Dodgers blog: A’s win series finale, 4-3

Kenley Jansen

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

OAKLAND — The Dodgers’ soft underbelly, the one glaring question mark for the consensus World Series favorites, was exposed on a chilly Wednesday afternoon inside an outdated concrete mass against the only team left in the majors searching for a win in 2021.

Kenley Jansen was tasked to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning and complete the Dodgers’ seven-game, season-opening trip. A save would’ve extended the Dodgers’ winning streak to six games, but he failed to do his job in the Dodger’ 4-3 loss to the Oakland Athletics in 10 innings at RingCentral Coliseum.

Jansen looked uncomfortable pitching on consecutive days for the first time this season. His velocity was down. His command was erratic as he threw 13 of his 22 pitches for balls. Matt Chapman welcomed him with a loud leadoff single and scored the tying run on Elvis Andrus’ sacrifice fly.

Jansen survived the inning, but the Athletics, who were outscored 50-13 entering Wednesday, won the game in the 10th on Mitch Moreland’s walk-off single against Jimmy Nelson.

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Yusmeiro Petit now pitching for the A’s. Rios is the runner at second since he made the last out in the Dodgers’ half of the ninth. Lux flied to center. McKinstry flied to left. Taylor struck out swinging. Dodgers 3, A’s 3.

Kenley Jansen on the mound to pick up the save. Chapman singled to center. Brown walked. First and second, none out. Ka’ai Tom ran for Brown. Kemp sacrificed the runners over. Jansen has no idea where the ball is going. Andrus flied to center, Chapman scoring. Smith tried a swipe tag but couldn’t come up with the ball. We’re tied, 3-3. Let the “Kenley Jansen should not be the closer” debate renew. Murphy walked. Time for a new pitcher maybe? Canha

*-antacid not included

Readers of our Dodgers Dugout newsletter were asked a couple of months ago to vote for the 10 greatest moments in Dodger history.

We received 7,237 ballots. The way it works: You listed your moments in order, and I assigned points, with first place getting 12 points, second place nine, third place eight, all the way down to one point for 10th. Add up the points and we get a top 25. In addition to it already running in the newsletter, we will repeat the countdown over the next few days here on the live blog.

No. 12: Don Drysdale’s scoreless innings streak (8,307 points)

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Every Dodger fan knows that Don Drysdale once held the record for most consecutive scoreless innings with 58. But remember how it almost came to a halt early?

Drysdale’s streak was at 44 innings in the ninth inning and leading 3-0 against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on May 31, 1968. The Giants loaded the bases with nobody out. It seemed unlikely that the Giants would fail to score in this situation as Dick Dietz stepped to the plate. And while 44 straight scoreless innings was excellent, it would have been only the seventh-best all time.

Dietz worked the count to 2-2 when the next pitch hit him, forcing in a run and ending the streak. Or did it?

“The ball just sort of grazed Dietz on the elbow,” Drysdale wrote in his autobiography “Once a Bum, Always a Dodger.” “He was all set to head to first base and ending my streak. But Harry Wendlestedt, the plate umpire, ruled that Dietz hadn’t tried to get out of the way of the pitch, so Dietz stayed right there. Dietz had made no effort to avoid the pitch, and that was confirmed to me the next day. Juan Marichal, the Giants’ great right-hander, told me that Dietz had said in the dugout before he came to bat, ‘If it’s anything but a fastball, I’ll take one and that will end the streak right there.’ In other words, knowing that a hit batsman would bring in a run, Dietz was willing to get in the way of a pitch.”

Giants manager Herm Franks argued, but Wendlestedt stood by his call. Dietz returned to the plate with a full count. Dietz hit a shallow fly to left fielder Jim Fairey and the runner at third, Nate Oliver, didn’t try to score. The next batter, Ty Cline, grounded to first baseman Wes Parker, who forced Oliver at home. Then Jack Hiatt popped to first. The game was over, but not the streak. It was also Drysdale’s fifth consecutive shutout.

I was fortunate enough to interview Vin Scully for my Dodgers book way back in 2013. Here’s what he had to say about Drysdale:

Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale of the 1965 Dodgers

(Associated Press)

“I think one of the things when you look back over the years, you had Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax and they were as different as left and right.

“Sandy was very quiet. If Sandy were going out to dinner with a player, it would be the third-string catcher, or a backup infielder, and they would just go quietly and have dinner.

“Don was the Pied Piper. If Don was going to go out to dinner, he’d have six or seven players with him. Don had a magnetism about him. Sandy, the other players thought he was absolutely unbelievable. Don was one of them. He was very outgoing, so there was no surprise that he would eventually go into broadcasting, because that was his nature. He was a very happy-go-lucky guy and the players loved to be with him because where he would go there would be fun, guaranteed. Party hats and noisemakers and all of that.

“But, when he stepped on the field, he was a totally different person. He was a tremendous competitor who would not mind at all trying to frighten the hitter.”

Drysdale is well-known to throw inside, and maybe hit a batter or two if he felt it was necessary. Now, that part of the game is frowned upon. Would Drysdale have adjusted to today’s game?

