Washington 4, Brooklyn 1. Winning pitcher for Washington was Bill Dineen, later to become hero of the first World Series ever played.

This is the first ever official meeting in baseball between the cities of Washington and Los Angeles.

Non-exhibition? I saw a spring training game in (I guess) RFK somewhere between 1964 and 1966. Drysdale and Koufax were scheduled to pitch two weekend games, and I saw the Sunday game (can't remember whether either of them did or not).

Can you believe the Nationals TV deal is so kluged that the next two games are not televised in Wash DC (leaving aside extra innings)? I mean, I've known that the TV deal was weak, but I had no idea that weeknight away games v. moderately high profile opponents would regularly not be aired on broadcast or normal cable. Grrr. Wednesday, I believe, is on ESPN/2.

After five minutes on BB reference and retrosheet, and recognizing that I don't know diddly about using BB reference and retrosheet, I am wondering if the answer to the question never?

http://tinyurl.com/9kvtn

Probably traffic was less of a problem then, but maybe not -- the traffic was horses.

Anyway, doh! I still say the Angels don't count as L.A., Chavez Ravine or no Chavez Ravine.

Eric,
I'm sure that sometime in 1961 the Los Angeles Angels of Los Angeles played the Senators both at Wrigley Field, and at Griffith Stadium in D.C.

What's the over/under on how many times Rick Monday calls tonight's visiting team the Expos?

A few days ago, I posted this but not nearly enough people saw it, including the guy who supplied the information. So...

-----------------------------------------------

TODAY'S FACT OF CHOI, SB'S FAVORITE PLAYER, 2005:

This fact was provided by BIGCPA. I'm putting that in all caps, bold, because citing the original source of info has been a problem of late for certain members of the media.

Once again, from BIGCPA, who happens to be at the game tonight...

Two Saturdays ago, the Brewers' Russell Branyan became the 8th visiting player
to homer into SBC Park's McCovey Cove in 5+ seasons. This short list of
launching lefties includes our own Hee Seop Choi:

Russell Branyan 4/23/05
Cliff Floyd 8/21/04
Corey Patterson 8/7/04
Hee Seop Choi 4/30/04
Ryan Klesko 4/9/03
Luis Gonzalez 5/30/02
Mark Grace 5/28/01
Luis Gonzalez 9/23/00
Todd Hundley 6/30/00

Choi hit his bomb off of Kevin Correia.

Up to 8/30/04, the most homers into the cove by a Giant was of course Bonds. With a grand total of two, the number two Giant on the list was... Felipe Crespo.

The shirts are being printed as we speak. However, if anybody wants to cancel their order because of this, I understand -- let me know and I'll refund your money -- enders((at))aol.com

And by the way, did I mention that, even though the local National League team is playing an away game that happens to be at Dodger Stadium this evening (and tomorrow for that matter), the local broadcast station has three hours of syndication darkness: King of The Hill (2 episodes), Everybody Loves Raymond, Dharma and Greg, and an hour of Fear Factor. I mean, I love that kooky Dharma (TM), but something is seriously wrong with the world.

Thanks for listening.

Making that McCovey Cove list constitutes the sole positive accomplishment of Todd Hundley as a Dodger (other than getting paid for not playing). Let this be the only time that your guy Choi is compared with Hundley!

I remembered Hundley as being the first opposing player to "go Cove" but didn't realize that so few had done so. Amazing that Luis Gonzales is tied with the #2 Giant, and further amazing that the #2 Giant is Felipe Crespo.

Speaking of right field in SF, I remember going to a game toward the end of the tenure of Candlestick Park where I saw Hundley hit a massive pop-up. The second baseman started going out on it, then the right fielder started in. Then the right fielder started out, then he really got on his horse. Didn't matter as the ball ended up in the second deck. I don't blame the second baseman - that ball fooled the hell out of me, too. Ah, the winds of Candlestick...erm 3Com...if that's what they're still calling it.

May 2, 1964

55,822 packed Dodger Stadium to watch Duke Snider to hit a game-tying home run in the 9th to send the game in to extra innings. This didn't really excite the crowd much, as in 1964 Duke Snider was playing for San Francisco and the Giants went on to the win game in 12 innings, 5-4, on an RBI single by Chuck Hiller.

Frank Howard had given the Dodgers an insurance run in the 8th against Giants reliever Bob Hendley with his second home run of the game, the first Dodger ever to hit two home runs in a game at Dodger Stadium. Howard hit SIXTH homer against Hendley in his last EIGHT times at bat against him (And Howard would homer off of Hendley again in San Francisco on May 9). But in the 9th, Dodgers starter Joe Moeller walked Willie McCovey to lead off the inning and then Snider lined a homer into the yellow seats in the right field corner.

Howard batted in the 12th with the tying run on base with one out, but grounded into a double play against Giants reliever Bob Shaw.

