Sept. 20 has carved out a pretty notable place in Dodgers history, and a lot of it runs through Sandy Koufax.
The most dramatic entry came in 1961, when the Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 3-2 in 13 innings at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Koufax didn’t just start that game - he went the distance, throwing all 13 innings in what turned out to be the Dodgers’ final game at the Coliseum. He finished with 15 strikeouts and picked up his 18th win of the season.
That night closed the book on an era. The Coliseum had been the Dodgers’ home since the move from Brooklyn ahead of the 1958 season, and it remained so until Dodger Stadium opened on April 10, 1962.
Even after that final home game, the Dodgers still had business left in 1961, wrapping up the season with a nine-game road trip against the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cubs.
They finished 89-65, good for second place in the National League, four games behind the Cincinnati Reds, who went on to lose the World Series to the New York Yankees.
Five years later, on Sept. 20, 1966, Koufax was back in the spotlight again.
With a complete game in an 11-1 Dodgers win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium, he became the first NL pitcher in 31 years to post back-to-back seasons with at least 25 victories. Koufax had won 26 games in 1965 and 27 in 1966, which also stood as his final season.
Then, in 2011, Clayton Kershaw added his own milestone on the same date. He became the Dodgers’ first 20-game winner since Ramon Martinez in 1990 after throwing 7.1 innings against the San Francisco Giants to earn his 20th victory.
Sept. 20 also marked a return to the Coliseum in a very different setting. On March 29, 2008, the Dodgers played the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox there in front of 115,300 fans in an exhibition game celebrating the 50th anniversary of the franchise’s move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. That crowd set the all-time baseball attendance record, topping the roughly 114,000 who watched the Australian national team play an American services team during the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.
In Other News...
Dodgers Could Get A Massive Lift Right Before The Padres Series
The Dodgers are set up to get some much-needed reinforcement just as the rivalry heat turns up again. As they prepare for a series against the Padres, Los Angeles expects to bring designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, outfielder Andy Pages and right-hander Roki Sasaki off the injured list, giving the club a chance to deepen both its lineup and its pitching options at a pivotal point in the schedule.
Pages is targeting a return for Tuesday's opener after recovering from hand surgery, while Sasaki is expected to be available out of the bullpen in one of the games as he comes back from a blister on his hand. Ohtani, who has been progressing with running and hitting drills, is eligible to return on Wednesday and could wait until Thursday, leaving the Dodgers with a little suspense even as the lineup and staff begin to get healthier. [Read more 🡒]
Roki Sasakis New Dodgers Role Could Matter More Than Ever
Roki Sasakis return from the injured list is set to come with a different look for the Dodgers, at least at first. When he rejoins the club in its next series against the Padres, the right-hander is expected to work out of the bullpen, with Dave Roberts saying he could cover multiple innings rather than step straight into a traditional closers job.
For a Dodgers team always balancing October and the long regular season, that kind of flexibility can matter. Sasaki showed he could handle relief work late last season, and the postseason only added to that rsum, so this move gives Los Angeles another weapon while it eases him back into the mix. What remains to be seen is how quickly the Dodgers lean into the bigger late-game role his recent track record suggests he can handle. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face One Big October Decision On Josue De Paula
Josue De Paulas sudden jump from Double-A Tulsa to the majors gave the Dodgers a fresh look at one of the more intriguing young hitters in the organization just as October came into focus. The move, prompted by Shohei Ohtanis injured-list placement, underscored how much the club valued De Paulas performance in the minors and how quickly he has climbed into the conversation for a postseason role as a designated hitter or corner outfielder.
The wrinkle is less about talent than eligibility, which can make these late-season roster calls feel like their own separate game. Because De Paula was not on the 40-man roster by Sept. 1, the Dodgers would need to go through the Commissioner's Office to have him included on the postseason roster, and that path depends on replacing an injured player who has already met the minimum injured-list requirement. For a team with championship expectations, it leaves one more October decision hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]