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Seager singled to left. Lou Trivino replaces Diekman on the mound. Turner walked. Smith flied to right, Seager to third. Pollock flied to shallow right-center, Seager holding at third. Wasn’t deep enough. Muncy walked. Edwin Rios, batting for Barnes, struck out swinging. Dodgers leave the bases loaded again. Dodgers 3, A’s 2.

Lowrie grounded to first. Laureano lined to right. Victor Gonzalez comes in to fact the left-handed hitting Moreland, who grounds to short. Who pitches the ninth for the Dodgers? Blake Treinen? Or does Gonzalez remain in the game? Dodgers 3, A’s 2.

Jake Diekman now pitching for the A’s. Lux struck out swinging. McKinstry struck out swinging. Taylor grounded to third. Dodgers 3, A’s 2.

Chapman homered to center. Corey Knebel is up in the Dodger bullpen. Brown struck out looking. Piscotty singled to center. Surprised that Bauer is staying in the game considering he is at 106 pitches. Andrus struck out swinging. Knebel comes in to pitch. The final line for Bauer: 6.2 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts. And he didn’t have his best stuff today. Sean Murphy, hitting for Garcia, walked. First and second, two out. Tony Kemp ran for Piscotty at second. Canha struck out looking. Knebel walked a tightrope there, but made it to the other side. Dodgers 3, A’s 2.

In our Dodgers Dugout newsletter, we ask readers to send in their very first memory of the Dodgers. If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to send me your first Dodgers memory, and it might run in an upcoming Dodgers Dugout and here on the blog. Include your name and where you live. And don’t send only a sentence. Tell why that memory sticks out in your mind. You can email me your memory at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. Thanks.

Kevin Furuta of Pasadena: My first Dodger memory is one that my dad told me because I don’t remember it. But I became a Dodger fan in the early 70s around the age of 5. I kept bugging my pops to take me to a Dodger game, like non stop. And when he finally did ... I fell asleep by the second inning. Cut to a couple years later to another Dodger game, where we sat in the left field bleachers at the very back. I brought my ratty old glove from Little League hoping to catch a home run. I put the glove by my feet and accidentally kicked it and it fell all the way down the the concourse. Instead of getting mad at me, he immediately yelled, “Guard!”, to notify the usher nearby so that no one would just pick up the glove and take it. Not a specific Dodger memory per se but it was the first time I understood that my pops would always look out for me. He still does and we go to about 10 games a year together... and upgraded to loge seats!

Former Dodger Sergio Romo now pitching for the A’s. Taylor was hit by a pitch. Taylor seems to be a magnet for the ball this season. Seager singled to center, Taylor to second. Turner doubled to deep left-center, scoring Taylor, Seager to third. Smith struck out looking. Pollock popped to short. Muncy was walked intentionally. Barnes lined to third. Dodgers 3, A’s 1.

Canha was hit by a pitch. Lowrie flied to left. Laureano flied to right. Moreland popped to first. Through six innings, Bauer has allowed one hit, one run, one walk and struck out eight, throwing 91 pitches. Dodgers 2, A’s 1.

Luzardo is still pitching, which is a surprise since he will pass the 100-pitch count this inning. Pollock grounded to second. Muncy walked. Barnes singled to left, Muncy to second. That will do it for Luzardo, who did a good job today. Former Dodger Adam Kolarek will now pitch for the A’s. Lux grounded to first, advancing the runners. McKinstry bunted up the third-base line, Barnes was out when he slid past the bag, but Muncy crossed the plate before the out was recorded, so the run counts. Dodgers 2, A’s 1.

Piscotty struck out swinging. Andrus grounded to third. Garcia grounded to short. Dodgers 1, A’s 1.

Taylor doubled to left. Seager flied to center. Turner grounded to third. On a 3-1 pitch to Turner, the ump missed an obvious ball four, calling it a strike. The pitch was a good four inches too high. Smith struck out looking. Dodgers 1, A’s 1.

Laureano was hit by a pitch. While Moreland struck out swinging, Laureano stole second. Chapman popped to short. Laureano stole third. Laureano scored on a wild pitch. A gift-wrapped run for Oakland. Brown struck out looking. Dodgers 1, A’s 1.

Readers of our Dodgers Dugout newsletter were asked a couple of months ago to vote for the 10 greatest moments in Dodger history.

We received 7,237 ballots. The way it works: You listed your moments in order, and I assigned points, with first place getting 12 points, second place nine, third place eight, all the way down to one point for 10th. Add up the points and we get a top 25. In addition to it already running in the newsletter, we will repeat the countdown over the next few days here on the live blog.

No. 13: Dodgers hit four straight homers against Padres (82 first-place votes, 7,552 points)

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As the 2006 season neared its end, the Dodgers and San Diego Padres were neck-and-neck for the NL West lead. The night of Sept. 18, 2006, they were facing each other with the Padres clinging to a half-game lead in the division. Whoever won would be in first place with about 12 games to go in the season.

The Padres had a 9-5 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. The Padres had Jon Adkins on the mound, but if the Dodgers even hinted at threatening, San Diego could always bring in Trevor Hoffman, one of the best closers in the game.

The Dodger Stadium crowd started to empty out, when Jeff Kent led off the inning with the homer.

