Tag: los-angeles-dodgers

2025 WORLD SERIES, PART 1

The 2025 World Series, featuring the LA Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays will commence on Friday, October 24. The Dodgers will be pursuing the historic feat of winning two consecutive titles, which has not been accomplished by a National League team since the Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds of 1975-1976. The 1998–2000) NY Yankees were the last team in either league to win consecutive WS.

In my view winning consecutive WS has become considerably more difficult than it was prior to the advent of wild card teams. Thanks to the current format in which three wildcard teams from each league make the playoffs it has become rare for the team with the best regular season record to win the WS. In this century it has only been done seven times – the 2007 Red Sox, the 2009 Yankees, the 2013 Red Sox, the 2016 Cubs, the 2018 Red Sox and the 2020 and 2024 Dodgers. That’s roughly 25%, which I consider to be a low number.

Why is that? There are various reasons, but I maintain that the primary reason is the nature of the game, itself. Normally, it takes many more than seven games for the best team to assert itself. Even the best teams will lose 60 games over the course of the season. Even the best teams will suffer through short slumps where they could lose three or four in a row. With the current multilayer playoff format the ultimate winner will have to win three or four short series. It has become common for a team to slump at the wrong time and lose a short three or five game series to an inferior team. Then it’s Sayonara.

This is the format the Lords of Baseball want. More playoff games mean more money. They don’t care. They will live with hottest team winning the WS rather than the season’s best team.

The Dodgers’ franchise was born in 1883. It joined the newly organized National League in 1890. Before being known as the Dodgers, the team was known, at various times, as the Atlantics, the Bridegrooms, the Grooms, the Superbas, the Robins, and the Trolley-Dodgers (a reference to the complex maze of trolley cars that existed in Brooklyn during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The name, Trolley-Dodgers, was shortened to Dodgers in 1898.

The Blue Jays began operations in 1977 as an American League expansion team. Toronto had been mentioned as a potential major league franchise as early as the 1880s. From 1896 to 1967 the city had a franchise in the International League called the Maple Leafs. In January 1976, the San Francisco Giants seriously considered relocating to Toronto but did not.

My research disclosed two stories regarding the derivation of the team’s name “Blue Jays.” In one version the team held a “name the team” contest. The leading suggestion was “Blue Jays.” Another version holds that the name was selected by Labatt Breweries, which was the majority owner of the team at the time. Apparently, this name tied in with the name of Labatt’s feature brand at the time, Labatt Blue. The team’s primary color of blue adhered to the tradition of Toronto-based sports teams having that color.

The Blue Jays have appeared in the World Series twice, in 1992 and 1993, winning both. In 1992 they defeated the Atlanta Braves, and in 1993 they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies.

Baseball, which until recently was known as the National Pastime, is no longer the most popular sport in America. Most surveys place it second behind football, or even further down the list. However, there is something about the sport that still resonates. It gets in your blood. It is part of the social and cultural fabric of America. Who can forget their first game of “catch” with their father or the first MLB game they attended? For many of us the WS holds a special place in our memories. For many years the games were played during the day while fans were in school or at work. They would diligently try to ascertain the score from someone who had a radio. I can remember many a time when I raced home from school to catch the end of a WS game.

I was fortunate to attend game 2 of the 1956 WS with my father. As an 11-year-old it was a huge thrill. To this day I have a more detailed recollection of that game than of games I saw only weeks ago. For instance, I remember the Dodger starter, Don Newcombe, got knocked out early. The Dodgers fell behind 6-0, but they rallied to win 13-8. Duke Snider, my favorite Dodger, hit a crucial homer. As an added bonus initially, the game was postponed because of heavy rain. It was made up the next day, so I got to miss two days of school.

The Dodgers have been pioneers in many areas. For instance, they were the first team to:

1. appear on tv (1939),
2. wear helmets (1941), and
3. most significantly, play an African American (Jackie Robinson in 1947).

In addition, I would be remiss if I did not mention that the team employed the same announcer, Vince Scully, for a record 67 years. Many people consider Scully to be the best baseball announcer ever and having watched and listened to him for most of those 67 years, I would be hard-pressed to argue with that assessment.

