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You can only go with three. I had to choose both Koufax and Drysdale even though I never saw either of them pitch. Then my last vote had to go to Orel even though I wanted to go with Fernando but couldn't.
Kristin
Kristin <prettyrose33@...> wrote:
Kristin <prettyrose33@...> wrote:
• Celebrate 50 years of LA Dodgers baseball
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LOS ANGELES -- When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles 50 years ago, they brought with them a rich tradition of starting pitching. First it was Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, then it was Orel Hershiser and Fernando Valenzuela. In between, there were names like Don Sutton, Johnny Podres and Tommy John.Starting pitching has long been a hallmark of the Dodgers organization and continues to be the strength of the team as it enters the 2008 season. This month, Dodgers fans will be able to vote for three starting pitchers for the All-Time Roster as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Dodgers moving to Los Angeles. Other positions will follow in the coming months as fans put together the squad, to be announced during the 2008 campaign.Below is a list of 11 candidates with a quick overview of their careers with the Dodgers. The rest is up to you, the fans, who have watched and cheered for your favorite Dodgers over the years:Don Drysdale:
A dominant and intimidating right-handed pitcher, Drysdale teamed up with fellow hurler Sandy Koufax to form one of the most dominating one-two combinations in the modern era. Drysdale used a nasty sidearm fastball and a tenacious demeanor on the mound to intimidate hitters.He won 15 or more games seven times in his 14-year career with the Dodgers and produced his best season in Dodger blue in 1962, when he won 25 games and the Cy Young Award. A nine-time All-Star, Drysdale helped the Dodgers win three World Series championships.From May to early June of 1968, Drysdale set a record of 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings that would last for 20 years until fellow Dodger Hershiser broke it in 1988. Drysdale ended his career in 1969 with 209 wins, 2,486 strikeouts, 167 complete games and 49 shutouts. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984 and his No. 53 was officially retired at Dodger Stadium on July 1, 1984.Orel Hershiser:
The "Bulldog," as he was known, was one of the best big-game pitchers to wear a Dodgers uniform. Hershiser enjoyed a solid rookie season in 1984 and had a breakthrough year the following season, when he went 19-3 with a 2.09 ERA.Hershiser, who was named to the National League All-Star team three times in 18 Major League seasons, put together one of the best years in baseball history in 1988 when he led the underdog Dodgers to a World Series title. The righty dominated, winning 23 games, the Cy Young Award and a Gold Glove, while posting a 2.26 ERA. His biggest accomplishment came in the playoffs, when he pitched a shutout in Game 7 of the NLCS after starting Games 1 and 3 against the Mets and recorded the final out in Game 4. He was named NLCS MVP and won two games against the Athletics in the World Series, earning MVP honors once again.That same season, Hershiser broke Drysdale's record with 59 scoreless innings. He finished his career in 2000 as a member of the Dodgers with a record of 204-150 with 2,014 strikeouts and 3.48 ERA.Burt Hooton:
The hurler from Texas with a trademark knuckle curveball baffled hitters for 10 seasons with the Dodgers. Hooten, who was nicknamed "Happy" by former manager Tommy Lasorda because he hardly ever smiled, came to the Dodgers via trade in 1975 and won 18 games in his first season in Los Angeles.Hooten had his best season with the Dodgers in 1978 when he went 19-10 with a 2.71 ERA, but gained most of his recognition in the playoffs, where he was at his best. In 1981, Hooten was named the MVP of the NLCS after defeating the Expos twice without allowing a run. In the World Series against the Yankees, Hooton won Game 1, allowing just six hits before leaving in the eighth inning, and then clinched the Series for the Dodgers with a win in Game 6.Tommy John:
John, who won 288 games in his 26-year Major League career, is considered one of the most dominant left-handers to play the game. His 288 wins rank as the sixth highest total among lefties in Major League history.John came to the Dodgers in 1972 and won 27 games in his first two seasons. In 1974, after cruising to a 13-3 record, John blew out his elbow, permanently damaging the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm. John, however, was undeterred and convinced Dr. Frank Jobe to perform a revolutionary surgery now known as Tommy John surgery.After sitting out an entire season, John returned to the Dodgers in 1976 and went 10-10, but he wasn't done there. John went on to enjoy his best season in Dodger blue the following year, posting a 20-7 record with 123 strikeouts and a 2.78 ERA. A four-time All-Star, John won 164 games after undergoing the surgery and finished his career in 1989 as a member of the Yankees.Sandy Koufax:
