-base hits in one game twice in his career, and his nine RBIs are a franchise record.
Sept. 18, 1950: Tommy Brown belts three consecutive homers at Ebbets Field, the third Dodger this season.
Sept. 24, 1950: Erv Palica tosses a two-hitter and belts a grand slam to beat Philadelphia, 11-0.
Oct. 1, 1950: The Phillies edge Brooklyn for the pennant by beating the Dodgers, 4-1, in 10 innings on the last day of the season.
Oct. 26, 1950: Walter O'Malley purchases 25 percent of the Dodgers from Branch Rickey, and becomes president. |
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| 1951 |
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March 23, 1951: The Dodgers sign a 21-year lease with Vero Beach, Fla., for Spring Training.
July 1, 1951: Pee Wee Reese triples for the Dodgers' only hit, but the three-bagger drives in a pair of runs, enough to beat the Phillies, 2-1.
Aug. 11, 1951: The first game of a Dodgers doubleheader with the Braves is the first Major League game to be broadcast in color.
Aug. 15, 1951: Carl Furillo is the victim of a legendary play by the Giants' Willie Mays, who makes a sensational catch, spins and throws out Billy Cox at home plate.
Aug. 29, 1951: Gil Hodges sets the Dodgers home run record with his 35th and 36th against the Reds. He would end the season with 40.
Sept. 23, 1951: Preacher Roe benefits from a four-hit performance by Roy Campanella, including a home run, to extend his record to 22-2 with a win over the Phillies. Roe would end up 22-3.
Sept. 27, 1951: Bill Sharman, a future Basketball Hall of Famer, is thrown out of a game -- the only player to be ejected without ever appearing in a Major League game.
Oct. 3, 1951: Bobby Thomson of the Giants hits the "shot heard 'round the world," a home run off Ralph Branca to win the pennant. The Dodgers had led by 12 1/2 games at one point, the greatest lead in franchise history.
Nov. 1, 1951: Roy Campanella is named the National League's Most Valuable Player for the first of three times. |
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| 1952 |
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May 21, 1952: The Dodgers plate 15 runners in the first inning, getting a record 19 consecutive runners to first base safely in the 19-1 win over the Reds. Pee Wee Reese ties a Major League record by reaching safely three times in the inning.
May 23, 1952: Roy Campanella slugs homers in his first two at-bats, including a grand slam, after belting a homer in his final at-bat the game before.
June 19, 1952: Carl Erskine tosses his first no-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Chicago Cubs.
July 6, 1952: Dodgers pitcher and future scouting director Ben Wade becomes the first hurler in franchise history to slug two homers in one game as he beats the Braves, 8-2, in Boston.
Oct. 1, 1952: Rookie reliever Joe Black gets his third start of the season in Game 1 of the World Series and beats the Yankees, 4-2.
Oct. 3, 1952: Preacher Roe picks up the win as the Dodgers take a 2-1 World Series edge over the Yankees with a 5-3 victory.
Oct. 5, 1952: Carl Erskine is the winner in Game 5, but Yankees get past the Dodgers in Games 6 and 7 to win the World Series.
Nov. 21, 1952: Joe Black is voted National League Rookie of the Year. |
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| 1953 |
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March 11, 1953: Holman Stadium in Vero Beach, Fla., is dedicated to Bud L. Holman. The Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 4-2, in front of 5,532.
May 24, 1953: Two bases-loaded triples for the Dodgers sets a modern Major League record. A 12-run eighth inning leads Brooklyn to a 16-2 win over the Phillies.
July 7, 1953: The Dodgers extend their home run streak to a Major League record 24 games. It would reach 39.
Sept. 6, 1953: Roy Campanella belts his 38th home run to set the Major League record for catchers. He would finish with 41. The next day, his three-run homer would give him the Major League RBI record for catchers with his 125th. He wound up with 142 for the season.
Sept. 12, 1953: The Dodgers clinch the pennant earlier than any team in history with a 5-2 win over the Braves.
Sept. 22, 1953: The Dodgers finish their home schedule with a 60-17 record at Ebbets Field, tying for the most wins at home ever. It would not be broken before the schedule was expanded to 81 home games.
Oct. 2, 1953: Carl Erskine sets a record with 14 strikeouts in a World Series game as the Dodgers beat the Yankees, 3-2, in Game 3.
Oct. 5, 1953: The Yankees get past the Dodgers in Game 6 to win the World Series.
Oct. 14, 1953: Chuck Dressen's tenure as manager comes to an end.
