Dodgers at Padres, 7:10 PM PDT, Bally Sports San Diego, MLBN (out-of-market only), SPNLA
The visiting Dodgers send Walker Buehler (1-0, 1.50 ERA) out for his third start of the year. He’s gone six innings in each of his first two, getting no decision against the Rockies and beating the Nationals. He’ll face the Padres’ rookie LHP Ryan Weathers (1-0, 1.50 ERA), who’ll be making his first career start.
- 1928 Braves’ pitcher Charlie Robertson has his glove removed from the game by umpire Charley Moran after the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers) complain the ball is acting strangely. The Boston hurler still manages to win, 3-2.
- 1946 LOCAL NEWSPAPER AD — “An Apology to Braves Fans – The management will reimburse any of its patrons for any expense to which they might have been put for necessary cleansing of clothing as a result of paint damage.” As the result of the newly painted grandstand seats having not yet completely dried, about 5,000 fans attending the Boston’s home opener against the Dodgers left Braves Field with green paint covering much of their clothing. The team took out newspaper ads to apologize to the affected patrons, agreeing to reimburse any expense caused by the mishap, an offer that will cost the team $6,000, after it generates nearly 13,000 claims, including some from as far away as California and Nebraska.
- 1964 Shea Stadium is christened with Holy Water from the Gowanus Canal, which passes near Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, the Dodgers’ old home, and Holy Water from the Harlem River at the location where it flows past the Polo Grounds, the once longtime ballpark of the Giants and the Mets’ home for the past two seasons. The stadium’s namesake Bill Shea, the lawyer credited with bringing the National League back to New York, pours the water from two bottles, blessing the Flushing Meadows structure on the eve of its debut.
- 1975 After making the second of his two poor starts for the Dodgers, Juan Marichal, who signed with the team as a free agent, appears in his final major league game. The 37 year-old ‘Dominican Dandy’ finishes his 16-year Hall of Fame career with more complete games (244) than the total of his victories (243).
- 1983 Steve Garvey appears in his 1,118th straight game, breaking the National League record established by Hall of Fame outfielder Billy Williams playing for the Cubs in 1970. The Padres’ first baseman, who spent 13 seasons with the Dodgers before signing as a free agent with San Diego in the offseason, will see his consecutive game streak end at 1,207, the third-longest span in major league history at the time, due to a dislocated thumb suffered as a result of a collision at home plate during the first game of a doubleheader in 1983.
- 1988 The Braves establish a National League record for losses at the start of a season by losing their tenth consecutive game. With a 7-4 defeat to the Dodgers, Atlanta surpasses the mark, previously owned by four teams, including the infamous 1919 Braves and the 1962 Mets.
Lineup when available.
NPUT
Musgrove can’t hit, apparently.
Well, if they tie it up we will have Betts leading off the 13th. That was sick. I know. DON’T THROW ANY DARTS AT ME, PLEASE!
Lol!
Ha!
One out.
You mean we have to play another inning? Winnipeg Dave, will it end before sunrise in Manitoba?
I think Game 2 starts in about 45 min. Lol
Ha!
Froze him big time.
It was a beauty.
For sure.
Are you in the Eastern time zone?
Yep. 2:30 in the morning here.
Heroic.
I’m a night person. LOL. I work the night shift when I’m not off.
Oh my, Santana.
Got him!!!
Strike four!
I really dislike this starting a man on second thing.
It’s gimmickry, not baseball.
It’s almost as bad as the DH.
It is much much worse. Not even any comparison.
I agree. The DH has been around for more than 30 years.
DH is the worst thing ever.
Mookie just got out of the way of the ball it looked like.
I honestly feel like the Dodgers can’t “lose” here. If they win the game/series, they remain in control of the Padres – just like always. If they lose, then like Obi-Wan Kenobi, they will come back stronger. Like after the Pads beat Kershaw last year.
Thanks. That helps.
We do have World Series Rings however. And they don’t.
This helps too!
The season series between these 2 teams feels like an ESPN 30 for 30 waiting to happen.
I’m exhausted. Also, we are watching Babylon Berlin so we’ll be moving on from tension to tension over here.
Babylon Berlin is really good. You need to see the Weissensee Saga.
Thanks for the recommendation! We are running out of shows.
And it’s only Game 1. In April.
What a night for Knebel’s pitching to be off.
Mier..coles
Disaster-les.
How’s your Spanish slang?
