Dodger Stadium
My Baseball Dream
by Ray Bergman

Game 3 - Dodgers vs Marlins at Dodger Stadium

July 30, 1996

My next stop is a short drive, about 30 miles northeast to Los Angeles, home of the Dodgers. Today the Dodgers will be hosting the Florida Marlins.

I still dislike "dem bums," the arch rivals of the Giants. The Giants and the Dodgers have probably the fiercest rivalry in all of sports. This rivalry started in New York City when the Giants played at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan and the Dodgers resided at Ebbets Field (the little bandbox) in the borough of Brooklyn. Each team actually hates the other, but they both strangely enough left New York and moved their franchises the same year (1958) to the west coast. The rivalry has continued here in California but not with the same intensity as was the case in New York. However, there is still enough animosity to generate a lot of excitment among the fans of both clubs.

The only redeeming feature about going to see the Dodgers play is their stadium. Chavez Ravine, even though its the home of the Dodgers is still one of the nicest places to watch a baseball game. It's clean, has real grass and the Dodger dogs ain't half bad either.

Today one of the greatest ambassadors for the game of baseball announced his retirement at the Dodgers game and the fans gave Tommy Lasorda a 2-1/2 minute standing ovation after a short and thankful speech.

The game was won by the Dodgers 5-4 in ten innings. It was not a particularly well played game. The Marlins jumped on Nomo in the first inning for two runs. The Dodgers took the lead for the first time by scoring the go ahead run with a Raul Mondesi triple in the eigth. Florida tied it in the ninth when Dodger closer Todd Worrel balked in the tieing run. The Dodgers won the game in the tenth with a Rick Parker single that drove in the winning run.

Notes:

  • Mondesi had a double and a triple.
  • Eric Karros had two hits and two RBIs and hit the ball hard every at bat.
  • Gary Sheffield of the Marlins reached base four times with three hits and a walk.
  • The Dodgers' Mike Piazza was 0 for 5.
  • Starting pitchers for the Dodgers: Nomo, and for the Marlins, Valdez pitched well but the win went to Osuna and the loss to Withers.
  • The weather was mild and the game was played on real grass.
Tomorrow's game is between San Diego and Atlanta at the "Murph," a two and a half hour drive from Dodger Stadium. Until then, and game 4, remember there's nothing like a baseball game on real grass, in the afternoon , with a cold drink in one hand and a hot dog in the other.

To Game Four
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© 1996 by Ray Bergman. Reproduction of all or any part of "My Baseball Dream" without the written permission of Ray Bergman is prohibited.

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