Tag Archives: Don Newcombe

Sep 12

Game 144, 2023

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Padres at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: MLBN (out-of-market only), SPNLA

RHP Michael Wacha (11-3, 2.99 ERA) goes for the Padres and RHP Lance Lynn (10-11, 6.09 ERA) goes for the Dodgers.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1930 The last major league bounced home run is hit by Dodger catcher Al Lopez at Ebbets Field as the NL joins the American League, which had enacted the rule change in 1929. The player who hits the ball over the wall on a bounce will now be awarded a ground-rule double.
  • 1932 In the bottom of the ninth, Johnny Frederick hits his major league record-setting sixth pinch-homer of the season, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 victory over the Cubs. The Brooklyn outfielder’s major league mark will not be broken for 68 years until another Dodger, Dave Hansen, strokes seven round-trippers coming off the bench in 2000.
  • 1953 The Dodgers clinch a pennant at the earliest date ever in baseball history with a 5-2 victory over the Braves at County Stadium. Carl Erskine gets the win when Brooklyn, who clinches consecutive titles for the first time in franchise history, goes up 13 games up on Milwaukee with 12 left to play.
  • 1962 One game behind the front running Dodgers, the Giants lose Willie Mays, their All-Star center fielder, when he is hospitalized for nervous exhaustion. The ‘City by the Bay’ will drop six games in a row, but will recover along with ‘Say Hey Kid’ in time to beat Los Angeles in a playoff to win the National league pennant.
  • 1963 In a pregame ceremony with his former Dodgers teammates, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, and Ralph Branca in attendance, Duke Snider is honored by the Mets with a special ‘night’ at the Polo Grounds, which coincidentally marks the last time the Giants, now located in San Francisco, will ever play in their once long-time home in Harlem. The ‘Silver Fox’, obtained by the last-place expansion team in April, has recently requested to be traded to a contender.

    “I look up into the stands, and it looks like Ebbets Field. The Mets are wonderful, but you can’t take the Dodger out of Brooklyn” – DUKE SNIDER, – addressing the Mets fans on his special night at the Polo Grounds.

  • 1995 During a WGN pre-game radio broadcast at Wrigley Field, Cubs announcer Harry Caray remarks to the team’s skipper Jim Riggleman, “Well, my eyes are slanty enough, how ’bout yours?”, referring to Hideo Nomo, the Japanese rookie hurler scheduled to start for the Dodgers. The veteran announcer, known for not backing off for his on-the-air off-handed comments, does issue an apology, calling the incident “unfortunate.”
  • 2000 On the same date the mark was established 68 years ago, Dave Hansen breaks Johnny Frederick’s 1932 record for pinch-hit home runs in a single season with his seventh round-tripper coming off the bench. The Dodger pinch-hitter’s historic homer, a seventh-inning three-run blast off Diamondback right-hander Curt Schilling, isn’t enough to prevent the team’s 5-4 loss to Arizona at Bank One Ballpark.
  • 2021 Max Scherzer becomes the 19th player to reach the 3,000-strikeout plateau with a fifth-inning punch out of Eric Hosmer, who will break up the right-hander’s bid for a perfect game with a one-out double in the eighth of LA’s 8-0 victory over the Padres. The three-time Cy Young Award winner whiffs nine batters in the Dodger Stadium gem, including his third career immaculate inning, tying a major league mark shared by Sandy Koufax and Chris Sale.

Lineups when available.

