LOS ANGELES DODGERS
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been one of the most historical and successful baseball clubs in the MLB. Originating from Brooklyn in 1883, the Dodgers have experienced success consistently throughout their history. Originally earning their first title in 1889 within the American Association, the Dodgers claimed a National League pennant the following season, their first in America’s most prestigious baseball league. Though the team would collect several more pennants, it would take over a half century for the Dodgers to claim a World Series title.
After a brave move in recruiting Jackie Robinson (the MLB’s first black man) in 1947, things turned up for the Brooklyn Dodgers. The team dominated the National League throughout the next several years, though they would repeatedly stumble in the World Series. But in 1955, the team managed the feat, led by Robinson, Don Newcombe, Joe Black, Roy Campanella, and Jim Gilliam. After new stadium arguments heated up with the owner and city officials, team owner Walter O’Malley broke new ground in the American West by moving the Dodgers to Los Angeles, California.
There, the on-field success continued with the development of ace pitcher Sandy Koufax, who would win 3 Cy Young Awards. The Los Angeles Dodgers would enter a period of sustained success, winning the Series in 1959, 1963, and 1965! A great pitching staff during this period included Don Drysdale and Claude Osteen, while Maury Wills and Tommy Davis made plays with their bats.
It wouldn’t be until the late 1970’s that the LA Dodgers would become relevant again. Guys like Tommy John, Steve Yeager, Davey Lopes, and Bill Russell helped the team back to multiple World Series but they would fall to the New York Yankees two years in a row. But in 1981, hope was restored behind the arm of rookie pitching sensation Fernando Valenzuela, who is the only pitcher to win both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in the same season! The Dodgers would go on to beat the Yankees in 6 games and claim the 1981 World Series!
In 1988, Valenzuela missed most of the year, but a new pitcher named Orel Hershiser provided exactly what the team needed on the mound, earning a Cy Young Award in the process. Meanwhile, Mike Scioscia and Kirk Gibson were formidable hitters in their latest run to the title. In the 1988 Game 1 of the World Series, an injured Gibson pinch hit in the 9th inning with a tremendous walk-off home run that has become one of baseball’s finest moments featuring an incredible fist pump as he rounded 1st base!
That title was the team’s last, though they have reached the playoffs on several occasions, especially recently. New ownership highlighted by Magic Johnson have brought the team to the forefront of big spending, marked by an astronomical television deal in the Los Angeles area. Current players now include Zack Greinke, Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Hanley Ramirez, and an up-and-coming Cuban slugger, Yasiel Puig. Though they fell just short of a World Series appearance by losing in the 2013 NLCS, I feel that the future beckons warmly for this tremendous lineup of the current Los Angeles Dodgers!
AAA Sports Memorabilia has a great selection of Los Angeles Dodgers autographed memorabilia both online and offline. Collectors go to great lengths to find and acquire collectibles that have significance to them. Autograph collectors are always looking for that unique autograph, a game-used item, or an autographed collectible that depicts a great moment in sports history. Since 2006, AAA Sports Memorabilia has been helping sports collectors in finding these great collectibles. All of our autographed sports memorabilia, including our autographed Los Angeles Dodgers collectibles, are guaranteed for life to be authentic or your money back. Our autographed memorabilia is obtained during private sessions with the athletes and a representative is there to watch each signature being applied to the collectible.
Visiting our Los Angeles Dodgers autographed sports memorabilia section often is best if you are looking for that next valuable Los Angeles Dodgers collectible to add to your collection. We have even more autographed Los Angeles Dodgers memorabilia in stock then what is on our website, so if you can’t find that collectible that you really want on our site, please contact us at cs@aaasportsmemorabilia.com to see if we have it in stock.
All prices are in USD | © 2024 AAA Sports Memorabilia LLC | Sitemap | Shopping Cart Software by BigCommerce | BigCommerce Design by Frooition