The Brooklyn Dodgers had many outstanding teams, most notably “The Boys of Summer” teams of the late 1940s – mid 1950s. Those teams were replete with Hall of Famers such as Peewee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider and Roy Campanella. During the ten-year period from 1947-1956 those teams won six pennants and lost another in a playoff. Unfortunately, they were only able to win one WS in 1955. The Dodgers of that era had very strong teams, but they just couldn’t beat the Yankees in the WS. They lost to the Yankees every year except for 1955. The Yankees weren’t necessarily better; they just played better in the WS. After each loss frustrated Dodgers fans would lament “wait until next year.” Finally, in 1955 “next year” came, and the “Bums” as they were affectionally known prevailed in seven games. The next day the headline in the NY Daily News boldly proclaimed, “Who’s a Bum?!” That was the only championship the Dodgers won in Brooklyn. The Dodgers have had better results in LA. They have won seven WS since relocating there in 1958.

During this period fans were treated to classic moments such as Jackie Robinson stealing home in Game 1 in 1955 and Don Larsen’s perfect game in game five in 1956. A photo of Robinson’s steal is on display at the Baseball HOF. To his dying day Yankees catcher Yogi Berra insisted he was out. In those pre-instant replay days, it was hard to know for sure. The umpire said he was safe, so he was safe. In the WS despite the presence of superstars often it is the role players that have emerged as heroes. For example, Sandy Amoros was a little-used bench player for the Brooklyn Dodgers, who made a game-saving catch in the 7th inning of the 7th game of the 1955 WS. Amoros was only in the game as a result of a “double switch” (remember in those days pitchers actually batted).

As incredible as Larsen’s feat was it was enhanced by the fact that he was not a superstar pitcher like say Whitey Ford, Sal Maglie or Sandy Koufax. A perfect game by one of those pitchers would have been plausible, but Larsen was a journeyman. He pitched for seven teams in 15 years and had a career record of 81-91, although he had gone 11-5 in 1956. Furthermore, the 1956 Dodgers’ lineup was “stacked.” It was just an example of a pedestrian player catching “lightning in a bottle” in the WS.

In some 60 years of watching the WS I have been fortunate to witness several other memorable moments, such as Carlton Fisk’s 12th inning homerun just inside the foul pole in the 12th inning of game 6 in 1975, Reggie Jackson’s four consecutive homers in the 1977 WS, and Kirk Gibson’s game winning homerun off A’s closer Dennis Eckersley in game 1 of the 1988 WS. Many of you will recall Fisk standing at Homeplate watching his hit and waving his arms as if to “push” his homerun ball “fair.” Alas, the Reds won the WS the next day. So much for momentum.

Jackson, whose feat earned him the sobriquet “Mr. October,” was an obnoxious loudmouth who upon first arriving at the star-studded Yankees boldly proclaimed he was the “straw that stirred the drink.” This was a direct insult aimed at the Yankees’ popular captain Thurman Munson, but Jackson didn’t care. He doubled down by adding that “Munson can only stir it bad.” But he had a flair for the dramatic, and he sure could hit. He fit in perfectly with the “Bronx Zoo” Yankees teams of the late 1970s. As I recall Jackson hit the homers in four consecutive swings against four different Dodger pitchers (one in his last at-bat in game 5 and then three in game 6. (Don’t fact-check me on this. A memory is a memory.)

Gibson wasn’t supposed to play. He was injured and could barely walk. Yet, he hit the homer and then literally limped round the bases. Then, there was iconic announcer Jack Buck’s famous call on the radio, “I don’t believe what I just saw.” To tell you the truth, neither did I.

Conclusion

This year, on paper we have two deserving teams. No Cinderellas with mediocre regular season records who got “hot” at the right time. Toronto will host the extra home game, but the Dodgers are the betting favorites. One team may get the upper hand and win in a short series, but I expect a long series with many memorable moments.

As a lifelong Dodgers fan I admit to a bias, but I feel that if both teams bring their “A” game the Dodgers will win.

Dodgers in 6.

This was Part 1 of my WS blog. Part2 will be a WS quiz to test your knowledge and recollections.




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2024 WORLD SERIES, PART 2. QUIZ

The second part of my 2024 WS blog will be a quiz to test your knowledge and recollections. I realize that my readers have a wide disparity of WS knowledge. Some follow baseball very closely and are very knowledgeable, others not so much, which made it somewhat challenging to construct a fair quiz. My apologies if you find it too hard or too easy. As always, no peeking at the internet and no using Seri.