Kent: “I was trying to get my mind ready for Hoffman. I was surprised he didn’t come in after my hit.”

Nice, but it was still 9-6. The next batter, J.D. Drew, also homered, making it 9-7.

Drew: “We were still down three runs when I came up, so I was just trying to put a good swing on it. It went out of the park, so I guess I put a good swing on it.”

Suddenly, some of those fans who were leaving rushed back to their seats.

Padres Manager Bruce Bochy made the call everyone was expecting, bringing in Hoffman. No way the Dodgers would score two more runs. Not off Hoffman.

Russell Martin hit Hoffman’s first pitch over the left-field fence. 9-8 Padres.

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Barnes flied to left. Lux grounded to short. McKinstry grounded to first. Dodgers 1, A’s 0.

Aramis Garcia struck out looking. Canha struck out looking. Lowrie struck out swinging. Dodgers 1, A’s 0.

Smith flied to right. Pollock struck out swinging. Muncy struck out looking. Dodgers 1, A’s 0.

Mitch Moreland lined to third. Matt Chapman struck out swinging. Seth Brown singled to right. Stephen Piscotty walked. Elvis Andrus struck out looking. Bauer is still hanging pitches. Dodgers 1, A’s 0.

Gavin Lux singled to left. McKinstry forced Lux. Taylor singled to left, McKinstry to second. Seager struck out swinging. He has finally cooled off and seems to be having trouble seeing the ball. Turner flied to center. Luzardo is what they call “effectively wild.” Dodgers 1, A’s 0.

Trevor Bauer pitching for the Dodgers. Mark Canha flied to left. Jed Lowrie lined to right. Ramon Laureano flied to left. Bauer is hanging his breaking ball. Dodgers 1, A’s 0.

In our Dodgers Dugout newsletter, we ask readers to send in their very first memory of the Dodgers. If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to send me your first Dodgers memory, and it might run in an upcoming Dodgers Dugout and here on the blog. Include your name and where you live. And don’t send only a sentence. Tell why that memory sticks out in your mind. You can email me your memory at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. Thanks.

Janice Markauskas: It was July 18, 1966 and I had just turned age 10 on the 13^th. For my birthday my Uncle Steve who lived in Philadelphia took us to Connie Mack Stadium to see the Dodgers play the Phillies. For the Dodgers the starting pitcher was Sandy Koufax. Unfortunately the Dodgers lost that game 4–0, but Sandy did get one of the Dodgers hits in that game. This was my first Major League game. It was a memory that I never forgot.

Left-hander Jesus Luzardo pitching for Oakland. Chris Taylor walked. Corey Seager walked. Justin Turner struck out swinging. Will Smith struck out looking. AJ Pollock singled, scoring Taylor, Seager to second. Max Muncy walked, loading the bases with two out. Austin Barnes flied to left. Dodgers miss a big chance there. Dodgers 1, A’s 0.

OAKLAND — As expected, Cody Bellinger isn’t in the Dodgers’ lineup for their series finale against the Athletics on Wednesday.

Mookie Betts’ absence, however, wasn’t expected. About a half hour before first pitch, the Dodgers announced that Betts isn’t playing because of a stiff lower back. Manager Dave Roberts didn’t speak to reporters before the game so further details will have to wait until after the game.

The 2020 NL MVP runner-up started in center field and played all nine innings in Tuesday’s win. He didn’t appear to be limited. He went 2 for 5 and slugged his first home run of the season in the ninth inning. He’s 8 for 23 (.348) through five games this season.

Bellinger is unavailable for the second straight day after getting spiked on his calf in the ninth inning Monday. Roberts on Tuesday said tests didn’t reveal any structural damage, but Bellinger could still end up on the injured list.

Chris Taylor is back in the lineup after getting hit on the left elbow Monday. He was available Tuesday, but only for pinch-runner and defense. He’ll lead off and play center field.

Austin Barnes, not Will Smith, will be the team’s designated hitter. Smith will catch Trevor Bauer in his second start as a Dodger. Zach McKinstry will play right field and bat ninth.

The Dodgers are looking to sweep the winless A’s and extend their winning streak to six games to complete their seven-game, season-opening road trip.

DODGERS (5-1)

Chris Taylor CF

Corey Seager SS

Justin Turner 3B

Will Smith C

AJ Pollock LF

Max Muncy 1B

Austin Barnes HD

Gavin Lux 2B

Zach McKinstry RF

Trevor Bauer P

Readers of our Dodgers Dugout newsletter were asked a couple of months ago to vote for the 10 greatest moments in Dodger history.

We received 7,237 ballots. The way it works: You listed your moments in order, and I assigned points, with first place getting 12 points, second place nine, third place eight, all the way down to one point for 10th. Add up the points and we get a top 25. In addition to it already running in the newsletter, we will repeat the countdown over the next few days here on the live blog.

No. 14: Sandy Koufax tosses shutout in Game 7 of 1965 World Series (38 first-place votes, 6,545 points)

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The 1965 World Series between the Dodgers and Minnesota Twins was heading to a decisive seventh game. Dodgers manager Walt Alston had a decision to make. Who should start Game 7? Don Drysdale on three days’ rest, or Sandy Koufax on two?

