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Besides Sandy Koufax , Don Drysdale, and Maury Wills, Los Angeles had little hope the season began, and even Koufax arm was suspect, owing to an arthritic condition. When Tommy Davis broke his ankle, most experts predicted that the Dodger’s was death. However, on May 4 the team when in to the lead, and by the beginning of June they were 5 games ahead. At the All Star break, LA fell into 2nd place but quickly rebounded into the 1st, and, except for two days in mid-August, stayed there until early September.
Suddenly the San Francisco Giants erupted on a 14 game winning steak and, on September 6 the Dodgers dropped out of the lead. Ten days later, LA, had fallen into the 3rd place 4½ games behind. However, the Dodgers bounced back and reclaimed !st place on September 28. Los Angeles took 15 its last 16 game won their!! th League pennants. The team batting average was 245, 7th in the league and the lowest ever for a National League pennant winner. Furthermore, the Dodgers ranked 8th in the league in runs score and dead in the major in home run with (78).
The only 300 hitter on the team was pitcher Don Drysdale, but the Dodgers pitching staff had a stunning 2.81 era, lowest in the league in 22 years. It also allowed fewest runs and hits in the mayor and ranked 1st in shutouts (23) and complete game pitched (58). The chief asset of the Dodgers was the incomparable Sandy Koufax.
Despite his ailing arm, Koufax appeared in 43 game an d led all mayor league pitcher in victories and winning percentage (26-8) (765%), Era (2.04), strikeouts (382), complete game (27) and innings pitched (336), and he was 2nd in shutout (8). His 383 strikeouts was a new mayor league mark. It was also Koufax’s fourth consecutive year as league’s Era leader. And Koufax became the first player to pitch four no-hit games when he pitched a perfect game against the cubs, wining (1-0).
Drysdale had 23-12 record with a 2.78 Era (8th in the league), appeared in 44 games, had 7 shutout, 20 complete games, 210 strikeout, and pitched 308 innings, his fourth consecutive year over 300. Claude Osteen, the third member of the Dodgers amazing starting rotation, appeared in 40 games, pitched 287 innings, and ended up with a 15-15 record and 2.79 Era. In 8 of the 26 year-old left-hander losses, the Dodgers hitter got only 6 runs. On the rare occasions that a Dodgers started did not finish a game, manager Walter Alston had left-handed sinkerballer Ron Perranoski and right handed Bob Miller in the bullpen. Perranoski appeared in 59 game, had 2.23 Era, won 6, saved 12, Miller made 61 appearances, won 6, saved 8 a 2.97 ERA.
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