The loss dropped the Dodgers record on the year to 7-11. With Sandy Koufax missing part of the year, the Dodgers were unable to repeat their World Series winning performance of 1963 and the Dodgers slid to 6th place in the NL, 13 games behind pennant-winning St. Louis at 80-82.

The 1964 Dodgers featured two Davises (Willie and Tommy), two Millers (Larry and Bob), a Moeller, a Wills and a Willhite.

And in another story in the LA Times sports section that day, Los Angeles Angels players complained about how much they hated playing in Dodger Stadium and were eager to make the move to Anaheim. With Koufax injured, Angels pitcher Dean Chance won the Cy Young Award (there was just one awarded for both leagues then) with a 20-9 record and a 1.65 ERA that included 11 shutouts.

Several notable Dodgers made their debuts in 1964: Wes Parker, Jeff Torborg, Willie Crawford, and Bill Singer. On September 11, 1964 the Dodgers signed a free agent pitcher by the name of Don Sutton, who would make it to the big leagues the next year.
And on April 9, 1964, the Dodgers made a little-noticed trade, sending 1959 World Series hero Larrry Sherry to Detroit for a minor league outfielder named Lou Johnson.

Thanks to Retrosheet, Baseball-reference.org and the LA Times

Meanwhile, with ten straight games against Colorado and Arizona = Dodger fan living in Utah Extra Innings Hell, I am putting the kids to bed early tonight. So I can watch Scott Erickson. Go figure.

If Adam Dunn played for the Giants, they would have to re-name their pond. Or ditch. Or puddle. Or fjord. Or whatever it is they have back there.

Payson. FJT is a Utah concern.

It was odd that the Dodgers gave up their only power hitter to acquire yet another starting pitcher, but 1964 showed that you couldn't have enough even if two of the starters were named Koufax and Drysdale. And who was it who saved the Dodgers in the 1965 World Series after they lost the first two game? Claude Osteen.

I'm in Provo currently, Cedar Hills eventually.
Thankfully not anywhere near the mudslides.

Having seen Frank Howard play in the twilight of his career with the Rangers and Tigers, all you can say was that he was a born DH.

All 50 states have a Payson -- they just call them different names sometimes. In California I believe it's called Turlock.

He said they were a problem then and he thinks the phenomenon started in the early 1970s. By 1977 (the year he started), the Dodgers had a long-established policy on what to do about beach balls.

1. Don't make a fool of yourself trying to catch them
2. Puncture them immediately

I told him about the recent incidents of rowdiness, but he said the crowds of the 1970s could be just as rowdy and fans would throw bottles at players then. Not sure what kind of bottles you could get at Dodger Stadium back then.

Oh, if Gagne caught the ceremonial first pitch, is that another 2-game suspension for "participating in some way" in the game?

Ben P -- I feel your grumble.

The Senators played at Dodger Stadium in 1965 against the California Angels. The last game in L.A. was on August 8, 1965 and Washington won 6-4 with Ryne Duren beating Ed Sukla.

If anyone tells you they were, be suspicious. Attendance was 5396 on a Sunday afternoon.

On a brighter note, Jon, I live in Dupont Circle but regularly wander up into Woodley Park because it's such a pretty neighborhood. I believe I've walked by your old abode dozens of times, since 29th Street is such a nice route.

Vinny seemed to say that Bako has done well against Loaiza - I figure we'll get the specifics during his first AB. Tracy seems to be a fan of matchups, so...

Updated for today Kent is 7 for 18 against Loaiza and Valentin is 4 for 18. JD Drew is 2 for 3.

One would hope that what happened in Cincinnati would kill off the cult of Danny Graves forever...but I'm sure there will be no such luck.

Life's got to be tough for a boy named Gabor.

Since 2002, Bako is 0 for 3 against Loaiza.

If he hit him before that, I'm pretty sure it would be filed under "small sample size." Jim Tracy does seem to have a hard time understanding that concept, however.

Perhaps it's best not to know.

I thought it was going to be some sort of Frank Howard vs. Bob Hendley kind of thing.

Me likey the double play.

So... has any team won a championship while collecting fewer hits than their opponents? I'm sure it's probably happened.

Maybe just Vin.

I think the only article I read on Milton's anger management reported that when he does get angry, he goes to the dugout to let out a few primal screams, then gets back after it. Good for him, I say.

Almost all of his hits against Loaiza come from a game in 1998 where he went 3 for 3 against him.

So, a guy who has one hit in the last six years off of a guy gets the start for matchup purposes. Lovely.

Erickson just tried to hit it over the pavillion.

The Angels are finishing the traditional New York-Minneapolis-Seattle trip that is up there with the Milwaukee-San Diego-Denver trip that the Dodgers had.