“It will either be Sandy Koufax or Don Drysdale tomorrow,” Alston said after the Game 6 loss. “I won’t decide until morning, maybe not until game time, because I want to think about it.”

Koufax wanted everyone to know that he was ready.

“I feel good. My arm feels good. There’s nothing to save my arm for after tomorrow. If I’m asked to pitch, I’m not going out there to lose.

Drysdale, on the other hand, was a little sore.

“My hand was a little numb pitching in the ninth in Game 4, but it’s OK, just a little tingling sensation at times.”

Alston went with Koufax, but he had Drysdale warming up in the bullpen in the first couple of innings, just in case.

He needn’t have bothered.

In one of the most amazing pitching performances of all time, pitching on two days’ rest in Game 7 of the World Series, Sandy Koufax struck out 10 Twins, including the last two batters of the game, and gave up only three hits as the Dodgers won the game, 2-0, and the World Series, 4-3.

What made Koufax’s performance even more amazing is that his arm was hurting so much, he couldn’t control his curveball. So he threw nothing but fastballs from the third inning on.

“I didn’t have a curve ball at all,” Koufax said. “When I threw it I couldn’t get it over. And those first few innings I really didn’t know how long I was going to last.

“Then I seemed to get my second wind. In the last three, the fastball seemed to move better and I got stronger.”

Paul Zimmerman, with The Los Angeles Times, then asked Koufax if he ever had other days when he had to rely exclusively on the fastball.

“Yes, but if I had a choice I’d rather not have it happen in a World Series, like it did to me today.

“I was worried in the fifth and again in the sixth when I seemed to lose my rhythm. When Walt came out to talk to me he told me not to try and get anything extra on the ball, just pitch to spots.”

And with that, Koufax cemented his legacy. Or, as Drysdale said to him during the celebration after Game 7, “You beautiful, beautiful fellow.”

Little did anyone know it would be Koufax’s last World Series victory, or that he only had one more season left in his amazing career.

Trevor Bauer of the Dodgers takes on Jesus Luzardo of the A’s in today’s game, with first pitch scheduled for 12:37 p.m. PDT. A closer look at both pitchers:

Trevor Bauer

(Justin Edmonds / Getty Images)

Trevor Bauer

2021:1-0, 5.68 ERA

Career: 76-64, 3.91 ERA, 1.262 WHIP

Career vs. A’s: 1-4, 3.72 ERA in eight starts

Career at O.co Coliseum: 0-3, 3.25 ERA in five starts

Doesn’t want to face:

Matt Chapman, .333 (2 for 6, 1 double)

Mitch Moreland, .273 (3 for 11, 1 double, 1 homer)

Won’t mind facing:

Ramon Laureano, .000 (0 for 5, 3 strikeouts)

Tony Kemp, .000 (0 for 8, 3 strikeouts)

Jed Lowrie, .077 (1 for 13, 7 strikeouts)

Jesus Luzardo

2021: 0-1, 9.00 ERA

Career: 3-3, 4.03 ERA, 1.211 WHIP

Career vs. Dodgers: 0-0, 9.00 ERA (3 IP)

Career at O.co Coliseum: 3-2, 3.04 ERA in seven starts

Current Dodger hitters have only nine total at-bats against Luzardo, hitting .222

In our Dodgers Dugout newsletter, we ask readers to send in their very first memory of the Dodgers. If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to send me your first Dodgers memory, and it might run in an upcoming Dodgers Dugout and here on the blog. Include your name and where you live. And don’t send only a sentence. Tell why that memory sticks out in your mind. You can email me your memory at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. Thanks.

Michael Edgerle: My first Dodger memory is sitting way up in the reserved section -- with my dad, uncle and grandpa for one of the World Series games at Dodger Stadium versus the Yankees in 1977. I was just 5-years-old. I don’t recall too much of the game, other than my uncle accidentally stepped on my pennant and broke the stick when I was trying to pick it up, and the Dodgers lost that game and eventually the series (and I haven’t liked the Yankees ever since). That was just the first of many games that I attended with my dad and grandpa at Dodger Stadium. Forty years later, in 2017, I’d have the opportunity to go back to the World Series with my Grandpa, who was 99 years old. We attended Game 6 at Dodger Stadium versus the Astros. The Dodgers won the game, and who knows if we may have been able to celebrate a championship at the stadium that night if the Astros didn’t cheat. Unfortunately, grandpa passed away at age 101 in 2019, prior to the Dodgers winning it all again last year, but I know both he and my dad had a great view.

Mookie Betts is congratulated by Justin Turner after hitting a home run Tuesday.

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

OAKLAND — The flyball landed a few hundred feet away, down the left-field line, and Clayton Kershaw was convinced that it didn’t sail inside the foul pole at RingCentral Coliseum on Tuesday night.

To him, it was obvious, and he emphatically pleaded his case, initially to no avail as Stephen Piscotty trotted around the bases thinking that he had cracked Kershaw. That maybe, just maybe the Oakland Athletics, the lone remaining winless team in the American League, had a chance to mount a comeback and beat the Dodgers.

That hope was crushed within moments. The umpiring crew convened and changed the call to a foul ball. A quick replay review confirmed the switch. The home run was erased, Piscotty grounded out to end the fourth inning, and Kershaw didn’t stop mowing down the Athletics in the Dodgers’ 5-1 win.

