2020 Draft is over and we now have six new prospects to watch -- assuming they sign on the dotted line. On Wednesday they picked University of Louisville right-hander Bobby Miller. Then on Thursday they added five more players -- Landon Knack RHP 60th overall, Clayton Beeter RHP 66th overall, Jake Vogel OF 100th overall, Carson Taylor C 130th overall and Gavin Stone RHP 159th overall.
I made a handful of fantasy custom baseball cards for Knack, Beeter and Vogel. I hope to have more to share soon, so stay tuned.
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This Day in Dodgers History:In 1940 the Dodgers made one of the biggest trades in their history. They received 1937 Triple Crown winner Joe "Ducky" Medwick and pitcher Curt Davis from the Cardinals for outfielder Ernie Koy, pitcher Carl Doyle, two minor leaguers and $125k in cash (a huge sum in those days). The Dodgers would win the pennant the following season for the first time since 1920. In 1955Don Newcombe, having won his first ten decisions of the season, lost his first game of the year when Brooklyn falls to the Cubs, 9-5. In 2005first baseman Hee-Seop Choi hit home runs in his first three at-bats this evening against the Twins to propel the Dodgers over Minnesota, 4-3. Watch all three here.
Here's a fun UP press photo, dated 8/7/1952, of a pregame event for a former Dodger -- Leo Durocher. (eBay auction link)
Wreathed in Smiles... New York: Giant manager Leo Durocher (right) smiles as he bears the easy weight of a huge floral wreath presented to him at the polo grounds, Aug. 7, while Dodger pilot Chick Dressen looks on. Durocher, who holds a plaque given to him by the Section-5 Club, received honors and gifts in a give-away program, as New York met the Brooklyn squad in a night game, the third and last of their current series. Brooklyn won the contest, 7-5.
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This Day in Dodgers History: In 1946 Dodgers righty Ed Head threw a no-hitter against the Boston Braves, 5-0. He said after the game: “I knew I had it all the time – don’t ask me how, but I knew it.” (boxscore) It was his first appearance after returning from the military. In 1958 Dodger first baseman Gil Hodges hit his 300th career home run on the same day that Pee Wee Reeseplayed his 2,000th career game. In 1999 Cardinals third baseman Fernando Tatis becomes the first player in MLB history to hit two grand slams in one inning when he did it against Chan Ho Park at Dodger Stadium, 12-2. You can watch it here.
I wonder what is on Campanella's mind in the photo above.
Watches Old Teammate -- Vero Beach, FLA: Probably recalling the no-hit games of 1952 and 1956 when they were batter-mates, Roy Campanella watches pitcher Carl Erskine warm up during a training session here. Campanella is now a special coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers. 3/4/59.
Photo above available on auction on eBay. Below are more links to check out:
This Day in Dodgers History: In 1957 the Dodgers extend their lease at Ebbets Field for another three years -- as a fallback in case Los Angeles is unable to secure land for a new stadium. They would leave Brooklyn a year later. In 2002 the Dodgers traded outfielder Gary Sheffield to the Braves for Brian Jordan, Odalis Perez and Andrew Brown. In 2009 the Dodgers nightmare is over. They released outfielder Andruw Jones.
Check out this fantastic 1947 pic taken by Cuban photographer Sanchez Y. Cabredo of Jackie Robinson wearing a Montreal Royals uniform during a spring match in Havana against the Dodgers. He is seen scoring after hitting a home run off of a Brooklyn Dodger pitcher (soon-to-be teammate). This photo is currently available at RMY Auctions.
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This Day in Dodgers History: In 1994 the Dodgers signed Korean starting pitcher Chan Ho Park out of Hanyang University in Seoul. He would pitch nine season in Los Angeles -- going 84-58 with an 3.77 ERA, 4.23 FIP and an ERA+ of 108. In 2006 the Dodgers, with closer Eric Gagne on the DL due to Tommy John surgery, traded starting pitcher Edwin Jackson and minor league pitcher Chuck Tiffany to Tampa Bay for relievers Danys Baez and Lance Carter. Edwin Jackson, who won his first Major League game by out-dueling Randy Johnson of the DBacks, would go on to play for 14 different ballclubs -- and he is expected to play for another team in 2020. In 2006 the Dodgers also signed free agent starting pitcher Aaron Sele to a one-year contract. He would go 8-6 with a 4.53 ERA, 4.36 FIP and an ERA+ of 100.
Check out who made it to a Kings game last night. Rams running back Todd Gurley III is wearing the Kings jersey in the middle. To his left is Gavin Lux, Matt Beaty and Dodger prospect Kody Hoese (on the bottom right). I believe the guys to the right of Gurley are also Rams players, but I'm not all that familiar with the team. Photo via @Dodgers on twitter.