At least the Angels get to keep going the same direction.

Not in appearance, but in delivery/repetoire/pitch movement?

What other baseball announcer, or sports announcer, for that matter, would give us this?

Now that is respect. Won't even throw him a 3-1 pitch.

#110: Choi's double went to the wall, but not on the fly. It got past Sledge when he got injured.

aggression=stupidity

With Vin's references to grammatical structures and all, he would fit in pretty well here. Someone send him a link.

Was it a good idea to try to go to third in that particular instance? In hindsight, obviously not, but I'd have to watch the replay a couple more times to be sure.

GET ERICKSON OUT!

RED ALERT! RED ALERT!

THIS IS NO DRILL!

And Tracy had better come get Erickson after he walks Castilla, or there is going to be a problem.

They're called bunts.

Let's hope for a GIDP now.

Tracy, just take yourself out. Just take Erickson, get in whatever car you drive, and just leave.

Unfortunately, there's just no way to get across my true venom and sarcasm in text.

"Garret Anderson flies out to right fielder Ichiro Suzuki"

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh

Without games like this, you'd be out of business.

But I still don't understand what you see in Valentin.

Or does he not emulate all of Beane's mannerisms?

I wonder if the average fan would tend to blow out a bullpen over the course of a season.

You'll hate him less when he goes on another tear. And if you can find me one available 3B who would be a lot better, I'll change my tune.

Before I hear the B word from anyone, see my post in last night's thread.

It's hard to blow out a bullpen that's 20 pitchers deep.

And that doesn't even start with whatever that retarded broken play was on the bunt. They're giving you an out. Particularly if you're planning on leaving a guy in who is doing nothing but throwing balls and hanging breaking balls. Those mighty shots he was about to give up weren't really going to care which bases those runners were standing on.

Wow! He got him alright! What a play!

I think you're supposed to call it a "disabled" broken play these days.

Granted, maybe that's the solution. :-) I'm just trying to shed light on what they're thinking.

Icaros, you are exactly right. We carry 37 pitchers. Might as well use them. Charity softball can't be that taxing.

This is some kind of inning. And Church was out. Good call, Blue.

And Tracy can come get Schmoll any time too.

And thank you whatever lame hitter struck out to end that inning on a pitch two feet high.

Got any photos on it?

Oh goody. Grabowski. How did I know I'd get to see him tonight?

I'm still looking for help on landing that flight attendant job, by the way (seriously).

Eyre was pitching and for some reason Alou replaced with another lefty in Fassero. Unless Eyre was hurt, that would be inexplicable.

i only like reading these comments, but i just had to register to vent about jim tracy.

Well, you have to play the lefty-righty thing.

The kids have flak jackets and helmets. Since Tracy has been in a recent "slump" (to be generous), it's better when they're sleeping in the other room.

1) 7th-inning version of our worst starting pitcher.
2) Rookie Schmoll finish the 8th all by himself despite giving up 2 runs and leaving runners on base. (I love Schmoll, but why not go to Sanchez after the first three baserunners were allowed?)
3) In a 4-1 game, our worst pitcher to pitch the top 9th, ensuring the game slips away.

As Milton pads his stats...

Just a little joke for all the Fairport Convention fans out there . . .

GoBears, be sure to put away the car keys.

I guess I shouldn't count Arizona out yet. They are the home team, after all.

I hope the ARI game goes 50 innings and is called a tie, fircing the two teams to play a tripleheader on wednesday. That's my ideal, with Koyie Hill pitches a perfect 50th inning to get the save and Plashcke writing about how the Dodgers woefully traded away a great closer because they were too cheap to keep him.

2nd and 3rd one out for Gonzalez.

It's possible that Al Levine could be called in.

Glaus Ks on 3 pitches.

All up to Green now.

Ghame Over.

2-1 to Green.

On the radio.

Which won't be hard because tonight couldn't have been much worse.

By the way, Ichiro's catch holds up through the end of the season as the best play of the year.

I am seeing a severe lack of fundamentals being displayed...poor baserunning, missing cutoff men on throws from the outfield, Izturis doesn't seem to have that "desire" afield like he had the past couple of years...

Add this to Tracy's inexplicable handling of the pitching staff...Penny is held to 6 innings, Lowe is held to 6 innings, Erickson pitches into trouble in the 7th...

I don't know...I just don't have a real good feeling about this season...and those of you who know me know I am the most positive, die hard Dodger fan...

FWIW, the handling of the pitching staff was topic numero uno for the last two games. Lowe we found out had the flu, Penny being held to six is probably the continued effort to bring him along e-v-e-r s-o s-l-o-w-l-y but, jiminy christmas, last night was borderline inexplicable.

Post again soon, Howard, especially the impressions from Dodger Stadium where security and fan behavior have been, ah, issues of contention. To say the very least...