Fueled by a nasty slider, Kershaw retired 20 of the final 22 hitters he faced after yielding a run on back-to-back doubles in the first inning. He surrendered the one run on four hits across seven innings. He had eight strikeouts without a walk and threw 91 pitches.

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Jordan Weems pitching for the A’s. McKinstry struck out swinging. Betts homered to deep left-center. Seager lined to right. Turner lined to center. Dodgers 5, A’s 1.

Blake Treinen now pitching for the Dodgers. The final line for Kershaw: 7 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts. Andrus struck out swinging. Kemp walked, but the ump missed two strike calls. Canha struck out swinging. Lowrie flied to left. Dodgers 4, A’s 1.

In our Dodgers Dugout newsletter, we ask readers to send in their very first memory of the Dodgers. If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to send me your first Dodgers memory, and it might run in an upcoming Dodgers Dugout and here on the blog. Include your name and where you live. And don’t send only a sentence. Tell why that memory sticks out in your mind. You can email me your memory at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. Thanks.

Sandy Koufax

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

John Claeys: The year, 1963. The air quality in Los Angeles could be “cut with a knife.” That didn’t matter. I was at Dodger Stadium because my neighbor, who worked for Shell Oil, had box seats off first base, Row 138, Loge level. What incredible seats, just the right vantage point! I was 11, no father to speak of, so little sports exposure. Sandy Koufax on the mound. No, I don’t remember anything about the game, but I was star struck. And, my first Dodger Dog! It wouldn’t be my last. Nothing has changed except the world. The Dodgers still give me goosebumps.

Yusmeiro Petit now pitching for Oakland. Pollock walked. Rios grounded into a double play. Lux singled to center. Barnes struck out swinging. Dodgers 4, A’s 1.

Chapman struck out swinging. Murphy struck out swinging. Piscotty doubled to deep right-center. That’s the first baserunner for Oakland since the third inning. Moreland grounded to first. Will Kershaw pitch the eighth? He has made 91 pitches. So the guess is no. Dodgers 4, A’s 1.

Lou Trivino now pitching for the A’s. He was a great golfer, can he pitch too? Seager struck out swinging. Turner grounded to third. Muncy grounded to short. Dodgers 4, A’s 1.

Fernando Valenzuela

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

To honor the 40th anniversary of Fernandomania, The Times has produced a multi-episode documentary series that examines star pitcher Fernando Valenzuela’s impact on the Dodgers, Major League Baseball and the Latino community in Los Angeles 40 years ago.

Valenzuela continues to resonate long after wrapping up his baseball career and taking over as the Dodgers’ Spanish-language TV color commentator. He is featured on murals and has inspired countless other works of art, serving as a role model for the Mexican-American community.

Read more here.

Times’ Deputy Sports Editor Iliana Limón Romero answered a few questions about the series and why it is much-watch for Dodger fans:

What can we expect from this video series?

It’s a look back at all the elements that Fernandomania unique and special. It examines his rise to stardom as a Dodger, his vast impact on Major League Baseball, his impact on Los Angeles and how much he meant to the Mexican-American community.

It will feature unique interviews, including artists who continue to be inspired by Fernando to this day.

And in addition to the series, you can expect a wide range of columns, articles and photo galleries highlighting all aspects of Fernandomania.

How often will new videos be released?

Each episode is roughly 10 minutes and they will be released every two to three weeks. We will share links to them here on the live blog every time a new episode is released.

How important was Fernando to the Latino community in L.A.?

He’s a legend and was massively important to the Latino community. First, he convinced Mexican-Americans to give the Dodgers a chance after they were brutally removed from the land used to build Dodger Stadium. And as he sustained his success during a magical year, Mexican-Americans were proud to see someone who unquestionably looked like them win on the biggest stage. It was rare to have such a likeable and undeniable Mexican-American hero. Times columnist Gustavo Arellano wrote about this in a column you can find posted online Wednesday morning and in Wednesday’s newspaper.

Do you have any personal recollections of Fernando?

I was too young to recall the early days of Fernandomania, but I vividly remember sitting with my grandfather watching Fernando pitch later in the ‘80s. My grandpa wore his Dodgers jersey during most of those games. My uncle took him to see a game at Dodger Stadium during the height of Fernandomania in 1981 and he never forgot it. He wasn’t unique in my hometown of El Paso, Texas. It’s a 90 percent Hispanic community on the U.S.-Mexico border and it’s full of Dodger fans.

Do you think the Dodgers should retire his number?

Absolutely. I could say more, but why? It’s just a clear yes.

If I’m a Dodgers fan, or just a Fernando fan, why should I watch this series when so much has already been written and shown about him?

It’s fantastic. If I had not joined the Times staff, I would have devoured every element of this because it’s a great opportunity to learn more and relive the best moments of Fernandomania. The video series really stands out because it was produced by talented and passionate people who know Los Angeles and features community leaders who still live in Los Angeles. It makes a huge difference in the quality of the storytelling.

Canha flied to left. Lowrie flied to center. Laureano popped to first. Through six innings, Kershaw has given up three hits, one run, no walks and struck out six. Those of you worried about him can relax now. Dodgers 4, A’s 1.