Sep 05

Game 137, 2023

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Dodgers at Marlins, 3:40 PM PDT, TV: Bally Sports Florida, SPNLA

LHP Clayton Kershaw (12-4, 2.48 ERA) gets the ball from the Dodgers and LHP Jesús Luzardo (9-8, 3.62 ERA) does so for the Marlins.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1908 Superbas southpaw Nap Rucker strikes out 14 Doves en route to tossing a no-hitter in the team’s 6-0 victory over Boston at Washington Park. The only runners to get on base off the talented left-handed redhead come as a result of three Brooklyn errors.
  • 1938 For the third time this season, Dodger catcher Babe Phelps breaks a bone in his throwing hand. Although the injuries will limit his playing time to only 66 games and 208 at-bats this season, the southpaw-swinging backstop will hit .308 and was named to the National League All-Star team, the first of three consecutive games he’ll play in the Mid-summer classic.
  • 1955 In an 11-4 win over the Phillies, Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe hits his seventh homer, establishing a National League record for home runs by a pitcher in a season. The victory is Newk’s 20th of the season.
  • 1978 On a night the Dodgers and Angels are scheduled to play at home on the same date, which is a rare occurrence, each team has their game rained out, another oddity in Los Angeles. The second time both clubs’ home contests will be washed out on the same day in the City of Angels will take place late in the season in 1986.
  • 1998 Barry Bonds sets a new National League mark, reaching base in 15 consecutive plate appearances. The Giants outfielder’s five singles, two doubles, two homers, and six walks during the streak break Dodger Pedro Guerrero’s mark of 14 established in 1983.

Lineups when available.

Aug 19

Game 122, 2023

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Marlins at Dodgers, 12:00 PM PDT, TV: Bally Sports Florida, SPNLA

RHP Eury Pérez (5-4, 3.19 ERA) pitches for the Marlins, facing LHP Caleb Ferguson (7-3, 2.38) of the Dodgers.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1955 For the sixth consecutive season, Robin Roberts is a 20-game winner. The Phillies right-hander, who will finish the season with a 23-14 record, beats Don Newcombe and the first place Dodgers at Connie Mack Stadium, 3-2.
  • 1957 Citing poor attendance as the reason, Giants’ president Horace Stoneham, ignoring baseball’s edict of banning announcements about relocation of franchises until after the World Series, informs the press the club has signed a lease to play its home games in San Francisco next season. The club’s Board of Directors voted 8-1 approving the shift to the West Coast, with the only dissenting vote cast by M. Donald Grant, who will become the chairman of the Mets, an expansion team located in New York to fill the National League void created by the departure of the Giants and Dodgers to California.
  • 2004 Pitching a perfect bottom of the ninth inning, John Smoltz establishes the franchise record with his 142nd save in a Braves uniform. The right-handed reliever surpasses Gene Garber as Atlanta beats the Dodgers in Los Angeles, 6-5.
  • 2008 The Dodgers reacquired Greg Maddux (6-9, 3.99) from the Padres for cash and two minor leaguers to be named or an additional monetary sum. The 42 year-old future Hall of Fame right-hander, obtained to help the club down the stretch run, played in LA for part of the 2006 season, winning six of nine decisions.

Lineups when available.

Aug 09

Game 113, 2023

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Dodgers at D-Backs, 3:40 PM, TV: SPNLA

RHP Bobby Miller (6-2, 4.28 ERA) goes for the Dodgers and RHP Merrill Kelly (9-5, 3.21 ERA) goes for the D-Backs.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1975 At Shea Stadium, Davey Lopes steals his 32nd consecutive base without being caught, breaking Max Carey’s 1922 record in the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory over New York. The Dodger second baseman’s mark will be broken by Vince Coleman in 1989.
  • 1976 John Candelaria becomes the first Pirate since 1907 to throw a no-hitter in Pittsburgh. Nick Maddox threw the first and only Buc home no-hitter until the ‘Candyman’ beat the Dodgers at Three Rivers Stadium. (There was never a no-hitter pitched in the 61-year history of spacious Forbes Field.)
  • 2001 Mike Hampton ties the National League record for pitchers with his seventh homer when he goes deep off Felix Heredia in the Rockies’ 14-5 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Colorado southpaw equals the mark established by Dodger hurlers Don Drysdale (1958, 1965) and Don Newcombe (1955), and two shy of the major league standard set by Wes Ferrell, playing for the Indians in 1931.
  • 2013 The Dodgers rally for four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, overcoming a six-run, seventh-inning deficit, for their fifth walk-off victory of the season. The team’s 7-6 victory over Tampa Bay is their 11th consecutive win in a one-run games, a span in which they have defeated ten different clubs.

