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 1980s
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Throughout the 1980s, the Dodgers enjoyed one of their most successful decades in club history. The Dodgers captured two World Championships (1981 and 1988), four National League Western Division titles (1981, 1983, 1985 and 1988) and won 825 games, tying them with the St. Louis Cardinals for most victories by a National League team during the decade.
In 1980, Don Sutton set a Dodger record with his 52nd career shutout. The Dodgers also reached 3 million in home attendance for the second time in three years and hosted their first All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. Before a capacity crowd of 56,088, the National League beat the American League, 4-2. The All-Star Game also marked the debut of the Dodgers' new Dodger DiamondVision Board.
On Opening Day in 1981, rookie Fernando Valenzuela -- forced to start because of an injury to Jerry Reuss -- blanked the Astros, 2-0, at Dodger Stadium, which was the beginning of "Fernandomania." Valenzuela took the baseball world by storm in 1981. The 20-year-old from Mexico became the first rookie to win Cy Young Award honors and he helped the Dodgers win the World Series over the New York Yankees.
On September 30, 1982, Steve Garvey, cornerstone for the Dodgers at first base, played his final game for the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Garvey had three hits in the game and moved into third place on the all-time list with 1,104 consecutive games played. Also in 1982, second baseman Steve Sax won Rookie of the Year honors.
In 1983, without longtime Dodgers Steve Garvey and Ron Cey, a young Los Angeles team won the division with 91 victories. Steve and Dave Sax made history as the only brothers to start a game for the Dodgers.
On April 25, 1985, Fernando Valenzuela set a Major League record for most consecutive innings at the start of a season without allowing an earned run (41) before the Padres ended the streak.
Two years later on September 16, 1987, Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass at Dodger Stadium.
The 1988 season was the most memorable of the decade. Picked by some experts to finish fourth in their division, the Dodgers captured the Western Division and defeated the heavily favored New York Mets in the League Championship Series and Oakland Athletics in the World Series.
The 1988 World Series gave fans what was later voted as "The Greatest Sports Moment in Los Angeles History" when Kirk Gibson hit a dramatic pinch-hit, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off Oakland relief ace Dennis Eckersley to give the Dodgers a 5-4 victory in Game 1 at Dodger Stadium. Gibson was later named league MVP.
During the decade, many other great names came to the forefront. Pitcher Orel Hershiser posted double-digits in wins in his six years as a starter, including his phenomenal 1988 Cy Young Award season when he hurled a record 59 consecutive scoreless innings, surpassing the previous mark of 58 2/3 innings by Dodger pitcher Don Drysdale in 1968.
Other significant Dodgers of the 1980s included second baseman Steve Sax, who played seven solid years for the Dodgers; catcher Mike Scioscia, who along with Valenzuela were the only Dodgers to play every year of this decade; infielder-outfielder Pedro Guerrero, who hit 169 home runs and drove in 575 runs; pitcher Bob Welch, who won 103 games and fanned over 1,100 batters; outfielder Kenny Landreaux, who enjoyed seven seasons with the ballclub; and outfielder Mike Marshall, who averaged 17 home runs in the last eight seasons.
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| 1980 |
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May 12, 1980: Dodger rookie Rudy Law swipes four bases in Don Sutton's 2-1 win over the Cubs at Dodger Stadium.
July 4, 1980: Don Sutton tosses his Dodgers-record 52nd shutout and Reggie Smith hits the 7,000th homer in Dodger history as Los Angeles beats San Francisco, 4-0, at Dodger Stadium.
July 8, 1980: Bob Welch and Jerry Reuss are the stars of the show as Dodger Stadium hosts the All-Star Game, a 4-2 win for the National League.
June 27, 1980: Jerry Reuss tosses a no-hitter, fanning only two Giants, but walking none in an 8-0 win at Candlestick Park. A first-inning throwing error by Bill Russell prevented Reuss from earning the perfect game.
Oct. 5, 1980: The Dodgers win their third straight against the Astros to force a one-game playoff for the NL West. Manny Mota picks up the final pinch-hit of his career, his Major League record 150th, and Ron Cey belts a two-run homer in the 8th for the 4-3 win.
Oct. 6, 1980: The Astros get past the Dodgers with a 7-1 win to capture the NL West and continue to the postseason.
Dec. 1, 1980: Steve Howe wins the National League Rookie of the Year Award. |
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| 1981 |
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April 9, 1981: Fernando Valenzuela, making an emergency Opening Day start, the first start of his career, shuts out the Astros, 2-0, on five hits.
May 14, 1981: Fernando Valenzuela tosses a three-hitter to beat Montreal, 3-2, his eighth consecutive win to open the season.
June 11, 1981: A strike interrupts the season, but the Dodgers clinch a playoff appearance by finishing the first half in first place.
Sept. 17, 1981: Fernando Valenzuela tosses his eighth shutout of the season, a 2-0 three-hitter over the Braves to set the National League rookie record.
