The Los Angeles Dodgers have a long, vibrant history that starts in 1884 when they were known as the Brooklyn Atlantics and were part of the American Association. After several name changes and some back-and-forth, they became the Brooklyn Dodgers before heading to California in the late ’50s to become the team we know today. The Dodgers have brought home six world championships and boast current players Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager, and Yasiel Puig who now suit up and hit the field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
Dodger Stadium History
The Dodgers are originally from Brooklyn, New York. However, when the Dodgers president Walter O’Malley sought to build a new stadium, he was unable to reach a deal. Instead, he uprooted the team in 1957 and headed west to California. The city of Los Angeles agreed to part with a 300-acre slab of land, and while Dodger Stadium was being constructed, the team played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until Opening Day in 1962.
Dodger Stadium is now the third oldest continually used MLB ballpark, but it’s had the benefit of a few additions, including new suites, scoreboards, and renovations to the field level.
Dodger Stadium has also seen its share of history-making events, including Clayton Kershaw’s incredible no-hitter in 2014 (just a feather in the cap of an all-around amazing season, including a stellar 1.77 ERA and 21 wins – oh, and his third Cy Young Award).
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A bit further back, the Dodgers clinched a World Series win (and sweep!) at home in 1963 over the New York Yankees, thanks in part to the arm of Hall-of-Famer Sandy Koufax. The legendary Koufax also pitched a perfect game in 1965 at the same locale. Famed pitcher Fernando Valenzuela also pitched a historic no-hitter at Dodger Stadium in 1990.
Steeped in history, the home of the Dodgers has led to quite a few home run balls, racking up 169 in 2016. Where do most of them fall? Let’s take a look.
Catching Dodger Dingers
There are a few home run hot spots in the extreme left field – section 53 is probably your best bet if you’re not going to grab outfield seats. If you’re heading to the Left Field Pavilion, shoot for sections 303 or 305. Section 309 is also the bomb when players like Enrique Hernández go yard (he has the distinction of hitting 2016’s longest homer at the stadium at 456 feet). For those wanting to grab a seat in the Right Field Pavilion, try for 304, 308, or 310 to boost your odds of catching a long ball. Chances are fairly good in sections 50 and 52 down the right field line as well.
Whether you’re going to check out Dodger Stadium’s rich history or are hoping to snag a homer yourself, make sure you head to Fanatics.com to get all the latest gear before heading to Chavez Ravine.
Sources
- http://www.hittrackeronline.com/detail.php?id=2016_5418&type=ballpark
- http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/ballpark/information/index.jsp?content=history
- http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-kershaw-20140620-story.html
- http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1963_WS.shtml
- http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1965/B09090LAN1965.htm
- http://www.hittrackeronline.com/detail.php?id=2016_5418&type=ballpark&sortm=true_dist&sort=desc
- http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LAD/