After a slow first couple of innings, this game is sailing right along. Barnes struck out looking, McKinstry flied to left. Betts grounded to the pitcher. Bassitt has really settled down. Dodgers 4, A’s 1.

Morleand struck out swinging. Andrus grounded to second. Kemp popped to second. Dodgers 4, A’s 1.

Pollock singled to center. Rios struck out swinging. Lux grounded into the very rare 4-5-3 double play (the shift was on). Dodgers 4, A’s 1

Chapman grounded to short. Murphy struck out swinging. Piscotty hit a high, high ball down the left-field line. The third-base ump called it fair, but Kershaw immediately pointed foul. The four umpires convened and called for a review, after which they called it foul, though how they could tell is beyond me. The ball was about as high as any I have ever seen. Then Kershaw retired Piscotty to end the inning. Dodgers 4, A’s 1.

In our Dodgers Dugout newsletter, we ask readers to send in their very first memory of the Dodgers. If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to send me your first Dodgers memory, and it might run in an upcoming Dodgers Dugout and here on the blog. Include your name and where you live. And don’t send only a sentence. Tell why that memory sticks out in your mind. You can email me your memory at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. Thanks.

Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robinson in 1952.

(Associated Press)

Steve Maxwell of Atlanta: Growing up in eastern Iowa, at a time in the late 1940s before games were shown on TV, I generally disregarded radio broadcasts of the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. I had to choose a favorite team to play a four-dice baseball game invented by my older brother.

The stirring story of Jackie Robinson impressed itself on my childhood memory so much that I chose the Dodgers. As I heard more about him and as he performed so well in our homemade baseball game, I became a bigger fan. In art class, I colored a pie plate with Jackie’s image and other Dodger details, then mailed it to him for him to autograph. Months went by until I almost forgot about my artwork. Suddenly, one day it showed up in the mail, a bit banged-up but with his signature on it! Excitedly, I showed it around to so many people, to the point that it somehow disappeared.

Major-league bummer for this “Bum”-inspired effort. Perhaps because my dad sensed my despair, he took me to a Dodger game at Wrigley Field in Chicago — about a five-hour trip — to see Jackie and all of “the Boys of Summer.” I took a lot of photos of the game with my Brownie Hawkeye camera, which had no telescopic lens. So, the most prominent feature of all these photos was the ivy-covered walls, which, I believe, are still a part of Wrigley Field. Sadly, my memories of that game have receded to the size of the images on those photos, and disappeared, along with my Jackie Robinson pie plate.

When the A’s opened their season at home against Houston, there were highlights played of the fans playing trash cans as drums to mock the Astros for cheating in the 2017 World Series. It was great. Perfect.

Now the Dodgers are in town, and those fans, stationed in the outfield, are now playing actual drums. And the TV crew must have a microphone near those fans. Because it is loud on TV. Annoyingly loud. How loud? THIS LOUD!

For the love of all things holy, somebody please make it stop. Or, go buy stock in Tylenol, because I’m going through a lot of them.

Betts singled to right. Seager struck out swinging and Betts stole second. Turner flied to right. Muncy flied to center. Dodgers 4, A’s 1.

Tony Kemp grounded to second. Canha grounded to short. With Lowrie batting, Barnes took a hard foul ball off the mask, but seems to be OK. Lowrie singled to left-center. Laureano grounded to short. Kershaw looks very comfortable so far tonight. Dodgers 4, A’s 1.

Turner singled to center. Muncy homered to right, his first of the season. Pollock flied to right. Rios homered to right-center. Lux popped to third. Barnes hit a high chopper to third, Davidson was unable to bare-hand it, and Barnes was credited with a single. Tough play for Davidson. McKinstry grounded to third. Dodgers 4, A’s 1.

Kershaw has already generated more swings-and-misses tonight, seven, than in his first start, five. Stephen Piscotty fouled to the catcher. Mitch Moreland struck out swinging. Elvis Andrus flied to center. Dodgers 1, A’s 1.

Edwin Rios singled sharply to center. Gavin Lux walked. Austin Barnes doubled to left, Rios scoring, Lux to third. Is there anyone on the Dodgers who can’t hit right now (I see your hand, Matt Beaty). Zach McKinstry lined to short. Betts grounded to first, Lux out attempting to score. First and third, two out. Betts stole second. Seager hit a grounder down the first-base line. Moreland made a great diving stop and threw to the pitcher covering. Dodgers 1, A’s 1.

(Required)

Clayton Kershaw pitching for the Dodgers. Mark Canha struck out swinging on a pitch that bounced. He must have thought he was playing cricket. Jed Lowrie doubled off the fence in left-center. Ramon Laureano doubled to left-center, scoring Lowrie. Matt Chapman struck out swinging. Sean Murphy struck out swinging. A’s 1, Dodgers 0.

Readers of our Dodgers Dugout newsletter were asked a couple of months ago to vote for the 10 greatest moments in Dodger history.

We received 7,237 ballots. The way it works: You listed your moments in order, and I assigned points, with first place getting 12 points, second place nine, third place eight, all the way down to one point for 10th. Add up the points and we get a top 25. In addition to it already running in the newsletter, we will repeat the countdown over the next few days here on the live blog.