Oct. 11, 1981: The Dodgers complete a three-game Dodger Stadium sweep over Houston to win the Division Series, 3-2, and head to the NLCS.
Oct. 19, 1981: Rick Monday's solo homer with two down in the top of the ninth gives the Dodgers a 2-1 win over the Expos in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, sending Los Angeles to the World Series.
Oct. 28, 1981: Pedro Guerrero, Ron Cey, and Steve Yeager are named co-MVPs of the World Series after the Dodgers beat the Yankees, 9-2, in Game 6.
Nov. 11, 1981: Fernando Valenzuela wins the Cy Young Award, the first rookie to do so.
Dec. 2, 1981: Fernando Valenzuela wins the National League Rookie of the Year Award. |
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| 1982 |
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Feb. 8, 1982: Davey Lopes is traded to the A's, breaking up the longest playing infield in history (Steve Garvey, Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey), who had been starters since 1974.
June 7, 1982: Steve Garvey plays in his 1,000th consecutive game.
Aug. 1, 1982: Vin Scully is inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Aug. 13, 1982: Steve Sax swipes his 41st base, surpassing Rudy Law for the Dodgers rookie record. Sax would finish the season with 49.
Nov. 22, 1982: Steve Sax becomes the fourth consecutive Dodger to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. |
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| 1983 |
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March 10, 1983: Walter Alston is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
May 24, 1983: Alejandro Pena tosses the Dodgers' third consecutive shutout, a four-hit, 4-0 win in Philadelphia to follow a 2-0 win over the Mets by Bob Welch and a 5-0 win over the Phillies by Fernando Valenzuela.
June 28, 1983: Pedro Guerrero slugs his first grand slam and the Dodgers score eight times in the fourth inning to beat the Padres, 9-5.
July 31, 1983: Walter Alston is inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Sept. 30, 1983: Fernando Valenzuela beats the Giants, 4-3, and rookie Orel Hershiser picks up his first save as the Dodgers clinch the NL West crown.
Oct. 8, 1983: The Phillies get past the Dodgers, 7-2, in Game 4 of the NLCS to advance to the World Series. |
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| 1984 |
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Jan. 10, 1984: Don Drysdale is elected to the Hall of Fame.
March 4, 1984: Pee Wee Reese is elected to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee.
July 10, 1984: Fernando Valenzuela fans Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett in the 4th inning of the All-Star Game, 50 years after Carl Hubbell made history by fanning five in a row at the Midsummer Classic. Dwight Gooden followed Valenzuela with three Ks in the 5th. |
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| 1985 |
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June 30, 1985: Pedro Guerrero ties the Major League record with his 15th home run of the month, a two-run game-winning blast off Braves closer Bruce Sutter.
Oct. 2, 1985: Orel Hershiser's 19th win against three losses is the NL West Clincher, a 9-3 win over the Braves. It is Hershiser's 11th consecutive victory.
Oct. 16, 1985: The Cardinals' Jack Clark takes Tom Niedenfuer deep for a three-run homer with two down in the top of the 9th, beating the Dodgers 7-5 and winning the NLCS, 4-2. |
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| 1988 |
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Aug. 27, 1988: The Dodgers 4-2 win over the Phillies is Tommy Lasorda's 1,000th game at the helm.
Sept. 26, 1988: Alejandro Pena gets the win as the Dodgers slip past the Padres, 3-2, at Qualcomm Stadium to clinch the NL West.
Sept. 28, 1988: With Don Drysdale in the broadcast booth, Orel Hershiser pitches 10 scoreless innings, breaking Drysdale's Major League record with his 59th consecutive scoreless frame.
Oct. 9, 1988: Mike Scioscia's drills a 9th-inning 2-run homer to tie Game 4 of the NLCS at 4-4, and Kirk Gibson evens the Series with the game-winning solo homer in the 12th.
Oct. 12, 1988: After losing 10-of-11 to the Mets during the regular season, the Dodgers win Game 7 of the NLCS, 6-0, behind Series MVP Orel Hershiser's five-hitter.
Oct. 15, 1988: In the "Greatest Sports Moment in L.A. History," Kirk Gibson hobbles to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and belts a two-run walk-off home run off the game's best closer, Dennis Eckersley, to give the Dodgers a 5-4 win in Game 1 of the World Series. It was Gibson's only plate appearance in the Series.
Oct. 20, 1988: The Dodgers are world champions once more as Series MVP Orel Hershiser tosses a four-hitter for a 5-2 win over the A's in Game 5.
Nov. 10, 1988: Orel Hershiser is unanimously selected as National League's Cy Young Award winner.
Nov. 15, 1988: Kirk Gibson wins the National League MVP Award. |
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| 1989 |
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April 10, 1989: Eddie Murray's ninth-inning grand slam is his 15th, but his first home run in the National League, and it helps the Dodgers beat the Giants, 7-4. |
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History
