This book features dozens of game stories that highlight the rich history of Dodger Stadium. You’ll read about Sandy Koufax’s perfect game, Don Drysdale’s scoreless-inning streak, Dusty Baker’s historic 30th home run in 1977, Clayton Kershaw’s great no-hitter, and much more. Of course, the book includes the story of Kirk Gibson’s improbable home run in Game One of the 1988 World Series. You’ll also read several quotes from the team’s beloved former broadcaster Vin Scully.
Dodger Stadium rests on a hill near downtown Los Angeles and offers picturesque views of both the city and nearby mountains. The ballpark opened in 1962, just a few years after the Dodgers moved from their longtime Brooklyn home. The origin story of the stadium is not without controversy. You can read about both the building of the ballpark and the Battle of Chavez Ravine, a bitter episode that lingered until 1981 and the onset of Fernandomania. In recent years, the architect Janet Marie Smith has led renovation work at Dodger Stadium. Statues of Jackie Robinson and Koufax stand in the new center-field plaza area.
Besides innumerable baseball games, Dodger Stadium has hosted rock concerts, religious events, boxing and soccer matches, and even an ice-hockey game in front of more than 54, 000 not-so-chilly fans. Located so close to Hollywood, the park has been a filming location for many movies and TV shows.
Forty-nine members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) contributed to this book about one of the game’s iconic venues, one that longtime manager Tom Lasorda called ‘blue heaven on earth.’
About the author
Glen Sparks has many fond memories of going to Dodger Stadium. While he now lives far away from California, he still follows the team that plays its home games in a ballpark that sits on a hill. Sparks is a graduate of the Santa Monica Little League program and has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. He worked at a newspaper for several years and wrote a full-length biography of Hall of Fame shortstop Pee Wee Reese, published in 2022 by Mc Farland. He has co-edited several books for SABR (including this one) and has written many articles. He is married to his wife, Pam.More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
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