On this day in 1972 the Dodgers retired the very first numbers in their history, and they chose to do it with a bang. They didn't just retire one number -- they retired three. Featured above is Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and Sandy Koufax. The ceremony happened during pregame activities on Old-Timers Day.
BTW the Dodgers would eventually lose that evenings game against Bob Gibson and the Cardinals, 4-0 (boxscore).
Below are more links to check out:
- This Day in Dodgers History: In 1964 Sandy Koufax threw his third no-hitter of his career. He blanked the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium, 3-0. Overall, he recorded 12 strike outs and allowed just one walk. In 1968 Don Drysdale threw his sixth consecutive shutout of the season, extending his scoreless streak to 54 innings, when he defeated the Pirates, 5-0. This is also the day Robert Kennedy made note of Drysdale's efforts in a speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the CA primary. You can watch that portion of the speech here. Soon thereafter, Kennedy would be assassinated. In 1972 the Dodgers retired the first three numbers in their history during pregame activities on Old-Timers Day -- Sandy Koufax #32, Roy Campanella #39, and Jackie Robinson #42. In 1998 the Dodgers traded Hideo Nomo to the Mets for Dave Mlicki and Greg McMichael. In 1990 Dodgers ace Ramón Martínez struck out 18 Atlanta batters to defeat the Braves, 2-0. His effort tied a club record for strike outs in a game with Sandy Koufax, and was one short of the Major League record.
- Happy Birthday, Lee Magee, George Watkins & Rick Wilkins!
- Cecil Cooperstown shares a fun drawing of a Fernando Valenzuela's Kellogg's 3-D Baseball card. Check it out here.
- Yasiel Puig Speaks, via his twitter:
— Yasiel Puig (@YasielPuig) June 4, 2020
- Listen to episode 9 of Off Air with Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser, via Joe's twitter:
3 friends, and A Conversation About More Important Things. https://t.co/bBLLjTEloW— Joe Davis (@Joe_Davis) June 4, 2020
- Harold Uhlman at LA Dodger Talk writes about former Dodger Luis Olmo -- "Luis Who?"
Back to the question of the day. Who was the first Puerto Rican player to play for the Dodgers? He was Luis Francisco Rodriguez Olmo who was born in Santruce, PR on March 18, 1916. He was a bit of a legend in his home country known for his baseball skills and earned a nickname of El Jíbaro , perhaps similar to “Country Boy” or “Hillbilly” in our part of the world. His nickname was not one meant to tease him but to show respect for his personal qualities than included pride in his home rural area and his humility....
Luis Olmo credited Jackie Robinson with helping to pave the road for Latin American players to MLB. While that is certainly true, Olmo himself was a trail blazer perhaps helping at least to lay down the path for Jackie who followed him to Montreal and then to Brooklyn. He was the first non-white to be idolized by the faithful in Brooklyn, perhaps smoothing that path for Jackie.
- Here's a nice gesture from the Dodgers last night, via their twitter:
Tonight, the Dodgers joined families across Los Angeles in shining our Dodger Stadium lights into the sky at 9 pm for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in recognition of George Floyd. The Dodgers join all Angelenos in this peaceful display of unity to shine a light in the darkness. pic.twitter.com/sGlM6UpuXi— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 4, 2020
- From the MLB, via their twitter:
We want to be better, we need to be better, and this is our promise to do the work. pic.twitter.com/2cI6pCBdVb— MLB (@MLB) June 3, 2020
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