  1. When was the first WS played? (a) 1885; (b) 1895; (c) 1903; (d) 1911
  2. Who won the first WS? (a) NY Yankees; (b) Boston Pilgrims; (c) Cincinnati Reds; (d) Pittsburgh Pirates
  3. The WS was contested every year since its inception except twice. Once was in 1994 due to a players’ strike. What year was the other occasion? (a) 1904; (b) 1919; (c) 1920; (d) 1942
  4. To which team did the Black Sox lose? (a) Cincinnati Reds; (b) NY Giants; (c) Chicago Cubs; (d) Philadelphia Phillies.
  5. Besides the Yankees which is the only team to win three WS consecutively? (a) St. Louis Cardinals; (b) NY Giants; (c) Boston Braves; (d) Oakland A’s.
  6. What year was the first WS game that was played at night? (a) 1963; (b) 1971; (c) 1977; (d) 1979.
  7. What is the only MLB team never to appear in the WS? (a) LA Angels; (b) San Diego Padres; (c) Colorado Rockies; (d) Seattle Mariners.
  8. The Yankees have won the most WS – 27. Which team has won the 2nd most? (a) Dodgers; (b) Cardinals; (c) Giants; (d) Braves
  9. Which Dodger made the last out in Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956? (a) Gil Hodges; (b) Al Gionfriddo; (c) Dale Mitchell; (d) Sandy Amoros?
  10. What was the first year the WS was televised? (a) 1946; (b) 1947; (c) 1948; (d) 1949
  11. Who was the only player from a losing team to win the WS MVP? (a) Bobby Richardson; (b) Yogi Berra; (c) Whitey Ford; (d) Warren Spahn.
  12. For whom is the WS MVP named? (a) Henry Aaron; (b) Babe Ruth; (d) Ted Williams; (d) Willie Mays
  13. In the 1969 WS won by the Mets over the Orioles which player made the last out? (a) Brooks Robinson; (b) Boog Powell; (c) Mark Belanger;(d) Davey Johnson.
  14. In game 7 of the 1946 WS won by the Cardinals, Enos Slaughter famously scored the winning run from first base on a single. Who was the Red Sox player who held the ball for a second allowing Slaughter to score? (a) Bobby Doer; (b) Johnny Pesky; (c) Dom DiMaggio; (d) Ted Williams.
  15. Four players have won the WS MVP twice. How many of them won it for two different teams? (a) 1;(b) 2; (c) 3; (d) all 4).
  16. When the Mets won the WS in 1969 who was the MVP? (a) Donn Clendenon; (b) Tom Seaver; (c) Jerry Koosman, (d) Cleon Jones
  17. When the Mets won the WS in 1986 who was the MVP? (a) Mookie Wilson; (b) Darryl Strawberry; (c)Jerry Grote; (d) Ray Knight
  18. When the LA Dodgers won the WS in 1959 who was the MVP? (a) Sandy Koufax; (b) Charley Neal; (d) Duke Snider; (d) Larry Sherry.
  19. In the 1960 WS, which was perhaps the oddest WS ever played (The Yankees won three games by a combined score of 38-3 but lost four close ones.) who hit the series winning homerun in game 7? (a) Dick Groat; (b) Bill Mazeroski; (c) Roberto Clemente; (d) Bill Virdon.
  20. Who was the only athlete to play in both the WS and the Super Bowl? (a) Bo Jackson; (b) Deion Sanders; (c) Brian Jordan; (d) Drew Henson.

Bonus question for you baseball savants: When Babe Ruth famously “called” his homerun in the 1932 WS against the Cubs who was the Cubs pitcher?

Quiz answers: 1. (c); 2. (b); 3. (a); 4. (a); 5. (d); 6. (b); 7. (d) 8. (b); 9. (c); 10. (b); 11. (a) (1960); 12. (d); 13. (d); 14. (b); 15. (b) (Corey Sieger and Reggie Jackson); 16. (a); 17. (d); 18. (d); 19. (b); 20. (b)

Bonus question answer: Charley Root

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2024 WORLD SERIES, PART 1

The 2024 World Series, featuring the LA Dodgers and NY Yankees will commence on Friday, October 25. This will be the 12th meeting between these two storied franchises but the first one since 1981. The Yankees have won 8 of the previous 11 meetings, but the Dodgers won the last one 4-2. 

Baseball, which until recently was known as the National Pastime, is no longer the most popular sport in America. Most surveys place it second behind football, or even further down the list. However, there is something about the sport that still resonates. It gets in your blood. It is part of the fabric of America. Who can forget their first game of “catch” with their father or their first game? For many of us the WS holds a special place in our memories. For many years the games were played during the day while fans were in school or at work. I can remember many a time when I raced home from school to catch the end of a WS game.

