Don Bessent’s quick pitch vs. Roberto Clemente’s  ends in a  7th-inning double, which drives the final nail in the  coffin

Don Bessent’s quick pitch vs. Roberto Clemente’s ends in a 7th-inning double, which drives the final nail in the coffin

1957 – Don Bessent’s quick pitch vs. Roberto Clemente’s quick wrists? No contest. The Bucs’ 7 – 1 trouncing of Brooklyn knocks the “Bums” out of first place and pulls Pittsburgh out of the cellar while Clemente’s 7th-inning double, which drives the final nail in the 7 – 1 coffin, results from Bessent’s ill-advised attempt to quick-pitch the whippet-wristed Roberto, as he will later recall.

Before the Phillies’ home opener, the team dedicates a statue of Connie Mack as part of the Opening Day ceremonies

Before the Phillies’ home opener, the team dedicates a statue of Connie Mack as part of the Opening Day ceremonies

Before the Phillies’ home opener, the team dedicates a statue of Connie Mack as part of the Opening Day ceremonies. The eight-foot statue of the ‘Tall Tactician,’ which depicts the A’s long-time owner and manager with one foot in the dugout and one foot on the top step of it, waving his trademark scorecard to position his players, was created by well-known sculptor Harry Rosin. The ‘Tall Tactician’

Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley trades minor league franchises with Phil Wrigley of the Chicago Cubs

Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley trades minor league franchises with Phil Wrigley of the Chicago Cubs

1957 – Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley trades minor league franchises with Phil Wrigley of the Chicago Cubs. Brooklyn gives up its Ft. Worth club (Texas League) in return for the Los Angeles Angels (Pacific Coast League). In a year’s time, Brooklyn will be without a team and Los Angeles will be a major league city.

Walter O’Malley clears the path for the Dodgers to move to the City of Angels

Walter O’Malley clears the path for the Dodgers to move to the City of Angels

During the New York Baseball Writers Association meeting in New York, Walter O’Malley passes a note to Cubs owner Phil Wrigley, who controls the territorial rights to LA, offering Brooklyn’s Texas League team in Fort Worth in return for the Cubs’ Los Angeles PCL minor league franchise. The swap of farm teams will be announced on February 21, clearing the path for the Dodgers to move to the City of Angels.

The Kratter Corporation grants Walter O’Malley an additional two years on the three-year lease on Ebbets Field

The Kratter Corporation grants Walter O’Malley an additional two years on the three-year lease on Ebbets Field

The Kratter Corporation grants Walter O’Malley an additional two years on the three-year lease on Ebbets Field agreed to last year. The new timeline means the ball club has a home in Brooklyn until 1961, but the extension may have been prompted by the Dodgers owner’s uncertainty about L.A’s ability to secure the land needed to build a stadium if the team moved to the West Coast.

Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers officially announces his retirement, voiding a recent trade to the rival New York Giants
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Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers officially announces his retirement, voiding a recent trade to the rival New York Giants

    On January 5, 1957, Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers officially announces his retirement, voiding a recent trade to the rival New York Giants. In December, the Dodgers had dealt Robinson to the Giants for pitcher Dick Littlefield and $35,000. Giants vice-president Charles Feeney had offered Robinson a $60,000 contract. Citing problems with…

Los Angeles Dodgers become first team with their own plane

Los Angeles Dodgers become first team with their own plane

      on January 4, 1957, The Brooklyn Dodgers become the first team to purchase an aircraft, buying a 44-passenger Convair 440 two-engine airplane for $770,000. The team, from 1949 through 1957, had flown in a 20-seat DC-3, a gift from Bud Holman, who won the plane from Eastern Airlines in a crap game,…

The New York City Board of Estimate votes $25,000 for a survey regarding the Brooklyn Dodgers’ proposed new stadium for downtown Brooklyn.

1956 – The New York City Board of Estimate votes $25,000 for a survey regarding the Brooklyn Dodgers’ proposed new stadium for downtown Brooklyn.