1970 Los Angeles Dodgers season

Last updated

1970  Los Angeles Dodgers
League National League
Division West
Ballpark Dodger Stadium
CityLos Angeles
Owners Walter O'Malley, James Mulvey
President Peter O'Malley
General managers Al Campanis
Managers Walter Alston
Television KTTV (11)
Radio KFI
Vin Scully, Jerry Doggett
KWKW
Jose Garcia, Jaime Jarrín
  1969 Seasons 1971  

In 1970, Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley stepped down as team president, turning the reins over to his son Peter, while remaining as the team's chairman. The Dodgers remained competitive, finishing the season in second place, 14+12 games behind the NL Champion Cincinnati Reds in the National League West.

Contents

Regular season

Season standings

NL West
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Cincinnati Reds 10260.63057244536
Los Angeles Dodgers 8774.54014½39424832
San Francisco Giants 8676.5311648333843
Houston Astros 7983.4882344373546
Atlanta Braves 7686.4692642393447
San Diego Padres 6399.3893931503249

Record vs. opponents


Sources:
TeamATLCHCCINHOULADMONNYMPHIPITSDSFSTL
Atlanta 8–45–139–96–126–66–67–56–69–97–117–5
Chicago 4–87–57–56–613–57–119–98–109–37–57–11
Cincinnati 13–55–715–313–57–58–47–58–48–109–99–3
Houston 9–95–73–158–108–46–64–86–614–410–86–6
Los Angeles 12–66–65–1310–88–47–56–56–611–79–97–5
Montreal 6–65–135–74–84–810–811–79–96–66–67–11
New York 6–611–74–86–65–78–1013–56–126–66–612–6
Philadelphia 5-79–95–78–45–67–115–134–149–38–48–10
Pittsburgh 6–610–84–86–66–69–912–614–46–64–812–6
San Diego 9–93–910–84–147–116–66–63–96–65–134–8
San Francisco 11–75–79–98–109–96–66–64–88–413–57–5
St. Louis 5–711–73–96–65–711–76–1210–86–128–45–7

Opening Day lineup

Opening Day starters
NamePosition
Maury Wills Shortstop
Bill Buckner Left fielder
Willie Davis Center fielder
Willie Crawford Right fielder
Wes Parker First baseman
Steve Garvey Third baseman
Tom Haller Catcher
Ted Sizemore Second baseman
Claude Osteen Starting pitcher

Notable transactions

Roster

1970 Los Angeles Dodgers
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

OutfieldersManager

Coaches

First major league foul ball injury death

On May 16, the Dodgers were playing a home game against the Giants when, during the third inning, Mota fouled off a Gaylord Perry pitch into the stands near first base. It struck Alan Fish, 14, attending the game with other boys from his nearby recreational baseball team and their coach. Fish was unconscious for a minute, and spoke incoherently when he reawakened and, while his speech had recovered, needed assistance walking to the Dodger Stadium's first-aid center. [4]

There, he seemed to have recovered completely. The stadium doctor did not ask whether he had lost consciousness or check his blood pressure, and released him after giving him two aspirin for the lingering pain. He returned to his seat and watched the rest of the game normally, even trying to get autographs from the Dodgers afterwards. However, on his return home he began experiencing dizziness, shaking and crying, and his parents decided to take him to a hospital. [4]

Two hospitals were unable to take the boy immediately, even as his condition deteriorated, and he was not admitted until early the next morning. His condition at first improved, but then became even worse, and a neurosurgeon discovered a large mass at the site of the injury. Before he could operate, however, Fish suffered a convulsion that left him brain dead, and three days later he died after being taken off life support. [4]

The autopsy found that Fish had died due to an intracerebral hemorrhage after the hairline fracture caused by the foul ball had pushed a piece of his skull into his brain. Had he been required to rest and hospitalized immediately afterward, the neurosurgeon believed he could have recovered completely. The Fishes sued the Dodgers, the stadium physician and the two hospitals that had not been able to treat their son for negligence and medical malpractice; at trial, after dropping the other hospitals, the jury found for the team and doctor. [4] However, an appeals court reversed that verdict three years later due to a jury instruction that should have been given but was not. [5]

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C Tom Haller 11232593.2861047
1B Wes Parker 161614196.31910111
2B Ted Sizemore 96340104.306134
SS Maury Wills 132522141.270034
3B Billy Grabarkewitz 156529153.2891784
LF Manny Mota 124417127.305337
CF Willie Davis 146593181.305893
RF Willie Crawford 10929970.234840

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Jim Lefebvre 10931479.252444
Bill Russell 8127872.259028
Bill Sudakis 9426971.2641444
Andy Kosco 7422451.228827
Jeff Torborg 6413431.231117
Von Joshua 7210929.26618
Steve Garvey 349325.26916
Bill Buckner 286813.19104
Len Gabrielson 43428.19006
Gary Moore 7163.18800
Tom Paciorek 892.22200
Joe Ferguson 541.25001
Bob Stinson 430.00000

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Don Sutton 38260.115134.08201
Claude Osteen 37258.216143.83114
Alan Foster 33198.210134.2683
Sandy Vance 20115.0773.1345
Bill Singer 16106.1853.1393

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Joe Moeller 31135.1793.9263

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGWLSVERASO
Jim Brewer 5876243.1391
Ray Lamb 356103.7932
Pete Mikkelsen 334262.7647
Fred Norman 302015.2327
José Peña 294344.4231
Camilo Pascual 100002.578
Charlie Hough 80025.298
Mike Strahler 61111.4511
Jerry Stephenson 30009.456
Al McBean 10000.000

Awards and honors

All-Stars

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AAA Spokane Indians Pacific Coast League Tommy Lasorda
AA Albuquerque Dodgers Texas League Del Crandall
A Bakersfield Dodgers California League Don LeJohn
A Daytona Beach Dodgers Florida State League Stan Wasiak
A Medford Dodgers Northwest League Bill Berrier
Rookie Ogden Dodgers Pioneer League Buddy Hollowell

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Albuquerque, Bakersfield

1970 Major League Baseball Draft

This was the sixth year of a Major League Baseball Draft. The Dodgers drafted 45 players in the June draft and 9 in the January draft.

The most notable pick in this years draft was pitcher Doug Rau, who was selected with the 1st pick in the June Secondary draft out of Texas A&M University. Rau would play for the Dodgers from 1972 to 1979 and made 184 starts for the team, with an 80–58 record and 3.30 ERA before spending his final season with the California Angels in 1981.

The first pick in the regular June draft was pitcher Jim Haller from Creighton Prep High School. Haller was 18–18 in 123 minor league games over six seasons, with a 3.65 ERA.

Notes

  1. "Jerry Royster". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  2. "Sergio Ferrer". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  3. "Fred Norman". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Weeks, David; Gorman, Robert (2015). "15: Fans". Death at the Ballpark: More Than 2,000 Game-Related Fatalities of Players, Other Personnel and Spectators in Amateur and Professional Baseball, 1862–2014 (2nd ed.). McFarland. p. 153. ISBN   9780786479320 . Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  5. Fish v. Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Club, 56Cal.App.3d620 , 640( Cal.App. 1976).
  6. 1970 Los Angeles Dodgers Picks in the MLB January Draft-Regular Phase
  7. 1970 Los Angeles Dodgers Picks in the MLB January Draft-Secondary Phase
  8. 1970 Los Angeles Dodgers Picks in the MLB June Amateur Draft
  9. 1970 Los Angeles Dodgers Picks in the MLB June Draft-Secondary Phase

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