This year we are undoubtedly getting the most preferred WS matchup.  There are various superstars on both teams – Ohtani, Betts and Freeman on the Dodgers and Judge, Soto, and Stanton on the Yankees.  Fox, which is televising the series, will be happy because this matchup will feature the aforementioned superstars, the two biggest markets, and it will get the highest ratings maybe ever. International ratings will be very high also, especially in Japan because of Ohtani and Yamamoto.

The Dodgers’ franchise was born in 1883. It joined the newly organized National League in 1890. Before being known as the Dodgers, the team was known, at various times, as the Atlantics, the Bridegrooms, the Grooms, the Superbas, the Robins, and the Trolley-Dodgers (a reference to the complex maze of trolley cars that existed in Brooklyn during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The name, Trolley-Dodgers, was shortened to Dodgers in 1898.

The Dodgers have been pioneers in many areas. For instance, they were the first team to:

1. appear on tv (1939),
2. wear helmets (1941), and
3. most significantly, play an African American (Jackie Robinson in 1947).

In addition, I would be remiss if I did not mention that the team employed the same announcer, Vince Scully, for a record 67 years. Many people consider Scully to be the best baseball announcer ever and having watched and listened to him for most of those 67 years, I would be hard-pressed to argue with that assessment.

During the 1940s and 1950s the teams faced each other in the WS six times in the eight-year period between 1949 and 1956. It almost seemed like a preordained annual event. 

I was fortunate to attend game 2 of the 1956 WS with my father. As an 11-year-old it was huge thrill. To this day I have a more detailed recollection of that game than of games I saw only weeks ago. For instance, I remember the Dodger starter, Don Newcombe, got knocked out early. The Dodgers fell behind 6-0, but they rallied to win 13-8. Duke Snider, my favorite Dodger, hit a crucial homer. As an added bonus initially, the game was postponed because of heavy rain. It was made up the next day, so I got to miss two days of school.

The Dodgers of that era, aka “The Boys of Summer,” had very strong teams with several Hall of Famers, but they just couldn’t beat the Yankees in the WS. The Yankees weren’t necessarily better, they just played better in the WS. After each loss frustrated Dodgers fans would lament “wait until next year.” Finally, in 1955 “next year” came, and the “Bums” as they were affectionally known prevailed in seven games. The next day the headline in the NY Daily News boldly proclaimed, “Who’s a Bum?!” That was the only championship the Dodgers won in Brooklyn.

The NY Yankees were founded in 1903. The original owners, Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchased the franchise rights to the defunct Baltimore Orioles, no relation to the present-day team, moved it to NY, and renamed it as the NY Highlanders. It is believed that the name was chosen either because of the team’s location in Upper Manhattan, or in recognition of the team president’s Scottish-Irish heritage.

The media was not enamored of the name because it was too long for headlines. Some newspapers took to calling them the “Invaders.” Eventually, the press began calling the team the “Yankees.” The name became official in 1913.

At the time the NY Giants were the dominant team in NY.  The two teams became fierce rivals, which was exacerbated by the bad blood between the National and American Leagues. The NL was the older, more established league. The AL was the upstart. Despite this animosity, between 1913 and 1922 the Yankees played in the Polo Grounds as tenants of the Giants.

The Giants remained the dominant team in NY until the Yanks acquired Babe Ruth in 1920. From then on, the Yanks became the dominant team we all know. The team moved into their own stadium in 1923.

The NY players and their fans became very familiar with each other, especially in Brooklyn. In those pre-free agency days, the players did not make much more money than most of the fans. Many of them lived in the same neighborhoods; their kids went to the same schools. Some even had winter jobs in the area. Some of my friends who grew up in Brooklyn knew players personally; their kids were also friends and played with each other.

During this period fans were treated to classic moments such as Jackie Robinson stealing home in Game 1 in 1955 and Don Larsen’s perfect game in game five in 1956. In the WS despite the presence of superstars often it is the role players that have emerged as heroes. For example, Sandy Amoros was a little-used bench player for the Brooklyn Dodgers, who made a game-saving catch in the 7th inning of the 7th game of the 1955 WS. Amoros was only in the game as a result of a “double switch” (remember in those days pitchers actually batted).