No. 15: Dodgers win the 1981 World Series (5,922 points)

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The Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey infield was on its last legs. If they were going into the history books as champions, it had to be now.

The Dodgers fell into a 2-0 hole in the Series, losing Game 1, 5-3, and Game 2, 3-0. Both games were at Yankee Stadium.

Games 3, 4 and 5 were at Dodger Stadium, and that’s when the Dodgers turned things around.

Fernando Valenzuela’s performance in Game 3 can best be described with one word: Tenacious. He seemed to be in trouble every inning, but somehow managed to pitch a complete game, giving up nine hits and walking seven in a 5-4 victory. The Yankees seemed to threaten to blow the game open every inning, and Valenzuela escaped every serious jam. In the eighth inning, Aurelio Rodriguez and Larry Milbourne singled to put runners and first and second with none out. Bobby Murcer came up to pinch-hit for pitcher Rudy May. Murcer was a power hitter who finished his career with 252 homers. In a surprise move, he tried to bunt and popped the ball foul between third base and the dugout. Ron Cey raced and dove for the ball, catching it and then doubling Milbourne off of first to effectively end the Yankees’ final threat of the game.

Afterward, Lasorda was asked why he stayed with Fernando for the whole game.

“I thought about taking him out, but I said to myself, ‘This is the year of Fernando.’ That was one of the guttiest performances I’ve ever seen a young man do. He was like a championship poker player, bluffing his way through a hand.”

Cey was also a star of the game, not only making that great defensive play, but hitting a three-run homer in the first inning.

The losing pitcher for the Yankees was reliever George Frazier. That becomes important later.

Game 4 was a hitters’ paradise, with runs being scored in every inning except the fourth and the ninth. Ten pitchers were used in the game (back when using 10 pitchers in a game was unusual).

It was 6-3 Yankees in the bottom of the sixth when Jay Johnstone pinch-hit for Tom Niedenfuer and slammed a two-run homer to bring the Dodgers to 6-5. Davey Lopes reached on a two-base error, stole third and scored on Bill Russell‘s single to tie things up. In the bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers took an 8-6 lead on a sacrifice fly by Steve Yeager and a single by Lopes. They held on for an 8-7 victory.

The losing pitcher for the Yankees was George Frazier.

Game 5 matched two veteran left-handers, with the Dodgers sending Jerry Reuss against Ron Guidry.

The Yankees scored in the second inning when Lou Piniella singled to score Reggie Jackson. It stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh.

Guidry appeared to be cruising after he struck out Dusty Baker leading off the seventh, bringing Pedro Guerrero to the plate. On an 0-1 pitch, Guerrero launched a ball to deep left-center to tie the score. Four pitches later, Yeager launched a ball to almost the identical spot in left-center, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

The worst moment of the game for the Dodgers came in the eighth inning. Goose Gossage, a future Hall of Famer who owned a blazing fastball, let go of a 94-mph heater that hit Cey square in the helmet. The thwack of the ball hitting the helmet reverberated around the stadium, the ball ricocheted down the third-base line, Cey collapsed to the ground, holding his head, and the fans grew silent.

And no one felt worse than Gossage. “I was saying to myself ‘Oh, God.’ If he doesn’t have the helmet, he might be dead. I kept saying ‘Get up, get up.’ There was nothing more I could do.

“Sure you want to win the game at any expense. But not this one. There was no way I was throwing at him. I generally try to throw my fastball right down the middle, but with Cey I was trying to keep it up. The ball sailed. There was nothing I could do about it.”

Cey walked off the field, but was uninjured and returned to play in Game 6. Meanwhile, the Dodgers held on to their 2-1 lead and took a 3-2 Series lead.

The teams returned to New York for Game 6.

The key moment came in the bottom of the fourth. With the score tied, 1-1, the Yankees had two runners on with two out with their starting pitcher, Tommy John, due up. John had gone 9-8 with a 2.63 ERA in 1981 and had held the Dodgers to one run in 13 innings during the World Series. Plus, the Yankees bullpen had been unsteady during the Series.

Manager Bob Lemon decided to hit for John, sending Murcer up to the plate. John was irate, with TV cameras catching him saying “Unbelievable!” in the Yankees dugout.

Murcer flied out to end the inning, making Lemon’s decision look even worse.

“I wanted to get some runs,” Lemon said. “I didn’t think it was a gamble. I’ve seen John look better. He’d given up six hits in four innings. I just thought I’d make a move then, get some runs.”

Lemon replaced John on the mound with ... George Frazier. Here’s what happened: single by Lopes. Sacrifice by Russell. Fly out by Steve Garvey. Single by Cey. Single by Baker. Triple by Guerrero. Rick Monday strikes out. Three runs score and it’s 4-1 Dodgers.

The wheels then came off for the Yankees. The Dodgers scored four more times in the sixth and one in the eighth to win Game 6, and the World Series, 9-2.

The losing pitcher was George Frazier, who became the first relief pitcher to lose three games in one World Series.

The win also made the Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey infield champions at last.

“They can do anything they want with us now,” Lopes said. “I’ve got the ring. They can’t take that away from me.”

