1995 Los Angeles Dodgers: Nomo Arrives & The Dodgers Rise
The Los Angeles Dodgers came into 1995 in a postseason drought. They hadn’t won the NL West title since their epic World Series championship run of 1988. Their last serious run at it came in 1991. In 1994, the Dodgers looked ready to take advantage of the division being realigned into its current format (except for the yet-to-exist Arizona Diamondbacks) and led a weak group with a 58-56 record in August—until the strike cancelled the season. This proud franchise needed to get back on its feet. And that’s exactly what they did, winning the NL West in 1995 for veteran manager Tom Lasorda in the twilight of his career.
A DEEP ROTATION
A big free-agent signing set the tone for 1995. Hideo Nomo, a 26-year-old starting pitcher out of Japan, was a global phenomenon. While not the first player from Japan to play in the majors, he was the first in a generation and the Dodgers’ signing him ushered in a new era for MLB as a whole. Moreover, he had a dynamic throwing motion that attracted attention in its own right. “Nomo-Mania” was most definitely a thing in the spring of 1995.
Nomo went 13-6, posted a 2.54 ERA over 28 starts and won NL Rookie of the Year honors. And he just one piece of an excellent pitching staff. Ramon Martinez (older brother of Hall of Famer Pedro) won 17 games and finished with a 3.66 ERA. Ismael Valdez, at the age of 21, stepped into the rotation and grabbed 13 more wins with a 3.05 ERA. Tom Candiotti was at the other end of the career spectrum, now 38-years-old. While Candiotti could only muster seven wins, that was more about run support—he delivered a 3.50 ERA over 30 starts.
Todd Worrell was a reliable closer, saving 32 games with a 2.02 ERA. Pedro Astacio provided reliable work in relief and doing spot-starting. All of it added up to the second-best staff ERA in the National League.
POWER AT THE TOP CAN’T COVER FOR PROBLEMS ELSEWHERE
The offense was more of a problem. Los Angeles had some legitimate star power. Mike Piazza was behind the plate, and the future Hall of Famer had a stat line of .400 on-base percentage/.606 slugging percentage, hitting 32 homers. Eric Karros was at first base. He popped 32 homers of his own and finished with a stat line of .369/.535. Piazza and Karros finished 4-5 in the final voting for NL MVP.
Raul Mondesi added some power in rightfield, hitting 26 home runs. Delino DeShields was a base-stealing threat, and the second baseman swiped 39 bags. But the rest of the lineup struggled to produce. The Dodgers finished 10th in the National League for runs scored.
A SLUGGISH OPENING
The strike that ended the 1994 campaign wasn’t resolved until the spring of ’95, so an abbreviated 144-game season didn’t start until late April. Los Angeles made an early statement in May, sweeping the Colorado Rockies and taking advantage of Coors Field to score 35 runs over the three games. But the Dodgers immediately went into a slump, losing eight of ten at home against mostly mediocre teams.
When Memorial Day weekend arrived, L.A. was underwater at 13-17. The good news is that, like last year, there was no dominant pace-setter in the NL West. Colorado’s 16-14 record was leading the way.
EARLY SUMMER STABILIZATION
The Dodgers came out of the holiday weekend and dropped two of three in Philadelphia, where the Phillies were off to a blazing start. But after that, Los Angeles started to stabilize. They won five of nine games on a homestand against NL East teams. They took advantage of a road trip through Pittsburgh, the North Side of Chicago, and St. Louis—all mediocre teams—and went 6-3. That got the Dodgers back to .500.
Los Angeles returned to facing their key division rivals and surged, sweeping four straight at home from the Giants and taking two of three from the Rockies. But a schedule stretch against the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds, the National League’s two best teams, produced a 1-5 skid going into the break.
The Dodgers were 34-35, five games back of Colorado. But at a time when there was only one wild-card berth per league, Los Angeles had to make its move.
SURGING FORWARD
L.A. faced a schedule heavy on the Florida Marlins and Houston Astros out of the break, the latter in contention for a playoff spot. The Dodgers went 7-6 playing these two teams home-and-home and held serve in the standings.
In late July, they again faced the Braves and Reds. And this time it triggered a surge forward—Los Angeles swept a two-game set from Atlanta, beat Cincy two of three, and then did the same in Colorado. That was the precursor to winning nine of the next thirteen.