A photo of Robinson’s steal is on display at the Baseball HOF. To his dying day Yankees catcher Yogi Berra insisted he was out. In those pre-instant replay days, it was hard to know for sure. The umpire said he was safe, so he was safe.

As incredible as Larsen’s feat was it was enhanced by the fact that he was not a superstar pitcher like say Whitey Ford, Don Drysdale or Sandy Koufax. A perfect game by one of those pitchers would have been plausible, but Larsen was a journeyman. He pitched for seven teams in 15 years and had a career record of 81-91, although he had gone 11-5 in 1956. Furthermore, the 1956 Dodgers’ lineup was stacked with future Hall of Famers such as Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pewee Reese, Roy Campanella and a strong supporting cast. It was just an example of a pedestrian player catching “lightning in a bottle” in the WS.

In some 60 years of watching the WS I have been fortunate to witness several other memorable moments, such as Carlton Fisk’s 12th inning homerun just inside the foul pole in the 12th inning of game 6 in 1975, Reggie Jackson’s four consecutive homers in the 1977 WS, and Kirk Gibson’s game winning homerun off A’s closer Dennis Eckersley in game 1 of the 1988 WS. Jackson, whose feat earned him the sobriquet “Mr. October,” was an obnoxious loudmouth who upon first arriving at the star-studded Yankees boldly proclaimed he was the “straw that stirred the drink.” This was a direct insult aimed at the Yankees’ popular captain Thurman Munson, but Jackson didn’t care. He doubled down by adding that “Munson can only stir it bad.” But he had a flair for the dramatic, and he sure could hit. He fit in perfectly with the “Bronx Zoo” Yankees teams of the late 1970s. As I recall Jackson hit the homers in four consecutive swings against four different Dodger pitchers (one in his last at-bat in game 5 and then three in game 6. (Don’t fact-check me on this. A memory is a memory.)

Many of you will recall Fisk standing at homeplate watching his hit and waving his arms as if to “push” his homerun ball “fair.” Alas, the Reds won the WS the next day. So much for momentum.

Gibson wasn’t supposed to play. He was injured and could barely walk. Yet, he hit the homer and then literally limped round the bases. Then, there was iconic announcer Jack Buck’s famous call on the radio, “I don’t believe what I just saw.” To tell you the truth, neither did I.

Thanks to the current format in which three wildcard teams from each league make the playoffs it has become rare for the team with the best regular season record to win the WS. In this century it has only been done six times – the 2007 Red Sox, the 2009 Yankees, the 2013 Red Sox, the 2016 Cubs, the 2018 Red Sox and the 2020 Dodgers. That’s 25%, which is quite low. Why is that?

There are various reasons, but I maintain that the primary reason is the nature of the game, itself. Normally, it takes many games for the best team to assert itself. Even the best teams will lose 60 games over the course of the season. Even the best teams will suffer through short slumps where they could three or four in a row. With the current multilayer playoff format the ultimate winner will have to win three or four short series. It has become common for a team to slump at the wrong time and lose a short three or five game series to an inferior team. Then it’s Sayonara. This is the format the Lords of Baseball want. More playoff games mean more money. They don’t care. They will live with hottest team winning the WS rather than the season’s best team.

This year the Dodgers had the best record, so we’ll see if they can make it seven. This will be the first time in years that the teams with the best record in each league will be facing off in the WS, so whichever team wins will deserve it.

Conclusion

On paper we have two evenly matched teams each of which had the best record in their respective leagues.  One team may get the upper hand and win in a short series. But I expect a long series with many memorable moments.

Dodgers in 7.

This was Part 1 of my WS blog. Part2 will be a WS quiz to test your knowledge and recollections.


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OPENING DAY

Today is March 28, and after a long winter of cold, rain, political, economic and social turmoil, and war today will mark the start of the full 2023 baseball season, aka OPENING DAY, with a full slate of games scheduled. Sports fans always look forward to OD. We know, sports are a healthy diversion, especially in difficult times such as now. Every team will be in action weather permitting.

Note, I am not counting the pre-opening day two-game series last week between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea. I view that as a prelude to the real OD. MLB does not consider these “pre-openers” to mark the official start of the season either. It has always considered OD to be the first date when a full slate of games was scheduled. Got it? It should be noted that due to travel and time change, following those pre-openers both teams returned to play additional preseason games. Weird.