Okay. Could be better. But I know what you are hinting at.
It’s what kids say to avoid a Rule No. 1 violation.
I like it. Who knew “Wednesday” was naughty?
Jeeze the Padres are intense tonight. They hate us! They really hate us!
Inverse of Sally Fields?
Yep.
Yep.
Pfffffffffffffft
Grrrr. So frustrating – suddenly Knebel can’t pitch.
Knebel
Corrected. I’m too frustrated to keep track.
Bellinger out indefinitely with hairline fracture in his fibula, or has that been posted previously on this site?
The team is trying to Raley around him in his absence.
Isn’t there a law in Canada about copying puns from the U.S.?
I’d heard about it. Not easily replaceable.
A pleasure chatting with you all tonight. Have a great morning.
I think the Padres invested too much emotionally in this game.
That’s enough for tonight.
A nervous pleasure “talking” with all of you.
We hung on and found a way through to the win!
Yes. By the way, what’s for breakfast?
Breakfast of Champions?
Great response.
Like old times. And so to bed.
Win streak!!!
Dodgers win!
What. A. Game.
Huzzah!
Woo-HOO!!!!
Hope the Dodgers score 11 for Kershaw tomorrow.
In 9 innings, however.
Indeed.
The no-hit pitcher is no hitter.
Last year Dodgers scored 5 in an extra inning game and ended up only winning by 1 I think.
Don’t be jinxing things Dave.
Reverse jinx.
Out of nowhere, we have 11 runs and 12 hits.
Seager started it all off.
Price RBI!
He dunked on him.
The first baseman/pitcher forgot to cover first.
11-6!
Save some for later today!
10-6!
Calling Broderick Crawford…
Kronenworth pitching.
He is worth his weight in Kronars.
Tack!
https://twitter.com/BillShaikin/status/1383313435442573312?s=20
Pile on!
Tatís averaging more than an error per game.
He wasn’t watching the ball.
Well to be fair – this one has gone into extras!
Wow!
9-6!!!!
Your futuring is picking up again.
Are you still
Pacing? Musgrove coming into the game now.
Nope. Cronenworth pitching!
Mushrove is in left field!
Padres finally look tired.
Keep it going, Boys in Blue.
OhioDodger: where are you in the Buckeye State? I used to live outside of Toledo, in Sylvania.
Columbus.
You and the Crew hey?
Yep. Soccer champs.
I’m a pretty big Browns fan. You?
Not a huge NFL fan but I follow and root for them. I am happy that they are no longer the door mat of the NFL. I like college football and of course the Buckeyes.
I have followed the Browns since Kosar in the 80’s, and the Buckeyes (not quite as closely) since the mid 90’s.
Browns had some good teams back then. That is a rabid fan base up there.
Got it. I never could figure out why Ohio is in the Eastern time zone. But it made for great summer nights with the sun still shining close to 10 p.m.
Agreed.
Let’s go – more runs!
Corey to the rescue!
Two-run leadoff homer!
Seager says “See ya later ball!”
Yasssssssss!!!!!!
Seager!
Let’s go!
Corey!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mookie on second. That I like.
Creeping up on five hours.
We dodged the bullet twice.
I wonder when Price last pitched on consecutive days.
This Price guy seems to be pretty good.
I remember this Price! He killed us a few years back!
The Price is right.
Great K!
We dodged the bullet once.
DP?
You can’t risk it.
Checks game situation.
One out with runner on first.
Yep. Pretty sure they could.
Nope, not with winning run on third.
There would be no run if they had turned two.
There would be no run if they had turned two.
No manager will ever do that.
Of course they do. I’ve seen it countless times.
Not with the winning run on third.
Why couldn’t we advance the runner like that. It’s not that hard, right?
Did it the previous inning and couldn’t get him home.
I’m not holding my breath here.
I’ve been pacing the room.
I’m slowly sinking into the sofa.
I hear that’s not a healthy thing to do really. Deep cleansing breathes are best.
Poor Price. This is not a fun place to be.
Never even got McKinstry to third.
Who pitches now?
May?
Price.
Again?
Apparently.
No, May would have had to be warming up.
Would love Mookie to send it deep into the night.
Nah. Not tonight.
Tomorrow? Like in 20min?
These innings can kill a team’s RISP.
Gameday is acting exhausted.
Manny did well there.
Dennis Santana is now 50 years old.
Half my age now
Me, too.
ARGH! STRIKE TWO!