Unfortunately, these guys couldn't help the Kings on the ice. They were defeated by the Dallas Stars, 2-1 -- their third loss in a row.
There was a time, not too long ago, when I thought highly of how you played the game. Heck, I still recall fondly your 18-pitch at-bat that one May-day in 2004 when you wowed the Dodger Stadium crowd. You were gamer who exemplified everything that was great - you hustled, you focused on the fundamentals and you certainly didn't cheat.
Now, as a middle aged man, I realize that was all folly.
Are there any heroes in this game anymore?
Via Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Rumors -- "Red Sox Reportedly Utilized Replay Room To Ascertain Opponents’ Signs In 2018."
Per Jeff Passan at ESPN -- "Sources: MLB near decision on discipline for Astros."
Via Chris Cwik at Yahoo Sports -- "Report: Red Sox used video replay room to steal signs during World Series-winning 2018 season."
Via Hubbs at Barstool Sports -- "Major League Baseball's Investigation Of The Cheating Houston Astros Is In Its Final Stages And Lengthy Suspensions Are Expected."
Featured above is a vintage Associated Press photo of Duke Snider grasping his right elbow after being beaned. (eBay Auction Link)
THE DUKE IS FELLED. Duke Snider, hard-hitting centerfielder of the Brooklyn Dodgers, holds his right elbow and falls to the ground after being hit by ball being pitched by Giant relief hurler Marv Grissom in tenth inning of game at Polo Grounds, New York, night of June 29. An examination showed no break, but Snider could hardly lift his arm later. Giants won, 4 to 3, in 13th inning.
Snider sat out the next two games nursing that elbow, and would prove to be just fine when he came in as a pinch hitter during the third game after this incident. He walloped a triple to drive in a run in the ninth inning -- bringing the Dodgers within one run of tying a game (game link).
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This Day in Dodgers History: In 2005 the Dodgers signed free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal to a three year/$39 million contract and Nomar Garciaparra to a one year/$6 million contract. In 2014 the Dodgers received veteran shortstop Jimmy Rollins from the Phillies in exchange for minor league pitchers Tom Windle and Zach Eflin.
The Japan Series begins in earnest later this week, but in the meantime it's MLB players spent the weekend in Hawaii getting prepared and working out. Per Kyle Galdeira at MLB.com:
"We want guys to walk out of here healthy, have a great experience and, when we get to Japan, play at full speed and represent Major League Baseball well," Mattingly said. "It's a great chance to relax a little bit and get ready for the trip."
Photo above of Chris Taylor with University of Hawaii ballplayer Alex Baeza, via Baeza on twitter. Below are more links to check out:
This Day in Dodgers History: In 1936 the Dodgers named former spitballer Burleigh Grimes as their manager. In 1940 former Dodgers lawyer Wendell Willkie loses to third term American President Franklin D. Roosevelt in todays Presidential election. He would later on become VP and legal counsel for Brooklyn in the early 40's and would then be replaced by Walter O'Malley. In 2008 Dodgers pitcher Greg Maddux wins his 18th career Gold Glove.
It's always tough to lose the first game of a playoff series. Nevertheless, it's nothing to worry too much about. Per Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider:
“It’s baseball, we know things can change real quick,” Kemp said. “You know what happened in Milwaukee, we lost the first game and we bounced back.”
Accentuate the positive.
On a side note, did you happen to hear the Dodger chants during the game? That was something I didn't expect to hear.
Photo above via Dodger Insider. Below are more links to check out:
This Day in Dodgers History: In 1963Sandy Koufax is named the unanimous winner of the Cy Young. In 1972 Dodgers great and Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson died of an heart attack at the age of 53 at his home in North Stamford, CT. In 1981 the Dodgers defeated the Yankees in Game 4 of the World Series, 8-7, to tie the series up at two games apiece. In 1986 Dodgers shortstop Bill Russell announced his retirement from the game after an 18-year Major League career.
This Day in Dodgers History: This is one of the worst days in Dodger history. In 1977 Reggie Jackson slammed three home runs against the Dodgers in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium to win the World Series.
It was a hard luck night for Kenta Maeda. He pitched well, and if not for the extraordinary exploits of the Noah Syndergaard at the plate Maeda and the Dodgers would likely have walked away with a win. Via Anthony DiComo and Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:
"The nine-hitter hit two home runs and drove in four runs. You don't see that every day," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
No kidding. The pitcher, who had hit a home run last season, recorded his first two hits of the season, and they both left the yard against the Dodgers. Go figure!