Moreover, the front office did something to help the lineup. The Dodgers acquired veteran centerfield Brett Butler, who assumed the leadoff role and posted a .368 on-base percentage the rest of the way.
A late August swoon cost the Dodgers some momentum. But on Labor Day, they were squarely in the mix, at 62-59 and just a half-game back of Colorado. What’s more, the wild-card was now on the table—Los Angeles led Houston by a half-game and were plus-1 on Philadelphia.
A STRETCH DRIVE STATEMENT SERIES
The wild-card picture made a home series with Philadelphia that began on Labor Day afternoon a big one. Candiotti took the ball and pitched well into the seventh inning. Mondesi hit a two-run blast in the bottom of the seventh that opened up some breathing room and the Dodgers won 5-1.
On Tuesday night, Nomo pitched five solid innings and handed it over to the bullpen. A tense 1-1 game went to the bottom of the ninth. Piazza singled. Roger Cedeno came off the bench to pinch-run for the catcher and promptly stole second. DeShields dropped a bunt down and beat it out. After an intentional walk, the bases were loaded with none out.
L.A. briefly flirted with disaster. Jose Offerman couldn’t deliver the winning run, and neither could Carlos Hernandez. The lineup flipped over to Butler, who worked a full-count walk. The Dodgers literally walked off a 2-1 win.
Even though they wasted some good pitching from Valdez on Wednesday night in a 1-0 loss, Los Angeles had kept pace in the division race, created breathing room for the wild-card and the Phillies would slowly start to fade.
SETTING UP THE FINAL PUSH
The Dodgers followed that series win by sweeping Pittsburgh and then splitting six with the Cardinals and Astros. Now 70-62, Los Angeles was still a game back of Colorado but were up by 1 ½ over Houston.
With two weeks to go, the Dodgers split a pair with the Giants and then took three of four from the Padres. Los Angeles would enter the final week of play a half-game back of the Rockies and still holding a 1 ½ game margin on the Astros. And the biggest series yet was on tap.
SHOWDOWN WITH THE ROCKIES
Colorado came into Dodger Stadium on Monday to begin a three-game set. In the opener, L.A. trailed 3-2 in the sixth inning. Karros hit a two-run blast, Martinez worked eight strong and the Dodgers held on to the 4-3 win. They were in first place. The Astros kept the pressure on in the wild-card race.
Tuesday night was rougher—L.A. lost 7-3, slipping back behind Colorado, while Houston won again. The margin was now a half-game in both directions—trailing the Rockies, but ahead of the Astros. However, Los Angeles did not control the half-game, with an off-day on Thursday.
Those were the stakes for the Wednesday night series finale with Colorado. And the offense, after so many struggles this year, came through. Eight different players combined for 12 hits. Karros homered. The Dodgers won 7-4, and the Astros also lost.
CLOSING IT OUT
The stage for the final weekend was set on Thursday, and it worked out great for Los Angeles. Colorado and Houston both lost. The Dodgers had a full one-game lead on the Rockies and were up two games on the Astros.
Los Angeles was in San Diego for the final three games. Friday night had the makings of a disaster—the bullpen blew a 5-2 lead in the eighth inning and lost 6-5. But neither Colorado nor Houston could take advantage, so the standings held.
Saturday’s game was tied 1-1 after six innings, with Nomo pitching well. The big bats came through—Mondesi and Piazza broke it open. When Worrell got Andujar Cedeno to pop out to end the 7-2 win, it was official—the Dodgers were in the playoffs. They were going to finish ahead of the Astros regardless, and even with a one-game lead on the Rockies, it was Los Angeles who had the head-to-head tiebreaker, so they would be going to the postseason as NL West champs.
EPILOGUE
With a final record of 78-66, the Dodgers were several games off the pace being set by Cincinnati and Atlanta in the National League. The gap showed in the postseason. L.A. played the Reds and lost the Division Series in three straight, with only one of the games close.
This proved to be the final postseason trip for legendary manager Tom Lasorda, who had to resign with heart problems midway through 1996. But that ’96 team also made the postseason. The Dodgers weren’t running with the elites of MLB in the mid-1990s. But they became a playoff team again.