Ump’s inconsistency
Perfect pitch really.
May as well have it be Jr.
Can this possibly get any tenser?
Padres trying to become the first team ever to win the well known 1 game mid April World Series.
Thanks for the laugh!
Did Smith ever tag the batter?
Runner on first, he can’t go.
Runner was on 2nd.
On defensive indifference
Was he? Not so sure he didn’t go on strike three in the dirt.
No, he went earlier making the DP chance moot.
Passed the 4-hour mark a while ago.
In pandemic times, I haven’t been staying up late.
Infield playing in.
You gotta.
Yes
Santana is over his head in this situation on more than on level.
Need a K here
DP now.
That would be perfect.
No, you gotta get the runner at home. You can’t risk it.
You got your K.
Feels like Buehler was pitching a lifetime ago.
I wonder if Manny is going to be playing tomorrow?
There goes the game I fear.
My thoughts as well. Isn’t that how we lost to the A’s, in the bottom of the 10th?
Yeah.
What was he looking at, for Pete’s sake?
Not the pitch.
That shows inexperience.
Yes
If we’re tired, imagine how the players are feeling.
And the Pads flew from Pittsburgh last night.
How bout a wild pitch
Balk!
: )
Rats.
Bad future person!
Hard line drive. Caught.
Lotsa pitches for Melancon
Strikeout or HR coming
Or walk I suppose.
I wish Taylor would just push the runner over.
Need at least two runs
Agree.
Start with getting at least one.
One strike away…twice
Grrr.
Let’s bat around Blue.
Wednesday (in honor of WBB).
Coulda been worse. Kenley coulda given up an HR.
Machado totally manufactured that run. While hurt. Tip of the cap.
Let’s go Dodgers!
Ughhhhhhhhh.
Ugh.
Can this game get any worse?
You don’t want to see Padres cry in extra innings?
Bad sweep tag attempt by Seager.
Gameday had injury delay. What’s up?
They checked in on Manny who was wincing.
Sr. Wences.
He was doing a José González.
Manny will steal second.
And what will Hosmer do?
Two down.
One down.
We need some good futuring here!
The future is full of love.
3 up 3 down: Is that too much to ask?
Stay in there Will.
I like that!
Woo-Hoo!!
Nice!
JT single! Mookie comes home!
Ok JT. Continue your new found love of big hits in April.
We need Mookie to find his way to home plate.
Mookie on second! Nice and easy.
Mookie on first! Nice and easy.
Glad to see Seattle beat Houston.
Here comes inning 9!
Let’s go Dodgers!
Kenley! Sweeeeeeet!
This could get pretty gnarly here. Yikes.
On the bright side… https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1383133095436693505?s=20
Pfffffffffffffft
Pfffffffffffffft
End of the bat…
This game feels like a Russian novel. Or a German opera.
Long and intense.
Manny being Manny.
It is a pretty swing.
Totally off topic – but someone asked me for my fav “B list”* movie stars and I’m drawing a blank. Any names come to mind for anyone here?
*(Not sure I – or the stars themselves – love the “B list” distinction.)
Could Nick Cage and/or Brendan Fraser be considered?
That was pathetic!!!
Prove me wrong, AJ!
I wish I had more confidence in AJ.
At very least, top of the lineup one more time tonight in the 9th.
Good point. So… Knebel and KJ?
That’s the plan I’m sure.
One more hit here would be tremendous.
Even a sac fly, wild pitch etc.
Just not the weak grounder. Sigh.
Zach got one back!
Woot!
Phew! But man, Dodgers, can’t give them runs like that.
In fairness, the Pads gave the Dodgers even worse ones.
Ugh. Dodgers now have three errors in this game.
Sinkers sinking a little too much.
Okay Blake. Dig deep my friend.
Kim making sure he’s earning his keep. Nice steal.
Our turn to look awkward.
Every pitch call is an adventure.
The last few days, balls/strikes have been really erratic.
Same group of umps, right?
Fancy footwork – not really but good recovery.
Toe tapping action.
A little soft shoe routine. Or tap dancing. Not sure which.
Treinen time.
Ball five on Seager.
That looked like the expansion Padres.
Double woot! 4-2!
Your futuring is on fire!
You should see my kitchen-dancing!
Woot! 3-2 blue!
Woot!!
Rats!!
OK, Scoop, you wanna reconsider Raley?
First MLB HR!
Raley!!!!
Padres get a lot of breaks tonight so far.