Lineups when available.

Jul 17

Game 93, 2023

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Dodgers at Baltimore, 4:05 PM PDT, TV: MASN, SPNLA, TBS (out-of-market only)

The former Robins send RHP Emmit Sheehan (2-0, 4.35 ERA) to the Camden Yards hill to face the former Browns’ RHP Grayson Rodriguez, (2-2, 7.24 ERA).

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1954 With Jim Gilliam (2b), Jackie Robinson (3b), Sandy Amoros (lf), Roy Campanella (c), and Don Newcombe (p) in the starting lineup against the Braves, the Dodgers field the first team which consists of a majority of black players. The historic five helps Brooklyn to beat Milwaukee at County Stadium, 2-1.
  • 1964 In Los Angeles, the Chavez Ravine contest becomes the first Pay-TV baseball game as Subscription Television offers the cablecast to subscribers for a fee. The Dodgers beat Chicago, 3-2, with Don Drysdale collecting 10 strikeouts.
  • 1976 Walter Alston becomes the sixth skipper to win 2,000 games when the Dodgers overcome a four-run first inning deficit and beat Chicago at Chavez Ravine, 5-4. ‘Smokey’ will leave at the end of the season, finishing his 23-year tenure in his only managerial position in the majors with a 2,040-1,613 record (.558).
  • 2021 The unveiling of Marc Melon’s sculpture A Handshake for a Century in Youngstown, OH immortalizes the handshake between Jackie Robinson and George Shuba after Robinson hits his first professional home run. ‘Shotgun’ Shuba extends his hand, marking the first welcoming gesture between a black and white player, while other teammates on the 1946 International League’s Montreal Royals fail to greet the rookie at home plate.

Lineups when available.

Jul 08

Game 89, 2023

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Angels at Dodgers, 6:10 PM PDT, TV: BS West, SPNLA

The visiting Angels send LHP and birthday celebrant Reid Detmers (2-5, 3.72 ERA) to the Dodger Stadium mound to face LHP Alex Vesia (0-4, 7.08 ERA), who will be the first in a string of relievers for the Dodgers.

Today in Dodgers’ history

  • 1949 Hank Thompson, who broke into the majors as a member of the St. Louis Browns twelve days after Larry Doby’s American League debut with the Indians in 1947, becomes the first African-American to play for the Giants. When the former Kansas City Monarchs’ standout faces Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe, it marks the first time a pitcher-batter confrontation takes place between black players in the major leagues.

In the “Dubious Moments in Baseball History” column comes this item: in 1979 the Mets announce the selection of Mettle as the name for the team’s new mascot mule. Dolores Mapps of Mercerville, N.J., who submitted the winning entry, believes the moniker captures the team’s “spirit, ardor, stamina, and courage, all of which the Mets have in abundance.” Alas, Mettie only had one year in the big leagues. It was a victim of a change in Mets ownership after the season.

In a slightly more aesthetic moment, back in 1994 Red Sox shortstop John Valentin snares Marc Newfield’s sixth-inning line drive, steps on second to retire Mike Blowers, and then tags the runner coming from first, Kevin Mitchell, to turn an unassisted triple play. After completing the rare feat, accomplishing a play that has occurred only ten times in major league history, the infielder begins a three-homer outburst by Boston in the bottom of the frame, helping the team defeat the Mariners at Fenway Park, 4-3.

Lineups when available.

