By their lofty standards, the 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers were in a rut. To be sure, it was a rut most franchises would have loved to be in. The Dodgers had fought in close pennant races in 1971 and 1973. They had generally played winning baseball since a 1959-65 stretch that saw them win three […]
The Dodger franchise, long the most consistent in the National League, had experienced boom times after moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. Previously known for winning pennants, but experiencing World Series frustration (save one glorious moment in 1955), the Dodgers rattled off World Series championships in 1959, 1963 and 1965. They won another […]
The 1991 Los Angeles Dodgers were only three years removed from an epic World Series triumph in 1988. After a decline in 1989, the Dodgers jumped back up into contention in 1990. For much of the 1991 season, Los Angeles looked ready to return to the postseason. Then late heartbreak against a rising Cinderella story […]
Tommy Lasorda was 2-for-2 since taking over as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He won the pennant in his rookie year of 1977, then did it again in 1978. The Dodgers had fallen short in the World Series both times, but they were rolling. Until the 1979 Los Angeles Dodgers unraveled before everyone’s eyes. […]
The 1988 World Series was supposed to be a coronation for the 104-win Oakland Athletics. It ended up being a stunning upset for the Los Angeles Dodgers, as an iconic baseball moment started the series and the dominance of LA ace Orel Hershiser took over from there.
The 1990 Los Angeles Dodgers just took too long to get started. After digging a deep hole in the NL West race, the Dodgers made a spirited comeback before ultimately coming up short and finishing in second place. Los Angeles had slipped under .500 in 1989, following a strong 12-year run from 1977-88 that saw […]
The National League Championship Series was becoming old hat for the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. They had already played in 1977 and 1978. The Phillies had been here in 1976 and 1980, with the Dodgers also playing this round in 1981. The two best National League teams of their era hooked up again […]
The 1983 Los Angeles Dodgers were just one more off the assembly line of contending teams that manager Tom Lasorda rolled out from 1977-88. Over the previous six years, the Dodgers had already won three National League pennants, the 1981 World Series and contended the final day two other occasions. In 1983, they won an […]
The 1982 Los Angeles Dodgers were the latest in a string of excellent teams put out by manager Tom Lasorda. Since taking over in 1977, the manager had won three National League pennants, gone to a one-game playoff another time and won his first World Series title the year before in 1981. The ’82 edition […]
The 1980 Los Angeles Dodgers went through an up and down season that kept them in the race and their fans on the edge of their seats. It ended in a fitting way—after a surge to catch the Houston Astros, the Dodgers lost a one-game playoff that settled the NL West title. GREAT 1980s […]
They looked ready to fall behind other powers that seemed to be rising in the NL West. Instead, the 1985 Los Angeles Dodgers completely reversed course, had a comeback year and returned won Lasorda’s fifth division title.
Two dramatic home runs punctuated the 1985 NLCS between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers. The broadcast call of one is remembered in a lot of baseball montages to this day—and that wasn’t even the home run that won the pennant. Another dramatic shot was the final big blow of a competitive six-game series.