The breaks are evening out now.
Nice try CT3. Just missed it.
A bit lucky once or twice but Weathers pitched very well for the Padres.
I would like to have seen Ryan Weathers pitch against Storm Davis, but they are a generation apart.
Manny reminds me a bit of Jose Canseco.
Bad outfielder makes good play. His defense cost them a game in Pittsburgh.
Time for a change in the Weathers this inning.
Is sloppy play in right field contagious?
What sloppy play did you see?
Mookie bobbled the ball and the runner took an extra base.
Yup.
So, one play constitutes contagion?
Zach yesterday.
Generally more consequential.
I love the item above from 1946.
Myers swung.
Absolutely.
The Dodgers can be OK without Bellinger, but based on the very early returns I think they will need an upgrade from Beaty, Rios and Raley.
Beaty and Ríos have decent track records for bench players. Raley’s had a couple good early moments, but nothing definitive. That was a good AB for him.
I will give each until the end of April before passing judgement.
First two have shown they are capable of performing better.
46 pitches for the Pads pitcher after 2. Amazign how well the Dodgers can run up pitch counts early on so consistently.
Dropping in briefly to say hi.
Hey Bumsrap! Great to see you.
I’m slow to get into it this year.
Welcome back.
Hey buddy!
Turnabout is fair play for Corey.
Ha! DP back atcha!
Tatis apparently being asked to change his follow through, from one hand to two. I would imagine that could take weeks to adjust to.
Shades of Bellinger and his ever-evolving stance and swing.
Tatis with the limbo move.
That stadium is rocking!
Tatís is not holding back.
I’m not sure the Padre fans have ever seen a DP before. They seemed very impressed by it.
Not the double I wanted.
Lol. Especially with Seager at the plate.
A Dodger leadoff walk. Hey San Diego – it happens to the best of them.
Ready for a night of tuning out the “Beat LA” chants.
Argh! Internet spotty tonight here on the beach in Mexico.
On the other hand – some of us are most definitely not on a beach in Mexico.
I envy you!
Lol!
Stupid sand!
Stupid sand!
The Fish have swallowed the Gnats, so Dodgers can increase their NL West lead tonight.
Here’s the piece by Bruce Jenkins about Fernando Valenzuela: https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/jenkins/article/Remembering-Fernandomania-four-decades-on-16098438.php?cmpid=gsa-sfgate-result
Let me know if you can open it. If not, I will copy and paste it on this site.
Repeated from yesterday: Bruce and I worked together at the Daily Californian at UC-Berkeley. Each of us was sports editor, Bruce before me. By the way, he grew up a Dodgers fan.
It still has that pop-up subscription ad in the center of the screen.
You will have to scroll through some big blank sections, but here it is …
Sporting Green // Bruce Jenkins (San Francisco Chronicle)
Remembering ‘Fernandomania’ four decades on, and how it changed the game
Bruce Jenkins
April 16, 2021
Baseball celebrates Jackie Robinson Day on Thursday,
resurrecting the memory of Robinson breaking the major leagues’ color
barrier in 1947 and offering fans an invitation to research a landmark
of American history.
As it happens, this is an especially relevant year for
perspective. Let’s hope the saga of Fernando Valenzuela, and his lasting
impact on the game, is not overshadowed.
Wednesday marks the 40th anniversary of a Tuesday night
at Candlestick Park and an early glimpse at “Fernandomania,” one of the
most stunning and heartwarming episodes of baseball lore. The Dodgers
were in town, and the 20-year-old left-hander was making his second
start of the 1981 season. He was known, but just barely. Facing the
likes of Larry Herndon, Jack Clark, Mike Ivie, Joe Morgan and Rennie
Stennett, Valenzuela outdueled Vida Blue in a four-hit, complete-game
7-1 victory before a crowd of 23,790.
It was fresh, stylish, impressive. But nobody could have anticipated what was coming.
By the end of that season, Valenzuela had become the
first player to win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award in the
same season. He won his first eight starts, all but one a complete game,
with five shutouts. He would draw massive crowds around the country,
everyone fascinated by an ordinary-looking fellow who looked to the
heavens before every pitch and had emerged from depths of obscurity: the
son of poor farmers in Etchohuaquila, a small town in the state of
Sonora, Mexico, some 370 miles south of the Arizona border.