May 29

Game 55, 2023

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Nationals at Dodgers, 6:10 PM PDT, TV: MASN, SPNLA

RHP Trevor Williams (2-2, 4.32 ERA) pitches for the Nationals and RHP Bobby Miller (1-0, 1.80 ERA) does so for the Dodgers.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1905 According to legend, Dodger hurler Elmer Stricklett introduces the spitball, helping Brooklyn to beat the Giants, 4-3. Prior to the 1921 season, the spitball will be totally banned, except for 17 existing spitballers who are allowed to keep throwing the slippery pitch legally until they are retired, including Burleigh Grimes, who will be the last player to legally throw a doctored pitch before retiring in 1934.
  • 1928 At Ebbets Field, Bill Terry hits for the cycle to pace the Giants to a 12-5 victory over the Robins (Dodgers). The New York first baseman is the first player in major league history to include a grand slam as part of the cycle.
  • 1956 In a 10-1 loss to the Dodgers at Forbes Field, Dale Long is held hitless by Don Newcombe, ending his consecutive-game home run streak. The Pirates’ first baseman had established a new major league mark by homering in the last eight Pittsburgh contests.
  • 1979 At Dodger Stadium, Dusty Baker, Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Garvey, Gary Thomasson, Derrel Thomas, Joe Ferguson, and Davey Lopes set a team record by hitting seven home runs as the Dodgers crush the Reds, 17-6.
  • 2000 At the age of 104, Fred Roberts, the oldest living Dodger fan, makes his first visit to Dodger Stadium. Wearing a jersey with the number 104, the World War I veteran cheers as Shawn Green’s sixth inning grand slam helps to beat Al Leiter and the Mets, 4-1.

Lineups when available.

May 15

Game 42, 2023

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Twins at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: Bally Sports North, SPNLA

RHP Pablo López (2-2, 3.47 ERA) takes the mound for the visiting Twins and RHP Noah Syndergaard (1-3, 6.12 ERA) does so for the Dodgers. We’ll have to see whether Syndergaard’s cut finger has healed.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1919 After 12 scoreless innings at Ebbets Field, the Reds score ten runs in the 13th inning to beat Al Mamaux and the Dodgers, 10-0. Cincinnati starter Hod Eller, who tossed a no-hitter in his previous start, is the beneficiary of the blowout.

  • 1956 Sal Maglie, obtained on waivers by Cleveland last season from the Giants, is shipped to the Dodgers for a hundred dollars after impressing Brooklyn in an exhibition game. The ‘Barber’ will post a 13-5 record along with a 2.89 ERA for the eventual NL Champs, finishing second to teammate Don Newcombe in the balloting for both the Cy Young and MVP awards.
  • 1998 On the day the Marlins trade Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Charles Johnson, Jim Eisenreich, and Manuel Barrios to the Dodgers for Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile, the team hangs on to beat the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, 8-7. In the first inning, the Fish connect for nine consecutive hits, a franchise record, and score seven runs, all without the help of their recently departed teammates.

Lineups when available.

May 10

Game 38, 2023

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Dodgers at Brewers, 10:40 PM PDT, TV: BS Wisconsin, MLBN (out-of-market only), SPNLA

LHP Clayton Kershaw (5-2, 2.53 ERA) goes for the Dodgers and LHP Wade Miley (3-1, 2.31 ERA) goes for the Brewers.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1953 With a double and home run, Roy Campanella drives in all the runs in the Dodgers’ 5-0 victory over the Phillies at Ebbets Field. Campy’s total of 40+ RBIs in the first 30 games will not be matched until Tino Martinez accomplishes the feat in 1997 with the Yankees.
  • 1955 Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe faces only 27 batters when he one-hits Chicago at Wrigley Field, 3-0. Gene Baker, who will be thrown out trying to steal second base, ruins Newk’s bid for perfection, with a fourth-inning single.

Other historical notes: on this day in 1909 Fred Toney completes the longest no-hitter in organized baseball history, a 1-0 victory over the Lexington Colts of the Blue Grass League. As word spread around town about the Class D Winchester Hustlers right-hander’s performance on the mound, fans continued to stream into the ballpark before the lone run of the contest scored on a squeeze play in the bottom of the 17th. And if you thought the Phillies’ Ben Chapman was bigoted only toward African-Americans, think again. On this date in 1934 Chapman, who will lead the protest against Jackie Robinson in 1947, harasses a Jewish fan during a Yankees’ 13-3 victory of the White Sox at the Bronx ballpark. The New York left fielder shouts disparaging epithets and taunts the team’s supporter with Nazi salutes.

