History of the Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers were established in 1884 as a team in the American Association. Originally called the Brooklyn Atlantics, they went through six name changes before they became permanently known as the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932.
1884-1889
The Dodgers started in 1884 as the Brooklyn Atlantics of the American Association. A year later, they were renamed the Brooklyn Grays. That name lasted until 1888, when they were transformed into the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. They played their home games at Washington Park from 1884 through 1890. They remained in the American Association through 1889.
The Atlantics' manager was George Taylor. When the team became the Grays in 1885, their managers were Charlie Hackett and Charlie Byrne. The latter Charlie remained manager while the team stayed the Brooklyn Grays. When they became the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, Bill McGunnigle took over as manager.
Byrne led the Grays to a winning season in 1886. McGunnigle was more successful, leading the Bridegrooms to winning seasons in both 1888 and 1889. They won the American Association title in 1889 with 93 wins and 44 losses. They played against their National League NY rivals, the Giants, in the postseason and they lost the series.
1890-1899
The Brooklyn team went through more name changes from 1890 to 1899. The Bridegrooms shortened their name to the Grooms in 1891, but they switched back to the Bridegrooms in 1896. They finished the decade as the Brooklyn Superbas, a name they kept from 1899 to 1910.
The Brooklyn team played in three ball parks during the decade, starting with Washington Park in 1890. They moved to Eastern Park in 1891, and they played home games there until 1898, when they moved the games to Washington Park 2.
In 1890, the Bridegrooms moved to the National League. McGunnigle continued to manage them, and he led them to a winning season and their first NL title. They faced the Louisville Colonels of the American Association in the postseason and the series ended in a tie.
From 1891 through 1899, the Brooklyn team had five managers. John Ward managed the Grooms for two years, leading them to a winning season in 1892. Dave Foutz was the next manager and he led the team to winning seasons in 1893, 1894, and 1895. Billy Barnie took over in 1897, followed by Charlie Ebbets in 1898. Neither of those managers was successful and the Bridegrooms had losing seasons in 1896 (under manager Foutz), 1897, and 1898. Ned Hanlon became manager in 1899, and he led the Superbas to a winning season. The team did not get to the postseason from 1891 through 1899.
1900-1909
Hanlon proved to be a successful manager in the early years of the new century. He led the Superbas to four consecutive winning seasons from 1900 through 1903. Their best season was 1900, when they had 82 wins and 54 losses. They didn't win the NL title in any of those years.
The Superbas had only losing seasons from 1904 through 1909. Patsy Donovan took over as manager in 1906, and he was followed in 1909 by Harry Lumley.
1910-1919
The Superbas became the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers in 1911, a name that lasted for just two years. They returned in 1913 as the Superbas, but that was the last year that the team used that name. They became the Brooklyn Robins in 1914, a name that they stayed with through 1931. In 1913, the team's home games were moved to Ebbets Field.
The Superbas started 1910 with a new manager, Bill Dahlen. He managed the team through 1913, but he was unsuccessful, leading them to only losing seasons. When the team changed its name to the Robins in 1914, they hired a new manager, Wilbert Robinson, who led the team through 1931.
Under the leadership of Robinson and with two future Hall of Famers, Zack Wheat and Rube Marquard, on the roster, the Robins had winning seasons in 1915 and 1916. They won the NL pennant in 1916 with 94 wins and 60 losses. They lost their first World Series to the Boston Red Sox.
1920-1929
The Robins were successful again in 1920, winning the NL pennant with 93 wins and 61 losses. They were defeated in the World Series by the Cleveland Indians. They had another winning season in 1921, but they didn't win the pennant that year.
The Robins' roster was improved in the 1920s with the addition of two more future Hall of Famers, Dazzy Vance and Burleigh Grimes. However, even with the improved roster, the Robins had winning seasons only in 1924 and 1928. They didn't get to the postseason from 1921 through 1929.
1930-1939
Robinson led the Robins to two more winning seasons (1930 and 1931) before being replaced as manager by Max Carey. In 1932, the Brooklyn team finally became the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The Dodgers were unsuccessful under Carey's leadership, and he was replaced in 1934 by Casey Stengel. After more losing seasons from 1934 through 1936, Burleigh Grimes took over as player-manager in 1937. Two more losing seasons resulted in another managerial change.
Leo Durocher became the Dodgers' new manager in 1939 and he quickly turned the team around, leading them to a winning season that year. He continued to manage them through 1946.
1940-1949
Durocher led the Dodgers to winning seasons from 1940 to 1943. They won the NL pennant in 1941 with 100 wins and 54 losses. They lost the World Series to their NY American League rivals, the Yankees. The Dodgers followed their 1941 success with two more winning seasons.
