Dodgers All-Time All-Stars: The Starting Rotation

Many players have put on a uniform for the Dodgers over the ages. Some have left their mark. Others have just done okay. In light of All-Star week, I’ve complied what I believe is the best Dodger rotation of all time, and one that any Dodger fan would know. In today’s edition of All-Time All-Stars, we look at a rotation of pitchers which transcend our idea of a Cy Young candidate.

With career that spanned twelve years, and pitching in two different cities for the same team, Sandy Koufax is the ace of a historic staff. From his debut in 1955 to his early retirement in 1966, Koufax left any casual fan in awe of what dominance this southpaw brought. Koufax’s first major league win came on August 27th, 1955 against the Cincinnati Reds in the form of a complete game shutout. After a season that didnt see much action, Koufax became the last pitcher to take the mound for the Brooklyn Dodgers before they moved to Los Angeles. Things really took off for the lefty in 1961, pitching to an 18-13 record with a staggering 269 strikeouts, and Koufax had just begun. Through the 1964 season, Koufax racked up World Series rings, Cy Young awards, MVP awards, and All-Star selections with ease. On September 9th, 1965, Sandy Koufax etched his name into the history books with a 14-strikeout perfect game, only the eighth ever at the time, Koufax’s fourth no-hitter of his career. Koufax, however, retired the very next year due to an arthritic condition that made pitching painful for the southpaw. After twelve seasons, he boasted a 165-87 record with an ERA of 2.76. If not impressive enough, his 2,396 strikeouts are more than the innings he pitched in a lengthy, yet short career. He was selected to seven All-Star games (1961-1966), was part of four World Series winning teams (’55, ’59, ’63, ’65), won three Cy Young awards (’63, ’65-’66) and capped off an amazing career with an induction to the Hall Of Fame in 1972. The number 32 was retired by the Dodgers in 1972. Sandy Koufax had an impressive, to say the least, career, but pitchers dont pitch everyday which is why Koufax hands the ball over to…

Don Drysdale to make the next start. Drysdale pitched alongside Koufax, making his Brooklyn debut in 1956. His second season showed promised for a young ace, when at the age of 21, he pitched 9 complete games( four of those shutouts), as part of a 17-9 season. Drysdale became first an All-Star in 1959, but really had his best year in 1962. That year, he won 25 games and was selected to his fourth straight All-Star game. The amazing season was capped off with his only Cy Young award, and he returned in 1963 season with a career high 251 strikeouts and a World Series title, with “The Big D” winning Game Three of that series at Chavez Ravine. In 1964, he threw a career high 21 complete games, which was proof of his stamina. Then in 1965, he matched his career high in starts, with 42. He was also the only Dodger to hit .300 that season, with seven homers and 19 RBIs. Drysdale retired in 1969 because of shoulder problems, but through an impressive 14 seasons, he won 209 games and had a 2.95 ERA. His 2,486 strikeouts are second most in Dodger history, and number 53 was retired by the Dodgers in his honor before he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984. Don Drysdale hands the ball over to…

Don Sutton, the all-time Dodgers wins leader. Sutton made his Major League debut in 1966, with a 12-12 record with 209 strikeouts. Don Sutton gained a lot more recognition in 1972 when he was selected to his first ever All-Star game. That year, Don had career highs in both complete games (18) and shutouts (9), in addition to a career low in ERA, with 2.08. He then made the All-Star team again in ’73, ’75 and ’77, winning the MVP in the  1977 All-Star game. In 1976, he was presented with the Lou Gehrig Award, and after the 1980 season, he left the Dodgers only to return to Los Angeles for his final season in, the ‘improbable’ 1988 season. He only started 16 games that last season, but completing his career where he began was the right way to go out. Despite nine of his 23 season being away from Los Angeles, all his awards were in Dodger blue. His career ended with 324 wins and a 3.26 ERA, Sutton’s 3,574 strikeouts were good enough for seventh on the All-Time list. He is one of the eight 300 game winners to never have pitched a no-hitter, but he did have 5 one hitters. His number 20 was retired by the Dodgers and he was inducted into Cooperstown in 1998. His 58 shutouts were impressive, yet he didnt have a scoreless streak like the one…

Orel Hershiser put up in 1988. Orel is remembered most for his scoreless streak that began against the Expos, and six shutouts later was brought into 1989 where it was broken on opening day. Hershiser broke into the majors in 1983, and finally gained his spot in the Dodger rotation by the middle 1984, finishing that season with an 11-8 record. He made a statement in 1985 winning 19 games, and was selected to the All-Star team in 1987, his first of three straight selections. But 1988 was by far his best season. In 34 games he pitched 15 complete games, eight shutouts, on his way to a 23-8 season that absolutely carried the Dodgers to the World Series. In his final start of the season, his scoreless inning streak hit 59 1/3 innings, breaking the record of fellow All-Time All-Star, Don Drysdale. In the NLCS against the Mets, he started two of the first three games, picking up the save in Game Four and throwing a remarkable Game Seven shutout. He then pitched another shutout in Game Two of the World Series, as well as a complete game in the World Series clinching victory in Game Five. He became the first ever player to win the Cy Young, LCS MVP and the WS MVP in the same season, completing one of the most accomplished seasons in baseball history. In 1990, Orel suffered an injury to his rotator cuff in his right arm which would almost end his career. He returned but was never the same. After jumping around teams from ’95-’99, Hershiser came back to the Dodgers for one last season in 2000. In the end, he collected 204 wins and 2,014 strikeouts. His 3.48 ERA wasn’t the best, but he’ll always be remembered for 59 innings where no one crossed the plate. Although no one ever pitched more shutout innings that Orel, no one brought more diversity into the fan base of the Dodgers than…

Fernando Valenzuela, the Mexican lefty. He broke into the Dodgers bullpen in 1980 and for ten years, he pitched with such dominance. His windup included a look to the sky before the delivery to the plate, and in his 1981 rookie season, he did not disappoint. With an 8-0 start, five complete game shutouts and an ERA of 0.50, Fernandomania had taken off in LA and pretty soon all around baseball. In that season, he was selected to his first of six straight All-Star Games,  in addition to being named the NL Rookie of the Year and the league’s Cy Young winner, and even was given the Silver Slugger Award. The post-season was taken by Fernandomania, when he became the youngest pitcher ever to start the first game of a postseason series. His postseason record was 3-1 including a complete Game Three of the World Series, as the Dodgers hoisted the trophy for the first time since 1965.  The 1986 season saw Valenzuela pitch another Cy Young worthy season, yet he came in second, losing to Mike Scott of the Astros. Valenzuela came to the 1986 All-Star game, and he struck out five straight batters, tying the record with Carl Hubbell.  His career slowly went into decline beginning in 1987, until he was released by the Dodgers in 1991. He pitched his only no hitter his last season as a Dodger, however. He bounced around a couple teams before retiring in 1997 and although he was ineffective toward the end of his career, Fernandomania had infected the league for ever. He ended his career with 173 wins, an ERA of 3.54 and 2,074 K’s.

That’s a rotation worthy of being the best ever. It was hard to snub great pitchers that have made thier mark as Dodgers. Dazzy Vance also had a great career as a Dodger, but there are five spots in a rotation. You want a rotation like no other? Look no further than Koufax, Drysdale, Sutton, Hershiser and Valenzuela.