On Aug. 12, 1984, two very different Dodgers greats took their place in Cooperstown together: Don Drysdale and Pee Wee Reese were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
That Hall of Fame class also featured Harmon Killebrew and Luis Aparicio, both elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, while Rick Ferrell and Reese were added by the Veterans Committee.
Drysdale’s path to immortality started in Van Nuys, California, where he was born and raised before debuting with the Dodgers in 1956 at age 19. He spent his first two seasons in Brooklyn, then followed the franchise west and finished his 14-year career in Los Angeles.
The numbers tell the story of a power arm that never let up. Drysdale went 209-166 with a 2.95 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and 2,486 strikeouts. He made nine All-Star teams, helped win World Series titles in 1959, 1963 and 1965, and captured the National League Cy Young Award in 1962 after going 25-9 with a 2.83 ERA, 2.86 FIP and 1.11 WHIP.
He also carved out a place in the record books in 1968, when he stacked up six straight shutouts and 58.2 consecutive scoreless innings. That second mark stood until Orel Hershiser broke it 20 years later.
Drysdale retired after the 1969 season. Before his Hall call, the Dodgers had already honored him by retiring No. 53 in July 1984.
Reese’s case was built less on eye-popping statistics than on everything he meant to the Dodgers over 16 seasons. He spent his entire career with the club, and from 1947 through 1956 he played at least 140 games every year, becoming one of the franchise’s steady anchors.
He enlisted in the Navy after the 1942 season, came back to the Dodgers in 1946, and went on to be part of seven pennant winners and one World Series championship team. His influence went beyond the box score, especially through his relationships with teammates, including Jackie Robinson, which helped define what made him such an important figure in Dodgers history.
At the plate, Reese finished with a .269/.366/.377 line, plus 330 doubles, 80 triples, 126 home runs, 885 RBI and 232 stolen bases across 2,166 games. He was a 10-time All-Star and drew MVP votes in 13 seasons.
He also left his mark on the Dodgers record book. Reese’s 2,014 games at shortstop remain the most in team history, and he still owns franchise bests in runs with 1,338 and walks with 1,210.
The most recent former Dodgers player inducted into the Hall of Fame was Gil Hodges in 2022. Fred McGriff, who played for the Dodgers in 2003, was part of the 2023 class, while Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent were inducted as part of the 2026 class.
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