Royals Series Starts Friday - Stadium Giveaways, Pregame Info and Other Stuff!

The next homestand starts on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. Below are some odds and ends for this upcoming homestand. Here are some important links:

• 2017 Broadcast Schedule
• Special Events Schedule
• Promotions & Giveaways Schedule
• Silent Auction Schedule 
• Friday Night Fireworks Schedule 

The KC Dog will be available for this homestand only against Royals at the Extreme Loaded Dog concession areas located on the field, loge and reserve levels. It features an All-beef dog with crispy chicken strips smothered in Bacon BBQ Sauce, red onion and a Blue Pickle spear. See it on the right.

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Friday, July 7th at 7:10 PM

RHP Jason Hammel vs. RHP Kenta Maeda

TV: SNLA Spanish, SportsNet LA

Radio: 570 LA Sports, KTNQ 1020

2017 Topps Tier One - The Dodger Rarities

Last week Topps released their 2017 Tier One set -- a high-end brand that has no base set. This product consist of only autograph or relic (memorabilia pieces) cards. A pack of three cards will cost you about $120, and you are guaranteed two autographed cards. Go here to check out a complete checklist.

I thought I would start by sharing a checklist of the various rare "1 of 1" cards that can be found. When possible I've included a sample pic to show you what they look like.

As a side note, the "Signature Tools Autograph Relics" seen directly below might be the dumbest cards I've ever seen. As you can see, there is an ink pen tip embedded in the card, and according to the reverse it was actually used by the player when signing autographs for Topps. It says specifically:

The pen tip on the front of this card was used by the featured player during a Topps-Authorized signing session.

Next you'll start seeing player-used napkins, utensils and nail clippings.

Signature Tools Autograph Relics (#/1)

• #STAR-CK Clayton Kershaw
• #STAR-CS Corey Seager
• #STAR-JU Julio Urias
• #STAR-KM Kenta Maeda
• #STAR-SK Sandy Koufax

#STAR-KM Kenta Maeda

2017 Topps Now -- #329 -- Alex Wood's Dominant 10-K Performance

I promise that this post is timely.

Alex Wood has been a pleasant surprise. When he first came over from Atlanta two years ago I figured he would be a good candidate for the back-end of the rotation. As we have all come to understand though, he is proving himself to be one of the best in the league. If not for having Kershaw in the rotation he likely would be labelled our staff ace.

Last night Alex Wood recorded his tenth victory of the season, and Topps honored this achievement with a 2017 Topps Now card. See it out above and below. Go here to check it out and order.

2017 Topps Now -- #321 -- Bellinger and Judge Named Rookies of the Month

I am obviously late with this post. Featured here is a 2017 Topps Now card initially released the morning of July 4th that features both Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge. As you can see, it celebrates their recent award as Rookie of the Month of June. There were 4,589 copies sold. Below is what it says on the reverse:

Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger were each named the Rookie of the Month for the third and second consecutive months, respectively. Judge made it three in a row as he hit 10 homers, knocked in 25 runs, and posted a .324 batting average in June to earn American League honors. Bellinger had 27 RBI and batter .286 for the month to earn NAtional League honors once again.

UPDATE: the total print run for the above Bellinger/Judge card is 4,589 copies.

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Blog Kiosk: 7/6/2017 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

I think it is clear at this point that Alex Wood deserves an All-Star Game invitation. Last night he was masterful, once again, as he improved to 10-0 by throwing seven shut out innings with ten strike outs, two walks and only three hits allowed. Per Steve Gilbert and Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"I don't know how often you get two 50-plus-win teams in the first half in the same division playing against each other, so it felt a little bigger tonight," said Wood, who allowed three hits. "Tensions were a little bit higher, especially in a 1-0 ballgame. You have to focus and bear down. They were close to kind of breaking through, but fortunately we were able to make some pitches and hold them where they were."

The Dodgers now have 4.5 game lead over the Diamondbacks.

Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter. Go here to check out a bunch of great pics by Dodger photographers Jon SooHoo and Jill Weisleder from the 4th of July. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1938 Leo Durocher recorded a "little league" home run that started as an sacrifice bunt in the seventh inning during the All-Star Game played in Cincinnati. Durocher was credited with a bunt single and came around to score on errors by Jimmy Foxx and Joe DiMaggio. In 1979 the Dodgers purchased the contract of pitcher Fernando Valenzuela from Puebla of the Mexican League. In 1980 the Dodgers retired Duke Snider's uniform #4 during that days Oldtimers Day ceremonies at Dodger Stadium. In 2000 Vin Scully is voted the No. 1 sportscaster of the 20th century by members of the American Sportscasters Association. 
• Happy Birthday, Frank Kellert, Willie Randolph & Germán Rivera!