Just two years earlier, he had signed for $120,000 out of
the Mexican Baseball League without a hint of fanfare. Now he was
changing the face of baseball — starting with the Mexican American
community surrounding Dodger Stadium and expanding to Latino interests
worldwide.
“Watching Fernando pitch,” broadcaster Vin Scully often said, “was a religious experience.”
For those who remember those days, scenes of familial
harmony stay locked in memory: Hispanic parents taking their kids to
the ballpark, not just for the baseball experience but to let them know
that the great Fernando was one of their own, that anything in life was
possible. He stood just 5-foot-11 and couldn’t have been less
threatening as a physical presence, but as the greats of the game stood
before him in the batter’s box — Pete Rose, Dave Parker, Mike Schmidt,
Andre Dawson, George Foster — they could not figure him out.
It was all about the screwball, an off-speed pitch
darting low and away to right-handed hitters and effectively the
opposite of his curveball to lefty batters. He had learned the pitch in
Lodi, of all places. The Dodgers had their California base in that San
Joaquin County town in 1979, and it was taught to Valenzuela by relief
pitcher Bobby Castillo. A changed man, suddenly retiring everyone in
sight, Valenzuela was promoted to Double-A San Antonio in 1980 and led
the Texas League in strikeouts before a late-season stint with the
Dodgers.
Hall of Fame voters tend to be especially cruel when it
comes to short-term primes. Valenzuela’s lasted just six years, and he
joins the likes of Don Mattingly, Will Clark and Keith Hernandez among
players who absolutely had that Cooperstown look at their best — but
were denied in the voting. More important, however, is what happened in
Southern California upon Valenzuela’s arrival.
Athletes of Mexican heritage fill the pages of soccer and
boxing history, with shining lights in other sports, notably Joe Kapp,
Jim Plunkett, Tom Flores, Tom Fears, Anthony Muñoz, Tony Romo and a host
of placekickers in the NFL. There’s a long list in baseball, including
Bobby Avila (the 1954 American League batting champion), Adrian
Gonzalez, Nomar Garciaparra, Anthony Rendon and Eric Chavez. The great
Ted Williams preferred to keep the information private, lest he fall
victim to racial prejudice, but both of his maternal grandparents had
come to the United States from Valle de Allende in Chihuahua, Mexico,
and his mother’s maiden name was Venzor.
For Valenzuela, whose status rose above them all,
recognition among his people did not come easily. Chavez Ravine, where
the Dodgers built their ballpark, had been home to a thriving Mexican
American community for decades before an ill-fated housing project
cleared the land and saw many residents physically removed from their
homes by local sheriffs. There was deep resentment toward the Dodgers,
who purchased the land in 1957, and this was a franchise without much
interest in Latino ballplayers.
Consider this striking contrast: The Giants filled their
roster with Latin-born players over their first five years in San
Francisco, including Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, the three Alou
brothers, Manny Mota and Jose Pagan. When Valenzuela became a rotation
regular in 1981, he was the first Latino to have that
distinction since the Dodgers’ move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. And
the team played 10 seasons in Los Angeles before fielding an everyday
Latino in the field, shortstop Zoilo Versalles, in 1968.
Valenzuela changed all that by himself. As the
neighborhoods surrounding Chavez Ravine began their revival, so did the
Dodgers’ reputation in those quarters. Everybody was imitating
Valenzuela’s delivery: hands joined at the waist, then lifted high above
his head as he glanced skyward — sometimes inspiration overrides the
textbook — and fired away. Even today, so many years later, the Dodgers
estimate that more than 40% of their fans are Latino.
“I truly believe that there is no other player in
major-league history who created more new fans than Valenzuela,” said
Jamie Jarrin, the longtime Spanish-language radio voice of the Dodgers,
in a 2006 interview with Dodger Magazine. “Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale,
Joe DiMaggio, even Babe Ruth did not. Fernando turned so many people
from Mexico, Central America and South America into fans. He created
interest in baseball among people who did not care about baseball.”
Bruce Jenkins is a columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: bjenkins@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Bruce_Jenkins1
Bruce Jenkins has written for the San Francisco Chronicle since 1973 and has
been a sports columnist since 1989. He has covered 27 World Series, 19
Wimbledons and many other major events, including the Super Bowl, World
Cup soccer, NBA Finals, four major golf tournaments and U.S. Open tennis
championships.
He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1966 and UC Berkeley with a B.A. in journalistic studies in 1971.
Thanks, Scoop.
Delete the Chronicle cookies and you’ll be able to open it.