Oct. 28, 1953: Broadcaster Red Barber and the Dodgers part ways. Andre Baruch will replace him, with Vin Scully by his side.
Nov. 24, 1953: Walter Alston is named manager of the Dodgers.
Nov. 27, 1953: Roy Campanella is named the National League's Most Valuable Player for the second time in three years.
Dec. 10, 1953: Walter O'Malley unveils plans for a new stadium in Brooklyn that would never come to pass.
Dec. 23, 1953: Jim "Junior" Gilliam is named National League Rookie of the Year. |
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| 1954 |
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April 14, 1954: Don Newcombe returns from serving in the Korean War and beats the Giants, 6-4, on six hits at the Polo Grounds in his first start.
April 23, 1954: Jackie Robinson steals second, third and home before doubling home the game winner in the 13th inning of a 6-5 win over the Pirates.
May 30, 1954: Gil Hodges beats the Giants with a three-run inside-the-park home run.
Aug. 8, 1954: The Dodgers set a National League record with a 13-run eighth inning, beating the Reds, 20-8, at Ebbets Field.
Sept. 26, 1954: Karl Spooner follows his 15-strikeout debut with a 12-strikeout performance, setting a new record in the 1-0 shutout over the Pirates. Gil Hodges sets a Dodgers record with his 25th home run at Ebbets Field and his 42nd of the season, tying Duke Snider for the Dodgers record. |
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| 1955 |
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April 14, 1955: Don Newcombe hits two home runs and beats the Giants, 10-8, at the Polo Grounds.
May 5, 1955: Tommy Lasorda makes his debut on the mound, tying the dubious record of three wild pitches in one inning.
May 10, 1955: Don Newcombe faces the minimum 27 batters in a 3-0 win over the Cubs.
May 11, 1955: The Dodgers' 11-game win streak is snapped. They began the season with a 10-game win streak.
May 26, 1955: Don Newcombe becomes the only National League pitcher to steal home in the 1950s when he triples and steals home in the 9th inning in a 6-2 win in Pittsburgh.
May 30, 1955: Don Newcombe homers twice for the second time this season, beating the Pirates for his eighth straight win.
June 1, 1955: Duke Snider becomes the first Dodger to slug three homers in a game twice as the Dodgers beat the Braves, 11-8, at Ebbets Field.
June 8, 1955: Pitcher Tommy Lasorda is optioned to the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Montreal to make room on the roster for Sandy Koufax.
June 12, 1955: Don Newcombe finally loses a game after starting 10-0.
June 24, 1955: Sandy Koufax makes his Major League debut.
Sept. 5, 1955: Don Newcombe sets a Major League record of home runs by a pitcher by slugging his seventh home run in his 20th win of the season.
Sept. 8, 1955: The Dodgers clinch the National League crown with a 17-game lead, the earliest in team history.
Sept. 20, 1955: The Dodgers become the first team to belt 200-plus homers in a season for the second time.
Sept. 30, 1955: Roy Campanella, who will be awarded his third National League MVP Award, drives in three runs to power Johnny Podres to an 8-3 win over the Yankees in Game 3 of the World Series.
Oct. 2, 1955: Duke Snider becomes the first Major League to have four homers in a World Series when he belts two in Game 5 as rookie Roger Craig pitches 6 innings for the 5-3 win over the Yankees.
Oct. 4, 1955: Johnny Podres leads the Dodgers to their first world championship with a 2-0 win over the Yankees in Game 7. Sandy Amoros makes one of the greatest catches in World Series history to help preserve the win. |
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| 1956 |
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April 19, 1956: The Dodgers play their first game at Roosevelt Stadium.
May 12, 1956: Carl Erskine tosses his second no-hitter, a 3-0 win over the Giants at Ebbets Field.
June 17, 1956: Ed Roebuck's game-winning homer in the first game of a doubleheader with the Braves is the only ball to ever clear the 83-foot left-field wall at Ebbets Field.
June 23, 1956: Don Zimmer gets beaned by a Hal Jeffcoat pitch, breaking his cheekbone and ending his season.
July 21, 1956: Jim Gilliam sets a modern Major League record with 12 assists at second base in a game which also witnessed Pee Wee Reese's 2000th hit.
Sept. 19, 1956: Don Newcombe belts two homers in one game for the third time in his career.
Sept. 25, 1956: Sal Maglie tosses a no-hitter against Philadelphia in a 5-0 victory, just four months after the Dodgers bought the veteran's contract from the Indians.