Kenta had this to say:
"They were definitely not good pitches, the ones that he hit for home
runs," said Maeda. "It ended up being a regrettable result contributing
to a total of four runs."
“He was using his breaking ball a lot tonight and just didn’t have that
sharpness to it, working behind hitters,” Dave Roberts said. “Didn’t
have the fastball command. The homer to Syndergaard, the first one, was a
misfire, and the other one was a backdoor breaking ball located down
and away, and he’s a strong kid.
As has been said many times, this is the kind of game you just have to move on from. They beat us fair and square, and all you can do is tip your hat. Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter. Go here to check out a bunch of pics from the game by Jon SooHoo. Below are more links to check out:
This Day in Dodgers History: In 1956 Carl Erskine threw his second career no-hitter against the Giants at Ebbets Field. In 2004 Alex Cora had his famous 18 pitch at-bat (including 14 consecutive fouls balls) at Dodger Stadium against Matt Clement of the Cubs that culminated in an unbelievable two-run home run. You can watch this at-bat here.
Three Dodgers were in Mexicali, Mexico for the first game of the WBC qualifying tournament. One as a broadcaster, another to throw out the first pitch and the third to play the game. Seated from left to right in the photo above are Alex Cora, Fernando Valenzuela and Adrian Gonzalez, as tweeted by Alex Cora. Fortunately, all three would walk away happy from the days results. Team Mexico squeaked out a victory against an upstart Czech Republic team. Via Mark Newman at WorldBaseballClassic.com:
Mexico, a huge favorite in this four-nation qualifier and playing in a party atmosphere at home, scratched out two runs in the first inning and then withstood an eighth-inning homer by Matej Hejma before escaping with a 2-1 victory Thursday over a resilient Czech Republic team.
...
On Thursday, Adrian Gonzalez, the local hero and Dodgers first baseman, walked three times and scored one of the two runs in the first inning. That all happened after he caught the ceremonial first pitch from Fernando Valenzuela, part of a 45-minute pregame spectacle.
"I'm great," Gonzalez said before the game. "Being able to play here in Mexico in the great town of Mexicali, they have a great fan base and people are here from all over to watch us play. Our crowd is one of the best in every WBC. They bring noise and lift us up."
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More cuts in Dodgers spring camp were announced yesterday. Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Urias, De Leon among seven sent to minors."
In news that is not entire surprising, Dave Roberts named Kershaw, Kazmie, Maeda and Wood as his starting four, via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA:
Mike Bolsinger, Brandon Beachy and Zach Lee are the three candidates for the fifth starter spot. Though Beachy isn't currently on the 40-man roster, all three have options should the Dodgers decide to use multiple pitchers in the role in April. But Roberts wouldn't rule out Urias just yet, based on talent alone.
Audio: Listen to Tony Gwynn Jr with Darren Smith at the Mighty 1090AM radio show. He chats about the Dodgers pitching concerns, what it was like to grow up as a kid in the Padres clubhouse and his perspective on the Adam LaRoche controversy. (Link Here)
Video: Yasiel Puig won't be suspended over nightclub incident. He talks about moving on and his latest outing in Spring Training. (Link Here)
Just when you thought his effectiveness on the mound was done, he comes back and pitches a gem. In seven innings of work against the Mets last night he struck out six, walked none and gave up just three hits; including an opening batter solo home run to Curtis Granderson (his 25th of the season).
Haren was quick and efficient, and according to Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, he earned a $250,000 bonus for reaching 150 innings pitched this season. BTW, at 180 inning pitched his contract automatically vest for next season.
"I couldn't care less," Haren said. "It might sound stupid, but who
knows if I would want to play next year? I'd rather throw 179 2/3 and us
win the division, honestly. I've made enough money in my life. I've
been blessed. Hopefully, my kids' kids are set up. It's a lot of money, I
don't want to devalue that and sound like a snob, but my goal is for
this team to achieve what we set out to."
Thankfully, the Dodgers offense came alive as they spread around eleven hits to score six run and earn a victory. Dee Gordon was superb. He knocked in the first Dodger run in the third inning on a single and recorded his Major League leading eleventh triple in the seventh inning.
With the 6 to 2 victory over the Mets they hold onto an 3.5 game lead over the Giants. Now, here are some more links to check out below.
Via Mike Bertha at Cut4, "Yasiel Puig is so popular that people are naming their children after him."
Bye Bye, Albuquerque. Via Michael Baldwin at NewsOK.com, "Oklahoma City RedHawks will be Los Angeles Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate."
A group affiliated with the Dodgers is on the brink of purchasing the local pro baseball team. The group is in the final stages of contract negotiations that began several weeks ago with Mandalay, which announced earlier this year it would be selling its five minor league baseball properties.
Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider takes a look at, "The top Dodger bench players of the 21st century." Chad Kreuter and Alex Cora top the list. My all-time favorite was Olmedo Saenz - "The Killer Tomato."
BTW, Jon also tells us that Corey Seager has been named the California League MVP.
Now, you can win Joc's hooptie! Via an Isotopes press release, "Joc Pederson's Car To Be Given Away Next Friday."
One lucky fan at the Albuquerque Isotopes game next Friday, Aug. 29, will drive away (or tow away) outfielder Joc Pederson's luxurious
1994 Buick Century. Fans will not want to miss the chance to win this
one-of-a-kind car driven by the next Los Angeles Dodgers superstar.
The car, nicknamed "Little Chucky," has only 166,000 miles on it and
has at least one operable window, which is really all you need. It is
perfect for cruising around during the New Mexico summers with its
"awesome" stereo system and lack of air conditioning. Kelly Blue Book
estimates the value at nearly $1,000 (depending on if it has a full tank
of gas). Little Chucky will also come with two complimentary air
fresheners and whatever else Pederson forgets to clean out.
With all of the hoopla that naturally comes from a come-from-behind victory during the playoffs, it's only natural that Dodgers brethren, both current and old, would express their joy for all to hear. Thankfully, twitter provides an avenue for us to hear their screams. Below is a collection of some of the best yells.
From Alex "the best at-bat in Dodger history" Cora:
What a night! So thankful to be apart of this ride with the greatest teammates I could ever ask for! #uribeisajoke
— Clayton Kershaw (@ClaytonKersh22) October 8, 2013
.@ClaytonKersh22 start/Uribe's HR/Kenleys save barley trumps Grenkie's Fantasy Football finally winning a game as biggest win of the day.
— AJ Ellis (@AJEllis17) October 8, 2013
Seriously though our fans brought and energy that we needed to close it out. Thanks to you all for your support and can't wait till NLCS
— AJ Ellis (@AJEllis17) October 8, 2013
Unfortunately, Steve Garvey had his own automotive issues last night.
I've been wanting to post this up for a few weeks now, but had gotten hung up on other things. Besides, I think this story is well worth the wait.
A few weeks ago I ran into a interesting video featuring Dave Austin at Extreme Focus. Watch it below. In it, he tells an interesting backstory to the still-unbelievable 18-pitch Alex Cora home run in 2004.
That's right folks. He says that Alex Cora's focus and determination that lead to one of the more dramatic home runs in Dodgers history may very well have to do with some of the things he spoke to the team about. Better yet, we may have his son to thank for it all.
Naturally, I had to find out more about this, so I emailed Dave for some clarification. After all, the timing of the events in question wasn't exactly clear. Did Cora meet Dave's son on that fateful day, or was it in Spring Training? Below is what he had to say.
My good friend Jim Colborn, who was the Dodgers pitching coach, asked me to come talk to his pitching staff at Dodger stadium
during an off season work out. From there, Jim Tracy talked the front
office into bringing me out to Spring training at Dodgertown. Paul
Depodesta, the new GM, decided not to keep the program going, so Jim kept
it going in his own way.
The night Alex had that amazing at-bat is the
night he looked into Daniel's eyes. In spring training, I told them to
look into the eyes of a champion, and I told them Daniel's story. So, when
we get back to LA, if you wanted to look into the eyes of a true
champion grab Daniel and stare into his eyes. Daniel was given no chance
of survival at birth. It was medically impossible to live, yet he is 14
today. Alex really took that to heart, but I didn't bring Daniel down on
the field until that fateful night. When Alex saw Daniel he ran up to
him and stared into his eyes for a full minute, and then said "I am
ready."
So, Daniel Austin inspired Alex Cora, and that inspiration allowed Cora to focus more acutely than he ever has before, resulting in one of the most talked about at-bats in recent memory. Now, I haven't received additional confirmation of this, but I don't really think it's necessary. After all, this moment in Dodgers history is now the thing of legends, and anything that adds to its the aura and mystique is worth passing around.
In case you're interesting in reliving that Alex Cora home run moment watch the video below.
I just receive a tweet directly from Alex Cora about this post. See what he wrote me below. Considering the passage of time, I'm not surprised any memory of this has disappeared. Still, like I indicated above, the legend is often what really matters most.
2020 Draft is over and we now have six new prospects to watch -- assuming they sign on the dotted line. On Wednesday they picked University of Louisville right-hander Bobby Miller. Then on Thursday they added five more players -- Landon Knack RHP 60th overall, Clayton Beeter RHP 66th overall, Jake Vogel OF 100th overall, Carson Taylor C 130th overall and Gavin Stone RHP 159th overall.