Lineups when available.

Oct 05

Game 162, 2022

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Rockies at Dodgers, 1:20 PM PDT, TV: ATT SportsNet RM, SPNLA

In the last regular season game of the season LHP Austin Gomber (5-7, 5.62 ERA) pitches for the Rockies and LHP Clayton Kershaw (11-3, 2.30 ERA) pitches for the Dodgers. This could be Kershaw’s last regular season game, but I suspect he’ll be back next year; yes, he’ll be 35 years old but he’s been very good this season even with his back troubles and he enjoys the competition so much that I think he’ll give it one more go. I hope so. I’d like to see him get 200 wins.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1905 The Beaneaters suffer their 100th loss of the season when they drop the first game of a Washington Park doubleheader, 11-5, to the Superbas, a team that has already lost 103 games. It is the first occurrence in major league history that two teams with triple-digit losses have been opponents.
  • 1914 In the eighth, Robins reliever Pat Ragan throws an immaculate inning when he strikes out the first three batters he faces on nine pitches. Unfortunately, the right-handed will give up five runs in the next frame, taking the loss in the team’s 9-5 defeat to the Braves at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field.
  • 1947 Al Gionfriddo, inserted in left field for defensive purposes, makes one of the most memorable catches in World Series history when he robs Joe DiMaggio of an extra-base hit with two men on base in the sixth inning. The outfielder’s heroics help preserve an 8-5 Dodger victory in Game 6 of the Fall Classic, which will be the 25-year-old’s last game in the major leagues.
  • 1949 Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe, becoming the first black to start a World Series contest, allows only four hits in Game 1, including Tommy Henrich’s home run leading off the bottom of the ninth, giving the Yankees a 1-0 walk-off victory in the Bronx ballpark. ‘Old Reliable’s shot to right field, the first game-ending home run in the history of the Fall Classic, gives Allie Reynolds the complete-game win, and it is Casey Stengel’s first postseason victory
  • 1953 In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6, the Yankees win their record fifth consecutive World Series when Billy Martin singles, scoring Hank Bauer to give New York a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory over the Dodgers. The Bronx Bombers’ second baseman, named the Series MVP, bats .500 in the six contests, collecting a record-tying 12 hits to equal Babe Ruth’s mark, and compiles 23 total bases, the most in Fall Classic history.
  • 1963 In Game 4, Mickey Mantle ties Babe Ruth’s record with his 15th World Series home run. In the seventh inning, the Yankees slugger turns around a Sandy Koufax fastball to tie the score, but the blast isn’t enough to stave off the Dodgers’ Fall Classic sweep of the Bronx Bombers.
  • 1966 Reliever Moe Drabowsky ties a World Series record by striking out six consecutive batters in the Orioles’ 5-2 Game 1 victory at Dodger Stadium. Brooks and Frank Robinson hit back-to-back homers in the first inning.
  • 1977 Glenn Burke greets Dusty Baker on the dugout steps to congratulate his Dodger teammate for hitting a grand slam against the Phillies in Game 2 of the 1977 NLCS. The greeting, consisting of the two players extending their right arms above their heads and slapping their hands to make a resounding clap, is considered the first ‘high five’ in baseball history.
  • 2001 In the longest nine-inning game in major league history, Barry Bonds breaks and then extends the mark for home runs in a season during the 4 hours and 27 minutes, 11-10 loss to the Dodgers at Pac Bell Park. The Giant outfielder connects off Dodger starter Chan Ho Park to break Mark McGwire’s 1998 record of 70 and then homers again in his next at-bat to extend his record to 72.

Lineups when available.