This was not the first time MLB has scheduled such games in foreign venues. Beginning in 1996 games, both pre-openers and in-season, have been played in foreign locales such as Sydney, Australia, Mexico City, Mexico and London, England, among others. Opening in these foreign locales may be inconvenient for the players, but MLB does it to broaden the exposure and appeal of the game. Indeed, MLB rosters are chock full of players from countries in the Caribbean, Central America, South America and Asia. According to MLB 28.5% of MLB players are foreign-born.

Typically, many early season (and late season) games are played in weather more suitable for football. Why? We know why – M O N E Y. If MLB persists in playing games in March, April and November why doesn’t it mandate domed stadiums in cold weather locales? Probably, too logical for the Lords of Baseball.

For many years, MLB had scheduled the very first game of the season in Cincinnati, usually on the first Monday in April, with a full slate of games the next day. This was in recognition of the fact that the Reds were the first professional baseball team. In fact, the Reds are the only team that has always been scheduled to play its first game at home. There have only been three years when they opened on the road – 1966, when the home opener was rained out and 1990 and 2022 when those seasons were delayed due to lockouts. The team was formed in 1869 as the Red Stockings. It has undergone various name changes and is now known as the “Reds.” Incidentally, for you trivia buffs, they went 65-0 that first year, the only perfect season in baseball history.

The National League was organized in 1876, and the American League in 1901. For many years there were 16 teams – eight teams in each league, all in the northeast, with no team being located west or south of St. Louis. With the advent of air travel in the late 1950s it became feasible to add franchises in other sectors of the country. Presently, there are 30 teams – 15 in each league.

Despite the often-inclement weather, OD holds a special meaning. Mention those words to any sports fan, and, immediately, he or she knows what it means, and to which sport it pertains. Not football, not basketball, not hockey. OD means that another season of Major League Baseball is beginning. Baseball fans look forward to OD every year. Local newspapers step up their coverage of the local team in anticipation. They send the beat writers to Spring Training to report on the local team. Many of them even print a daily countdown of the number of days remaining until OD. In addition, OD occurs in the Spring, a season that symbolizes a new beginning and one which most people anticipate every year.

Most fans will acknowledge that baseball is no longer the most popular sport. In fact, according to TV ratings, betting interest and most fan polls, football has superseded baseball. Perhaps, basketball has as well, particularly among younger fans. However, baseball, which has been played in the US in some form since the 1840s, is part of the social fabric of America.

Most men (and women) remember their first game of “catch” with their father and their first baseball game. For most it is a “rite of passage” as uniquely American as the flag. In fact, I have a more detailed recall of a World Series game I saw with my father in 1956 than I do of ballgames I saw last year.

Every fan is optimistic on OD. Every team starts with the same 0-0 record. None has lost a game yet. Every team still has a chance to make the playoffs (at least in theory), and as we have seen in recent years, once you make the playoffs anything can happen. For example, in 2016 the Chicago Cubs won it all for the first time since 1908. Think about that for a minute. That meant that, at the time, no Cubs fan, and virtually none of their fathers, had even been born the previous time the Cubs had won. In 2017 the Houston Astros won their first WS after having languished near the bottom of the league for many years.

Unlike other sports, very often the team with the best regular season record does not win the World Series or even get there. Even the best baseball teams generally lose about 40% of their games. If those losses come at the wrong time, it’s sayonara.

Eight wild card teams have actually won the World Series, most recently, the Texas Rangers, last year. Furthermore, in 2002 and 2014 both WS participants were wild cards (the Angels beat the Giants in 2002, and the Giants beat the Royals in 2014). Five teams – the Padres, Mariners, Brewers, Rays, and Rockies – have never won a WS, and the Mariners have never even appeared in one. The WS format has always been the best of seven games, EXCEPT for 1903, which was the first one, and 1919-1921 which were all the best of nine.

Many fans, and even some reporters, place undue emphasis on the opener, forgetting or ignoring the fact that the season consists of 162 games. To many fans, a win OD means the season will be outstanding; a loss means the team “stinks.”