Sept. 30, 1956: Duke Snider and Sandy Amoros each slug two homers as Brooklyn takes the pennant on the last day of the season.
Oct. 3, 1956: Sal Maglie and the Dodgers open the World Series at Ebbets Field with a 6-3 win over the Yankees.
Oct. 5, 1956: The Dodgers get a lift from Duke Snider, who drills a three-run homer to power the Dodgers to a 13-8 Game 2 win over the Yankees at Ebbets Field.
Oct. 8, 1956: Don Larson tosses the only perfect game in World Series history, blanking the Dodgers, 2-0.
Oct. 9, 1956: The Dodgers force a World Series Game 7 with a 1-0 win by Clem Labine, but the Yankees get past the Dodgers for the title
Nov. 21, 1956: Don Newcombe wins the National League MVP and, one week later, the first-ever Cy Young Award, becoming the only Rookie of the Year in history to also win both awards.
Dec. 13, 1956: Jackie Robinson retires rather than accepting a trade to the Giants. |
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| 1957 |
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January 4, 1957: The Dodgers become the first team to own their own airplane.
Feb. 21, 1957: Walter O'Malley trades the Dodgers' minor league team in Fort Worth, Tex., for the Cubs' Los Angeles Angels in the Pacific Coast League, paving the way for the Dodgers to move to California.
May 28, 1957: The National League stamps its approval on the Dodgers' and the Giants' moves to California.
July 20, 1957: Duke Snider joins the 300-homer club in a 7-5 win over the Cubs at Ebbets Field behind the pitching of Don Drysdale.
Aug. 1, 1957: Gil Hodges sets a National League record with his 13th grand slam and the last of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Sept. 22, 1957: Duke Snider belts the last two homers at Ebbets Field to give him 40 on the season, his fifth straight season reaching the plateau, tying the National League record.
Sept. 24, 1957: Walter O'Malley's Dodgers play their final game at Ebbets Field. |
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| 1958 |
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April 16, 1958: A pair of homers from Duke Snider and some fine pitching from Johnny Podres help the Dodgers to a 13-1 rout of the Giants in the Dodgers' first win in San Francisco.
April 18, 1958: On Opening Day at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, 78,672 fans make for the largest home-opening crowd on record.
April 23, 1958: Gil Hodges belts home run No. 300 and Pee Wee Reese appears in game No. 2000.
May 13, 1958: Charlie Neal goes the other way for an opposite-field home run and the first hit over the right-field fence at the Coliseum.
June 3, 1958: The referendum allowing Los Angeles to sell 300 acres to the Dodgers passes.
Aug. 23, 1958: Don Drysdale slugs two homer and Gil Hodges' record 14th grand slam is the first in Los Angeles Dodgers history. |
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| 1959 |
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Feb. 1, 1959: Zack Wheat is elected to the Hall of Fame.
April 21, 1959: Don Demeter's 11th-inning home run sinks the Giants, 9-7, at the Coliseum. Demeter ends the night with three homers (the first Los Angeles Dodger to accomplish the feat), including the first inside-the-park homer at the Coliseum, and six RBIs.
May 7, 1959: On a night to honor Roy Campanella, 93,103 fans visit the Coliseum, the largest single-game crowd in Major League history.
July 4, 1959: Maury Wills becomes the Dodgers shortstop after being called up from the minors to fill in for Don Zimmer, out with an injured foot.
July 7, 1959: Don Drysdale tosses three perfect innings in his first All-Star Game start, which the National League captures, 5-4.
Aug. 31, 1959: Sandy Koufax strikes out 18 Giants, tying the Major League record and setting a new National League mark.
Sept. 29, 1959: The Dodgers' 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Braves at the L.A. Coliseum clinches the National League pennant for Los Angeles.
Oct. 2, 1959: Charlie Neal smacks a pair of homers in Game 2 to power Johnny Podres to the first World Series victory for Los Angeles, 4-3, over the White Sox in Chicago.
Oct. 4, 1959: A crowd of 92,394 -- the smallest of the three World Series games at the Coliseum -- watches Don Drysdale beat the White Sox, 3-1, in the first World Series game ever played in Los Angeles. Larry Sherry picks up the save, his second of the Series.
Oct. 8, 1959: Larry Sherry, in relief of Johnny Podres, leads the Dodgers to a 9-3 win over the White Sox in Game 6 of the World Series in Chicago, delivering the first world championship on the West Coast. |
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History
