BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…April 10, 1962:
It’s the grand opening of Dodger Stadium in the hills above downtown Los Angeles, but the home team loses 6-3 to the Cincinnati Reds before a crowd of 52,564. The Dodgers had played their first four seasons in California at the L.A. Coliseum, which was weirdly configured for baseball, to put it lightly. Now, Dodger Stadium has stood the test of time. It is the third-oldest ballpark in the majors behind Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago, which opened in 1912 and 1914, respectively.
Dodger Stadium’s christening was the culmination of a journey that began in the mid-1950s when Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley wanted to build a domed stadium in Brooklyn. O’Malley couldn’t strike a deal with the city, spurring the franchise’s move to California in 1958. The city of Los Angeles used eminent domain to begin clearing the area around Chavez Ravine in a move that has become increasingly controversial over the years, as thousands of residents were displaced.
Chavez Ravine worked some magic most of that summer of ’62 for the Dodgers, who would go into September with a healthy lead over rival San Francisco. But the Giants would catch them on the final day of the season — then beat them in a three-game playoff for the National League pennant. Dodger Stadium was a busy place in 1962, as the Los Angeles Angels also called it home from 1962-65. The first no-hitter in stadium history was actually tossed by an Angels pitcher, Bo Belinsky, on May 5, 1962. There have been 13 no-hitters all-time there, including two perfect games.
Ten World Series have been played in Dodger Stadium, including the one against the Oakland A’s in 1988 that featured Kirk Gibson’s dramatic walk-off home run — and the one in 1977 that saw Reggie Jackson hit three consecutive homers in the decisive Game 6. The facility has also hosted Olympic baseball in 1984, an NHL Stadium Series game in 2014, major boxing matches, and concerts by everyone from the Beatles to Michael Jackson to Bruce Springsteen to Green Day.
The retired numbers in the venue stir memories merely by their names: Don Drysdale (53), Sandy Koufax (32), Don Sutton (20), Pee Wee Reese (1), Duke Snider (4), Jim Gilliam (19), Gil Hodges (14), Tommy Lasorda (2), Walter Alston (24) Roy Campanella (39) and Jackie Robinson (42). The only ones who didn’t play or manage in L.A. at some point are Campanella and Robinson. A bronze statue of Robison was unveiled in the stadium’s left-field plaza in 2017. Also honored are two beloved Dodgers broadcasters, Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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