Down through the years, OD has produced some memorable events, such as:

1. In 1907, the NY Giants, forerunner of the San Francisco Giants, forfeited the opener after rowdy fans began throwing snowballs at the players and umpires. There were not enough police on hand to restore order, so the umpires forfeited the game to the visiting Phillies.
2. In 1910 President Howard Taft became the first President to throw out the “first ball.” In 1950 President Truman threw out the “first pitch” twice, as a righty and a lefty. Over the years nearly every president has done so, and the practice has evolved from a perfunctory toss from the stands to a more elaborate ceremonial toss from the mound. Will we see President Biden follow tradition this year? Your guess is as good as mine. Can you imagine him doing the “wave?”
3. In 1940, Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians, known as “Rapid Robert” because of his high velocity fast ball, threw the only OD day no-hitter in baseball history. As an aside, there were no radar guns in Feller’s Day, so one day some officials attempted to “time” his fastball by having him throw a pitch against a speeding motorcycle. Not very scientific.
4. In 1947 Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on OD becoming the first African American to play in the major leagues since the 19th Century.
5. In 1975 Frank Robinson became the first African American to manage in the Major Leagues. Later, he became the first AA manager to be “fired.”
6. In 1996, John McSherry, an umpire, suffered a fatal heart attack near home plate.
7. Early in the 20th Century teams would, on occasion, open with a doubleheader. Doubleheaders used to be quite common, particularly on Sundays and holidays. Now, they are rare, and when they do occur it is usually the result of adding an extra game to make up for a rain-out. The reason? Money, of course.
8. In 1946 Boston Braves fans attending the game got an unpleasant surprise. It seems that the Braves’ management had had the stands freshly painted, and the paint had not completely dried. Many fans got red paint all over their clothes. The embarrassed management issued a public apology and paid the fans’ cleaning bills.
9. Tom Seaver started the most openers – 16. Walter Johnson pitched the most OD shutouts – seven, including a 1-0 victory in which he pitched 15 innings. No chance of that happening today. Incidentally, Johnson had 110 career shutouts. Talk about unbreakable records!
10. In 1974 Henry Aaron clouted his 714th homerun tying Babe Ruth’s all-time record for career homers.
11. In 1968 Angels minor leaguer Greg Washburn became the only pitcher to appear in two OD games in the same year. Huh? How did he do that? First, he pitched the opener for the San Jose Bees of the California League and then for the Quad City Angels of the Midwest League. (He won both games 2-0).

12. Some of the individual OD records we may see broken today are most home runs (3), most hits (5) most RBIs (7) and most strikeouts (15). Maybe, we will see another no-hitter, although the way the game is played today any no-hitter would be a group effort.

Last year MLB instituted various rules changes, which were designed to increase the appeal of the games to fans by enhancing the action on the field, decreasing the length of games, and increasing the pace, which had often slowed to a crawl. In 1980 the average game took two hours and 33 minutes; in 2022 the average game had increased to three hours and six minutes. These changes had the desired effect at least with respect to reducing the length of games. Last year the average length was only two hours and forty-two minutes.

MLB has instituted a few minor rules tweaks this year:

  1. the time allotted to release the next pitch with a runner on base will be reduced from 20 seconds to 18.
  2. The runner’s lane between home plate and first base has been widened.
  3. The number of mound visits in a game has generally been reduced from five to four.
  4. The “ghost ” runner rule has been made permanent for regular season games.

CONCLUSION

As I said, weather is often an issue on OD, especially in the northern cities where it is not unusual to have cold, damp, rainy weather in early April that is more suitable for football than baseball. It reminds me of one of the major criticisms of baseball, that the season is too long. We all know the reason – tv money. The owners like it, because it makes them rich and less dependent on attendance for revenues. The players tolerate it, because it helps fuel their astronomic salaries. As for the fans, well, they will just have to grin and bear it.

Hall of Fame pitcher, Early Wynn sagaciously summed up the essence of OD thusly: “An opener is not like any other game. You have that anxiety to get off to a good start, for yourself and for the team. You know that when you win the first one you can’t lose them all.” Joe DiMaggio, always looked forward to OD. He felt “you think something wonderful is going to happen.” Finally, I am reminded of that renowned philosopher Yogi Berra, who could turn a phrase with the best of them, who is reputed to have said: “A home opener is always exciting, no matter if it’s home or on the road.”

So, which teams will reach the World Series? Which team will win? According to FanDuel Sportsbook the favorites are the Dodgers and Braves in the NL and the Astros and Yankees in the AL. Good choices. Can’t fault them, although watch out for the Orioles. I, of course, will root for the Dodgers. In any event, it’s a long season, and anything can happen. I think the TV networks would like to see a Dodgers-Yankees World Series. I think that would generate the most interest and the highest TV ratings. They used to meet on what seemed like a regular basis back in the 1950s, but they have not met since 1981.

What is your favorite OD memory? Please share.

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