MEMORIES:
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Posted on 08/03/07
"Well the crowd is on its' feet and if there was ever a preface to Casey at the Bat, it would have to be the ninth inning. Two out. The tying run aboard, the winning run at the plate, and Kirk Gibson, standing at the plate. Eckersley working out of the stretch, here's the three-two pitch... and a drive hit to right field! WAY BACK! IT'S GONE! IT'S GONE! This crowd will not stop! They can't believe the ending! And this time, Mighty Casey did NOT strike out!"
- ABC Radio announcer and former Dodger Don Drysdale, calling Kirk Gibson's game winning homer in game 1 of the 1988 World Series.
Prior to 1957, Walter O'Malley pleaded with the borough of Brooklyn to build him and his flailing baseball team a new stadium to replace the terribly cramped Ebbets Field. The answer to his prayers finally came to him (or rather, he came to it) in the city of Angels.
Overlooking the downtown city skyline to the south, the scenic Elysian Park to the north and east, and the majestic San Gabriel mountains, Dodger Stadium sits high atop Chevez Ravine and holds the reputation of being one of the finest venues for watching professional baseball. Immaculately groomed and meticulously maintained, it has been home to the boys in blue for over forty-five years. It was home to Major League Baseball's annual All-Star Game in 1980 (The National team won 4-2 behind Cincinnati outfielder Ken Griffey, Sr.'s single and home run) as well as the 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, and 1988 World Series (the Dodgers won in '63, '65, '81, and '88).
"And Sandy Koufax, whose name will always remind you of strikeouts, did it with a flourish. He struck out the last six consecutive batters. So when he wrote his name in capital letters in the record books, that "K" stands out even more than the O-U-F-A-X."
-- Legendary Dodger play-by-play man Vin Scully calling Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965.
Dodger Stadium's notoriety as a pitcher's park is confirmed by the legends that have called it home. MVP, Cy Young Award, and Triple Crown winner Sandy Koufax who pitched a perfect game against the Cubs in 1965, stands supreme with the likes of "Big D" Don Drysdale, Don "Black & Decker" Sutton, Fernando Valenzuela, and Orel "Bulldog" Hershiser. Dennis Martinez of the once-upon-a-time-but-now-no-more Montreal Expos also pitched perfection there in 1991 and seven no-no's have been achieved in Dodgerland. Maury Wills, Tommy Davis, Steve Garvey, Kirk Gibson, Wes Parker and Mike Piazza - Dodgers in the truest sense of the word.
But like any seminal ballpark, Dodger Stadium is most famous not just for people, but for moments. Some, like John Paul II's 1987 Catholic Mass and concerts by virtually every significant rock 'n' roll act of the century, while certainly meaningful, do not possess the immortality of the baseball played there. Koufax's perfect game. Valenzuela's complete game against the Yanks in game 3 of the '81 Series. Hershiser's complete game shutout in game 2 of the '88 series against the heavily favored A's. And of course, Gibson's legendary homer in game 1 of the same classic.
It's a place where the past and the present meet. Where blood runs blue and the yard loves a man with an arm. It's as historical as history itself, where men arrive as players and leave as legends.
"They are going wild at Dodger Stadium! No one wants to leave!"
- Vin Scully calling Gibson's homer.