The Dodgers' roster was greatly improved in the 1940s with the addition of several future Hall of Famers. Pee Wee Reese and Joe Medwick were added in 1940, followed a year later by Billy Herman. All of these players joined the U.S. military and they were not with the team in 1944 and 1945. They all returned in 1946, but only Reese continued to play with the Dodgers past that year.
The war years brought about a major change to the Brooklyn Dodgers and major league baseball when Branch Rickey took over as general manager of the team. In 1947, Rickey made the courageous decision to place Jackie Robinson, major league baseball's first African-American player, in the Dodgers' starting lineup. Behind Robinson's powerful hitting, speed on the bases and expert fielding, the Dodgers became a dominant force in the National League.
Burt Shotten took over as manager in 1947, and in his first year, he led the Dodgers to another NL title with 94 wins and 60 losses. They again played the Yankees in the World Series and lost it once more. They repeated the season in 1949, winning the NL pennant with 97 wins and 57 losses, and again losing the World Series to the Yankees.
1950-1959
The Dodgers started the 1950s with a very strong roster. In addition to Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese in the infield, they had Roy Campanella behind the plate and Duke Snider in the outfield.
Chuck Dressen took over as manager in 1951, and he led the team to winning seasons from 1951 through 1953. They won the NL pennant in 1952 with 96 wins and 57 losses and in 1953 with 105 wins and 49 losses. Both years, they faced the Yankees in the World Series and they lost the series both times.
The 1954 season started with a new manager, Walter Alston. He led the Dodgers for over two decades and under his leadership, they finally won their first World Series title in 1955. That year, they won the NL pennant with 98 wins and 55 losses. They once again played against the Yankees in the postseason and they finally defeated their NY rivals in seven games.
The Dodgers again won the NL pennant in 1956 with 93 wins and 61 losses. They lost the World Series to the Yankees.
In 1950, Walter O'Malley became the majority owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. After years of trying to build a new ballpark for his team in Brooklyn and unable to overcome the obstacles in his way, O'Malley struck a deal with the city of Los Angeles and, in 1958, the beloved Brooklyn Dodgers left their fans and moved to the West Coast.
The New Los Angeles Dodgers played their first games in 1958 at the LA Memorial Coliseum. They had a losing season in 1958, but they won the NL pennant in 1959 with 88 wins and 68 losses. They won the World Series title by defeating the Chicago White Sox in six games.
The Dodgers added two pitchers who would have a huge impact on the team in the 1960s. Sandy Koufax arrived in 1955, and he struggled in his first years, but he would go on to become the most important player on the Dodgers' team in the next decade. Don Drysdale joined the rotation in 1957, and like Koufax, he would help the Dodgers win two World Series titles in the 1960s.
1960-1969
In addition to having Koufax and Drysdale on the mound, the Dodgers started the 1960s with the incredible speed of shortstop Maury Wills, who led the NL in stolen bases from 1960 through 1965. Behind great pitching, defense and speed, the Dodgers won the NL pennant three times and two World Series in the 1960s. Their best season was 1962 when they had 102 wins and 63 losses.
The Dodgers had winning seasons from 1960 through 1962. They moved their home games to Dodger Stadium in 1962. The following year, they again won the NL pennant with 99 wins and 63 losses. They faced the Yankees again in the postseason and they won another World Series title.
After a losing season in 1964, the Dodgers came back strong in 1963, winning the NL pennant with 97 wins and 65 losses. They again won the World Series title, this time by defeating the Minnesota Twins.
In 1966, the Dodgers were again the dominant team in the NL, winning the pennant with 95 wins and 67 losses. They lost the World Series to the Baltimore Orioles.
The Dodgers were moved to the newly formed NL West division in 1969. They won the division title in their first year.
1970-1979
The 1970s Dodgers once again had a team filled with top players, including Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes and Ron Cey, and on the mound, Don Sutton and Tommy John. These players led the Los Angeles Dodgers to three NL pennant wins during the decade.
The Dodgers had winning seasons every year from 1970 through 1978. Their best season was 1974, when they had 102 wins and 60 losses. They won the NL West division title that year and then went on to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS to win the NL pennant. They lost the World Series to the Oakland Athletics.
Close to the end of the 1976 season, Alston retired and he was replaced by Tommy Lasorda, who would soon become the next great, long-term Dodgers manager. Lasorda led the Dodgers to NL West division titles in 1977 with 98 wins and in 1978 with 95 wins. Both years, they won the NL pennant by defeating the Phillies in the NLCS, but they lost the World Series both times to the Yankees.
