Titles:

Top Dodgers Players of the Eighties

World Champs 1981 (beat Yankees)

Division Champs 1983 (lost to Phillies)

Pitchers:

Division Champs 1985 (lost to Cards)

Fernando Valenzuela (33.25) - 92

World Champs 1988 (beat A's)

Orel Hershiser (32.95) - 72

Bob Welch (28.99) - 68

BallPark:

Jerry Reuss (18.61) - 49

Chavez Ravine

Burt Hooton (7.3) - 25

Alejandro Pena (12.82) - 23

Team Name:

Steve Howe (6.67) - 20

Dodgers

Tom Niedenfuer (9.77) - 18

Tim Belcher (8.1) - 18

Owner:

Rick Honeycutt (5.51) - 14

Peter O'Malley

Tim Leary (4.9) - 14

Jay Howell (5.39) - 13

General Manager:

Don Sutton (6.15) - 8

Al Campanis (1980-1987)

Dave Stewart (1.92) - 5

Fred Claire (1987-1989)

John Wetteland (0.48) - 1

Sid Fernandez (0.04) - 0

Managers:

Tom LaSorda

Catchers:

Mike Scioscia (21.62) - 68

No Hitters:

Steve Yeager (3.07) - 14

Jerry Reuss (1980)

First Basemen:

Hall of Famers:

Greg Brock (5.89) - 23

Eddie Murray

Steve Garvey (6.92) - 21

Don Sutton

Eddie Murray (2.02) - 12

Rookie of the Year

Second Base:

Steve Howe (1980)

Steve Sax (15.94) - 40

Fernando Valenzuela (1981)

Davey Lopes (1.77) - 11

Steve Sax (1982)

Willie Randolph (4.11) - 5

MVP

ShortStop:

Kirk Gibson (1988)

Bill Russell (10,1) - 21

Mariano Duncan (0.94) - 14

Cy Young

Dave Anderson (4.59) - 13

Fernando Valenzuela (1981)

Alfredo Griffin (1) - 7

Orel Hershiser (1988)

Third Base:

Notable Events:

Pedro Guerrero (32.67) - 74

Ron Cey (12.06) - 23

1980 - A bit of a rollercoaster decade for LA. They start off strong with

two first and two second place finishes including a World title in '81.

Outfield:

in the first four years of the decade. After that, only two more winning

Mike Marshall (10.17) - 46

seasons, altho' they win the division in '85 and the world series in '88

Ken Landreaux (8.49) - 42

in those two seasons.

Dusty Baker (11.44) - 31

Not their usual dominant selves as in the previous four decades.

Kirk Gibson (7.39) - 21

John Shelby (2.97) - 16

1980 - The Dodgers develop four conscecutive Rookies of the Year

Franklin Stubbs (0.14) - 13

starting in 1979 with Rick Sutcliffe, followed by Steve Howe,

Reggie Smith (4.24) - 11

Fernando Valenzuela and finally Steve Sax in '82

Mickey Hatcher (0.25) - 6

Rick Monday (4.47) - 6

1980 - Rigthty Steve Howe, 22, is a rookie. He was a 1st round pick

in '79. Howe would destroy his career with cocaine abuse -

Notable Events:

a big time talent gone to waste.

1987 - GM Al Campanis makes some ridiculous racial profiling remarks on

1980 - Catcher Mike Scoscia, 21, is a rookie. He was a 1st round pick

National TV and loses his job. As it is, he was already beginning to lose

in '80

his touch as a top notch executive as he was getting a bit long in the tooth

at age seventy one. It was time to go anyway.

1980 - Lefty Fernando Valenzuela, 19, is brought up to LA. He was

The Dodgers were no longer a well run organization with Walter O'Malley

signed out of Yucatan of the Mexican League the previous season.

out of the picture - there was no replacement for Campanis as there

had been in the Forties when MacPhail left and Rickey replaced him,

1981 - Outfielder Ken Landreaux, 26, is obtained from the Twins

or the Fifties when Rickey left and Bavasi replaced him, or the Sixties

for Mickey Hatcher

when Bavasi left and Campanis replaced him.

The chain was now broken and so were the Dodgers. Peter O'Malley,

1981 - Outfielder Mike Marshall, 21, is a rookie.

who had taken over running the club from his father Walter in 1970,

He was a 6th round pick in 1978

relied heavily on Campanis to handle player personnel.

This arrangement worked great until Campanis began to slip in the Eighties.

1981 - Second baseman Steve Sax, 21, is a rookie.

O'Malley had no answers after that.

He was a 9th round pick in 1978

1988 - Righty reliever Jay Howell, 32, is picked up in a multi player three team

1981 - Led by rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela, a Mexican star

deal with the Mets and the A's

in LA, the Dodgers take the World title after being down in the World

Series to the Yankees 2-0. Its only the third time in eleven tries that the

1988 - Righthander Ramon Martinez, 20, is a rookie. He was signed as

Dodgers beat the Yankees in the World Series. The impact that

an IFA in '84

Valenzuela had in LA cannot be overstated. He was a rock star.

1988 - Kirk Gibson, 31, comes in as a Free Agent from Detroit, wins the

1983 - Veterans Steve Garvey and Ron Cey leave the Dodgers for

MVP, and leads the Dodgers to the World title. Injured Kirk, who could

free agency, thus ending the ten year streak of having the entire starting

barely walk, sets the tone for the Series when he hobbles up to

infield intact - a record by a lot.

the plate in the ninth inning of game one as a pinch hitter against the

Despite the defections, the Dodgers win the Division

unhittable A's reliever Dennis Eckersley and hits a game winning home run.

1983 - Righthander Orel Hershiser, 24, is a rookie.

1988 - Orel Hershiser goes 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA as he wins the Cy Young and

He was a 17th round pick in the 1979 draft.

totally dominates hitters. Orel breaks Don Drysdale's record for consecutive

He and Fernando Valenzuela make a nice one-two, righty-lefty,

scoreless innings by going 59 without giving up a run. Hershiser, at least as

punch at the top of the LA rotation in the middle of the decade.

much as Kirk Gibson, is responsible for the Dodgers World Title in 1988

Add lefty Jerry Reuss and righty Bob Welch and you had some

excellent talent on the mound in LA in those years.

1989 - Hall of Fame first baseman Eddie Murray, 33, is acquired from

Baltimore in a four player trade

1985 - Fernando Valenzuela sets a record by starting the season

going 41 innings without yielding an earned run.

1989 - Righty relief ace John Wetteland, 22, is a rookie.

The Dodgers go on to win the Division that year.

He was a 2nd round pick in '85

1985 - LA puts it together for one season winning 95 games and the

1989 - LA ends the decade on a down note, going 79-83. The beginning

division. The season was sandwiched by three under .500 seasons.

of a more than two decade slide where they are mostly irrelevent.

It mostly had to do with the pitching (health and consistency).

Something very un-Dodger-like.

In '85 Valenzuela, Hershiser, Welch and Reuss were all healthy and "on".