Dodgers walkoff with a game 2 Playoff Game win over Giants
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Dodgers walkoff with a game 2 Playoff Game win over Giants

On October 2, 1962 The Giants scored first for the second consecutive game, as Orlando Cepeda singled with one out in the second inning and scored on a double by Felipe Alou against Dodgers’ starter Don Drysdale. The Giants then extended their lead in the top of the sixth inning. Alou struck out to open…

Minnie Minoso suffers a fractured skull and breaks his wrist when he runs into the left field wall chasing Duke Snider’s triple in the Cardinals’ 8-5 loss to L.A

Minnie Minoso suffers a fractured skull and breaks his wrist when he runs into the left field wall chasing Duke Snider’s triple in the Cardinals’ 8-5 loss to L.A

Minnie Minoso suffers a fractured skull and breaks his wrist when he runs into the left field wall chasing Duke Snider’s triple in the Cardinals’ 8-5 loss to L.A. at Busch Stadium. The St. Louis outfielder will return to the lineup in mid-July, only to have a bone in his forearm broken when he is hit by a pitch thrown by Craig Anderson of the Mets a month later.

Dodger Stadium debuts with a 6-3 lose to the Reds
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Dodger Stadium debuts with a 6-3 lose to the Reds

Wally Post hits the first home run in Dodger Stadium history, a two-out, three-run shot in the seventh inning off Johnny Podres that proves to be the difference in the Cincinnati’s 6-3 victory. The left fielder’s round-tripper to center field is a fair ball, unlike some others hit in the ballpark where the foul poles are discovered to be positioned in foul territory, requiring special permission from the National League to be recognized as fair during the first year in the team’s new home in Chavez Ravine.

At Los Angeles, Duke Snider caps a 4-run 9th inning by drilling a dramatic 3-run homer on a 2-strike count. The home run gives the Dodgers a 7 – 6 win and cuts the Reds lead to five games.

At Los Angeles, Duke Snider caps a 4-run 9th inning by drilling a dramatic 3-run homer on a 2-strike count. The home run gives the Dodgers a 7 – 6 win and cuts the Reds lead to five games.

Duke Snider’s pinch-hit home run and Ron Fairly’s RBI hit give Los Angeles a 5 – 4 win at Pittsburgh. The Dodgers take over first place from the Reds.

Duke Snider’s pinch-hit home run and Ron Fairly’s RBI hit give Los Angeles a 5 – 4 win at Pittsburgh. The Dodgers take over first place from the Reds.

Larry Jackson breaks jaw
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Cardinals pitcher Larry Jackson suffers a broken jaw when hit by a fragment of Dodgers Duke Snider’s broken bat

1961 – In a spring training game, Cardinals pitcher Larry Jackson suffers a broken jaw when hit by a fragment of Dodgers Duke Snider’s broken bat. Jackson will be sidelined four weeks.

Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente is robbed on a 430-to-450-foot putout. With two on, two out and no score in the 6th, Dodgers centerfielder Duke Snider goes to considerable lengths to frustrate his favorite right fielder. Frank Finch of the Los Angeles Times reports: “Clemente clouted an ‘extra-baser’ which Snider caught with one hand near the center-field wall.” Clemente, however, has little cause for complaint. A mere two innings earlier, he himself performed a bit of “armed” robbery with Norm Larker playing the hapless victim though Larker, for his part, would claim it’s the umpire who robbed him. Frank Finch continues: “Round Four started well enough for L.A. when Tom Davis got a bad-hop single and raced to third on Norm Larker’s single to right. However, Bob Clemente’s rifle peg to Rocky Nelson nipped Larker trying to get back to first base. Larker snorted and stomped like a Brahma bull, getting the bum’s rush from umpire Ken Burkhart for throwing the tantrum. From the press box, it appeared that Larker had gotten back in time, but he had no excuse for the play even being close.” Clemente’s “lethal weapon” once again proves pivotal two innings later. George Lederer of the Long Beach Independent writes: “Stan Williams learned how costly his [7th-inning] error was when John Roseboro led off the 8th with a single. Roseboro, batting for Williams, lined Vern Law’s first pitch into the right field corner and was held to a single only by Roberto Clemente’s quick retrieve and bullet throw to second. Trailing by three runs instead of one, manager Walter Alston could not call for the bunt that otherwise would have been in order. Maury Wills, leading off in Alston’s revised lineup, promptly grounded into a double play to wipe out the Dodgers’ last serious bid.”

Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente is robbed on a 430-to-450-foot putout. With two on, two out and no score in the 6th, Dodgers centerfielder Duke Snider goes to considerable lengths to frustrate his favorite right fielder. Frank Finch of the Los Angeles Times reports: “Clemente clouted an ‘extra-baser’ which Snider caught with one hand near the center-field wall.” Clemente, however, has little cause for complaint. A mere two innings earlier, he himself performed a bit of “armed” robbery with Norm Larker playing the hapless victim though Larker, for his part, would claim it’s the umpire who robbed him. Frank Finch continues: “Round Four started well enough for L.A. when Tom Davis got a bad-hop single and raced to third on Norm Larker’s single to right. However, Bob Clemente’s rifle peg to Rocky Nelson nipped Larker trying to get back to first base. Larker snorted and stomped like a Brahma bull, getting the bum’s rush from umpire Ken Burkhart for throwing the tantrum. From the press box, it appeared that Larker had gotten back in time, but he had no excuse for the play even being close.” Clemente’s “lethal weapon” once again proves pivotal two innings later. George Lederer of the Long Beach Independent writes: “Stan Williams learned how costly his [7th-inning] error was when John Roseboro led off the 8th with a single. Roseboro, batting for Williams, lined Vern Law’s first pitch into the right field corner and was held to a single only by Roberto Clemente’s quick retrieve and bullet throw to second. Trailing by three runs instead of one, manager Walter Alston could not call for the bunt that otherwise would have been in order. Maury Wills, leading off in Alston’s revised lineup, promptly grounded into a double play to wipe out the Dodgers’ last serious bid.”

The destruction of Ebbets Field

The destruction of Ebbets Field

Twenty-eight months after the Dodgers play their last game in Brooklyn, the demolition of Ebbets Field finally begins when a wrecking ball, painted with red and white stitches, begins its work on the ballpark Brooklyn called home for 44 years. Before the demolition wheel-chair bound Roy Campanella, the team’s former All-Star catcher and three-time National League MVP is given an urn of dirt from behind home plate in front of a crowd of 200 faithful fans.

Los Angeles Dodgers capture the NL Pennant with a dramatic 6-5 come-from-behind victory over the Braves
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Los Angeles Dodgers capture the NL Pennant with a dramatic 6-5 come-from-behind victory over the Braves

At the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, the Dodgers capture the NL flag with a dramatic 6-5 come-from-behind victory over the Braves, taking the first two games of the three-game playoff necessitated by the teams being tied on the last day of the season. The deciding run comes in the bottom of the 12th inning, after the first two batters make outs, when Gil Hodges walks and scores on singles by Joe Pignatano and Carl Furillo.