Koufax is arguably the best left-hander to ever play in the Majors. Known for his four no-hitters and a stretch of six outstanding seasons from 1961-66 in which he won three Cy Young Awards and the National League MVP award in 1963, Koufax was the Dodgers' go-to-guy.During that incredible six-year stretch, Koufax won 129 games and threw all four no-hitters, including the first perfect game by a lefty since 1880. A six-time All-Star, Koufax set a single-season record with 382 strikeouts in 1965 and won the pitchers' Triple Crown (ERA, wins and strikeouts) three times during that stretch.Koufax, who led the NL in ERA five years in a row and in strikeouts four times, enjoyed his best season as a Dodger in 1966, when he went 27-9 with a 1.73 ERA while striking out 317 batters. Koufax helped the Dodgers win three World Series titles in Los Angeles in 1959, '63 and '65, and is still the youngest player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, at the age of 36 in 1972.Ramon Martinez:
A workhorse for the Dodgers from 1990-97, Martinez made up for his lack of size with heart. The Dominican-born pitcher made a name for himself in 1990 when he struck out 18 batters in a game against the Braves on June 4. He finished that season 20-6 with 223 strikeouts and a 2.92 ERA, earning a spot on the NL All-Star team and finishing second in Cy Young Award balloting.Martinez highlighted his career with the Dodgers by throwing a no-hitter against the Marlins on July 14, 1995, and finished his career with a record of 135-88 with 1,427 strikeouts and a 3.67 ERA.Hideo Nomo:
Nomo became the first Japanese-born player since Masanori Murakami (1965) to appear in a Major League game when he started for the Dodgers on May 2, 1995. It didn't take long for Nomo to become one of the most popular players in the game. The right-hander with a unique wind up won the NL Rookie of the Year Award that season and was named to the All-Star team.The following season, Nomo established himself as a legitimate starter, winning 16 games and striking out 234 batters while posting a 3.19 ERA. Nomo capped off his stellar 1996 season with a no-hitter against the Rockies on Sept. 16, in an unlikely atmosphere: Denver's Coors Field. Nomo is still the only pitcher to record a no-hitter at hitter-friendly Coors field.Nomo was traded to the Mets in 1998, but returned to the Dodgers in 2002 and had back-to-back 16-win seasons. Nomo's success opened the door to many Japanese players who have successfully followed him to the Major Leagues.Claude Osteen:
A three-time All-Star, Osteen was a stalwart in the Dodgers rotation for nine years. He recorded 15 or more wins in seven of his nine seasons in L.A. and won 20 games twice. Osteen, who was a crafty lefty, set career-highs in wins (20), strikeouts (183), shutouts (7), complete games (16) and starts (41) as a member of the Dodgers in 1967.His brilliant performance in the 1965 World Series secured Osteen's legacy with the Dodgers. After the Dodgers fell behind 0-2 against the Twins, Osteen put the team on his shoulders, pitching a shutout in Game 3, helping the Dodgers bounce back to win the Series in seven games.Johnny Podres:
Podres will forever be remembered as the baby-faced kid who beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1955 World Series, giving the Brooklyn Dodgers their only World championship. But Podres did a lot more than that, helping the Dodgers win three World Series after they moved to L.A.Podres pitched eight-plus seasons in L.A., winning 13 or more games six times while being named to the All-Star team three times. Podres, who enjoyed his best season in Los Angeles in 1961, when he went 18-5 with a 3.67 ERA, was at his best in the postseason. In four World Series with the Dodgers, Podres went 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA and 18 strikeouts.Don Sutton:
Sutton was the epitome of a workhorse, pitching 200 or more innings in 15 consecutive seasons from 1966-80. Sutton, who is the all-time Dodgers leader in wins (233), games pitched (550), games started (533), strikeouts (2,696), innings pitched (3,814), shutouts (52) and Opening Day starts (7), was the model of consistency as a starter.A Hall of Famer and four-time All-Star, Sutton was a member of five pennant-winning teams in Los Angeles. His best season as a Dodger came in 1976 when he won a career-high 21 games while striking out 161 batters. In his career with the Dodgers, Sutton finished in the top five in Cy Young Award balloting five times and finished his career with 324 wins and 3,574 strikeouts.Fernando Valenzuela:
It was called "Fernando Mania" and the man behind it was a baby-faced 20-year-old from Sonora, Mexico. Valenzuela became an instant attraction in 1981 when he broke into the Majors winning 13 games and the Rookie of the Year Award.Valenzuela became a hero in Los Angeles, partly because of his Mexican heritage, but mostly because of his excellence on the mound. The lefty dominated from the get go, posting eight shutouts and 11 complete games in his first full season in the Majors while guiding the Dodgers past the Yankees in the 1981 World Series.Valenzuela, nicknamed "El Toro" ("The Bull"), won 12 or more games in his first seven seasons with the Dodgers and enjoyed his best season in Dodger blue in 1986 when he went 21-11 with 20 complete games and a 3.14 ERA.Jayson Addcox is a contributor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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