I have absolutely no recollection of this occurring. Thankfully, I was able to acquire a fun little pamphlet that tells me a lot about it. Featured here is a program for the three-game 1993 Dodgers Friendship Series played in late-October against the CPBL (Taiwanese Professional Baseball League) All-Stars.
As you'll recall, 1993 was a dismal year for the Dodgers. They finished the season at .500 (81-81) -- 23 games behind the then formidable Atlanta Braves. So I'd imagine an overseas trip to Asia was a desirable respite for the guys. In fact, nearly all the big names came along -- Brett Butler, Raul Mondesi, Darryl Strawberry, Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Pedro MartÃnez, Ramon MartÃnez, Orel Hershiser and manager Tommy Lasorda. Heck, even our poet laureate, Vin Scully, visited Taiwan to comment on the games.
Check out some pics of the program below. Click on any pic to embiggen.
I thought this one page (directly below on the left) briefly describing the Dodgers was the best thing ever. Check out what I mean below:
American sports has never seen anything like the Dodgers. The Dodgers are no the Los Angeles Dodgers, or the Brooklyn Dodgers -- they are, simply, the Dodgers. They were, and are, originals, like Muhammad Ali in boxing. The Dodgers have always had a certain something you could never put your finger on, a charm and bravado, an unbelievable crowd appeal that no one else ever had.
The Tigers were named after the tough guys in the jungle, the Royals after kings, the Orioles, Cardinals and Blue Jays after beautiful birds. The Dodgers were named after fans who had to dodge the trolley cars in Brooklyn. (emphasis mine)
It was the Dodgers who did things that transformed baseball and enriched the nation forever. It was the Dodgers who brought major league baseball to the West Coast and truly made the game the coast-to-coast national pastime. And, most importantly, it was the Dodgers who broke the disgraceful color line and put Jackie Robinson into their regular lineup in 1947, opening the door to integration in Baseball and, symbolically, in America.
Reeling from the transplant from Brooklyn to LA the Dodgers went from seventh place to first, and then, over the last 33 years, established a dynasty with nine pennants and five world championships. The O'Malley's have developed perhaps the country's best and most organized farm club system. The Dodgers, truly gave fans a whole new pantheon of diamond heroes.Well said.
These next few pages tell us all about the history of the team, and includes pics of some fantastic Dodger memorabilia.
Below is the backpage of the program. Clearly, if features Darryl Strawberry.
As for the games they played, the Dodgers lost two out of three. In game one they won 4-2. Pedro Martinez started the contest and went four innings. Kip Gross followed him, along with Orel Hershiser and Jim Gott. Mike Piazza hit a two-run home run to lead the team.
Game two was a bit of a different story. The Dodgers lost in extra innings, 1-0. Dodger lefty Steve Wilson lost the game in the tenth inning when a batter brilliantly bunted for a hit, then the next batter followed suit with his own bunt single. Finally, the next batter drove in the winning run with a sharp single to left.
The CPBL All-Stars beat the Dodgers in game three, 6-5. Right-handed reliever Jonathan Hurst, who was a minor leaguer, and Kip Gross gave up six runs in the sixth inning to lose the game. Both Jose Offerman and Henry Rodriguez recorded three hits each.
If you are interested in checking out boxscores ot video highlights from all three games go here. There's even a complete game video from game two.
BTW, Dodgers photograph Jon SooHoo was also there. Check out the below pics he shared of Mike Piazza and Pedro Martinez in Taiwan.
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