1980-1989
Lasorda led the Dodgers to six winning seasons and four postseasons in the 1980s. In the strike shortened 1981 season, they had 63 wins and 47 losses. That year, there was a special division series and the Dodgers won that series by defeating the Houston Astros in five games. Next, they won the NLCS over the Montreal Expos, also in five games. They faced the Yankees in the World Series and won the title in six games.
The Dodgers won the NL West division title in 1983 with 91 wins and 71 losses, but they couldn't advance past the NLCS, losing that series to the Phillies. Two years later, they again won the division title with 95 wins and 67 losses. They lost the NLCS to the Cardinals in 1985.
In 1988, the Dodgers had 94 wins and 67 losses and another NL West division title. They played against the New York Mets in the NLCS and they won the pennant. They won the World Series title by defeating the Oakland Athletics in five games.
Lasorda, for his leadership of the Dodgers in the 1980s, won two NL Manager of the Year awards, the first in 1983 and the second one in 1988.
1990-1999
Lasorda led the Dodgers to winning seasons in 1990 and 1991, but they didn't make the playoffs in either year. Those two seasons were followed by two losing ones.
Tommy Lasorda led the Dodgers to two winning seasons that resulted in playoffs for the team in 1995 and 1996. They won the NL West division title in 1995 and the NL Wild Card in 1996. They lost the NL division series to the Cincinnati Reds in 1995, and they lost it again to the Atlanta Braves in 1996.
Lasorda was replaced as manager in 1996 by Bill Russell who led the Dodgers to winning seasons in 1997 and 1998. However, they weren't good enough to get to the postseason in either of those years. Davey Johnson took over as manager in 1999.
2000-2009
Johnson continued to manage the Dodgers in 2000, and he led them to a winning season, but not to the playoffs. He was replaced by Jim Tracy, who led the Dodgers to winning seasons from 2001 through 2004. They won the NL West division title in 2004 with 93 wins and 69 losses, but they lost the NLDS to the Cardinals.
In 2004, the Dodgers were sold to Frank McCourt, who hired a new general manger, Paul DePodesta. Under the new ownership and leadership, changes were made to the Dodgers' lineup. By the start of the 2005 season, Dodgers fans saw new faces, including Derek Lowe, J.D. Drew and Jeff Kent. The changes, however, did not result in a winning season.
The Dodgers' losing record in 2005 led to managerial changes, with Ned Colletti taking over as general manager and Grady Little as manager. Changes in the Dodgers' roster occurred once again, and the 2006 season saw a new lineup that included Andre Ethier, Nomar Garciaparra, Matt Kemp, and veteran pitcher Greg Maddux.
The new, revitalized Dodgers won the NL Wild Card spot in 2006, but they lost the NLDS to the New York Mets. They didn't get to the postseason in 2007, and Little was replaced the next year by Joe Torre.
Torre led the Dodgers to a NL West division title in 2008 with 84 wins and 78 losses. They then won the NLDS over the Cubs, but lost the NLCS to the Phillies. The next year, they had 95 wins and another NL West division title. They defeated the Cardinals in the NLDS, but again lost the NLCS to the Phillies.
2010-2018
Joe Torre retired after the 2010 season and the Dodgers hired former Yankees and Dodgers superstar player Don Mattingly to manage the team. They finished in fourth place in the division in 2010, and improved slightly under Mattingly's leadership in 2011 to finish in third place. They kept improving and they finished the 2012 season in second place in the division with 86 wins and 76 losses.
The Dodgers dominated the NL West division from 2013 through 2018, finishing in first place in the division each year. Two key players who helped them achieve that success were ace starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw and relief pitcher/closer Kenley Jansen.
In 2013, the Dodgers finished the regular season with 92 wins and 70 losses. They defeated the Braves in the NLDS, but they lost the NLCS to the Cardinals. The following year, they lost the NLDS to the Cardinals, and in 2015, they lost the division series to the Mets.
Dave Roberts replaced Mattingly as manager in 2016. In his first season, he led the Dodgers to 91 wins and 71 losses, and he was named the NL Manager of the Year. The Dodgers defeated the Washington Nationals in the division series but they lost the NLCS to the Cubs. One player who made his mark on the Dodgers in 2016 was shortstop and NL Rookie of the Year Corey Seager.
In 2017, the Dodgers finished with 104 wins and 58 losses. They won both the NLDS, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks in three straight games, and the NLCS, defeating the Cubs. They lost a hard fought seven game World Series to the Astros.
The Dodgers had to fight hard for the NL West division title in 2018, winning it in an extra tie-breaker game with the Colorado Rockies. They won the division series by defeating the Braves and then won the NLCS over the Milwaukee Brewers. They faced the Red Sox in the World Series and lost the series in five games. The hardest fought game in that series went a record breaking eighteen innings.
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Los Angeles Dodgers
Baseball Reference - Los Angeles Dodgers