Cey: “Now maybe they won’t call us too old. We’ve been as successful as anybody in the game. We’ve won four pennants and now we’ve won the World Series.”

Game 6 would be the final game the famed infield would play together. Lopes was traded to the Oakland A’s after the season.

Chris Bassitt starts for the A’s. Hopefully he won’t hound the Dodgers. (Get it? Bassitt? Hound? I’ll be here all week). Mookie Betts grounded to the pitcher. Corey Seager grounded to first. Justin Turner doubled to right-center. Max Muncy was hit by a pitch. AJ Pollock struck out swinging. Dodgers 0, A’s 0.

Cody Bellinger

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)

OAKLAND — Cody Bellinger won’t be available tonight after getting spiked on his calf Monday and was scheduled to undergo tests, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Roberts didn’t know what type of tests were in store for Bellinger, who suffered the injury in the ninth inning.

“The docs want to make sure what other potential outside of two cleat contusions,” Roberts said. “There might be more to it. So, while there’s still soreness, there can be any number of things that they’re testing for. So all I do know is that there’s testing to make sure, to be as thorough as we possibly can with Cody.”

Chris Taylor also left Monday’s game when he was plunked on the left elbow, but he’s available to pinch-run and play defense Tuesday. Taylor was on the field pregame taking groundballs.

“Extension, as far as the swing, doesn’t feel great about that yet,” Roberts said. “So, we’ll probably say away from him in that capacity.”

Without Bellinger, the team’s starting center fielder, and Taylor, their next-best option in center field, the Dodgers decided to move Mookie Betts to center. It will be Betts’ first start in center field as a Dodger. Zach McKinstry will start in right field.

“I think Mookie’s the next best option,” Roberts said.

In our Dodgers Dugout newsletter, we ask readers to send in their very first memory of the Dodgers. If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to send me your first Dodgers memory, and it might run in an upcoming Dodgers Dugout and here on the blog. Include your name and where you live. And don’t send only a sentence. Tell why that memory sticks out in your mind. You can email me your memory at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. Thanks.

Kathy Neavill: My earliest Dodger memories started with my dad listening to the Dodger games on a little transistor radio in our backyard under a big apricot tree. The Dodgers had just moved to L.A. He loved the Dodgers so much but would get so upset with them because he wanted them to win so badly! He took me to games before Dodger Stadium was built. And later I got to see games at the stadium the first year. And many years after. I am now 75 and still a big fan.

Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers takes on Chris Bassitt of the A’s in tonight’s game, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PDT. A closer look at both pitchers:

Clayton Kershaw

2021: 0-1, 7.94 ERA

Career: 175-77, 2.45 ERA, 1.006 WHIP

Career vs. A’s: 0-0, 1.35 ERA in four starts

Career at O.co Coliseum: 0-0, 1.71 ERA in three starts

Doesn’t want to face:

Mark Canha, .500 (3 for 6)

Won’t mind facing:

Aramis Garcia, .000 (0 for 6)

Stephen Piscotty, .000 (0 for 6)

Jed Lowrie, .167 (2 for 12)

Chris Bassitt

2021: 0-1, 5.06 ERA

Career: 19-22, 3.61 ERA, 1.273 WHIP

Career vs. Dodgers: has never faced L.A.

Only batter on Dodgers who has faced Bassitt is Chris Taylor, who is 0 for 1 against him.

Max Muncy

(Associated Press)

OAKLAND — Max Muncy’s three-hit game Monday was memorable for two reasons: It came against the team that cut him and while Baylor, his alma mater, was winning the NCAA men’s basketball national championship.

Monday was Muncy’s third multi-hit game in five games this season. He recorded the output Monday as the designated hitter, which allowed him to periodically follow Baylor’s upset win over Gonzaga when the Dodgers were on defense.

“I was following it very closely,” Muncy, 30, said. “I was thankful that I got to DH last night so I could, in between innings, run up and check on the score and see how the boys were doing. It was kind of funny how it worked out like that for me.

“But it was awesome. It was a really cool moment for us, for me and my wife. We’re both Baylor grads and we were texting back and forth just celebrating it.”

Muncy is 8 for 20 through five games after a frustrating 2020 regular season that was preceded by him fracturing a finger in summer camp. He wound up batting .192 with 12 home runs and a .720 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 59 regular-season games.

He was better in the postseason, hitting .250 with 20 walks and a .904 OPS in 18 games, and has carried the improved production into 2021.

This year, unlike the previous three, Muncy is expected to almost exclusively play first base as opposed to bouncing to second or third base. He said the change “makes things a little easier.”

“Last year was just a little rough with the injury at first and then trying to mentally come back from that,” Muncy said. “And then realizing you only had a certain number of games to get things going and it’s kind of just pressing right from the start. It was a bad mixture of a lot of things and this year just kind of getting back to a normal routine.”

Oakland was where Muncy broke into the major leagues and made his debut in 2015. The Athletics drafted him in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. The organization gave him his first chance to achieve his dream.

But the feelings are mixed. He said he still has good relationships with people on the other side, but the negative memories outweigh the positive ones. Muncy batted .195 with five home runs and a .611 OPS in 96 games for Oakland.

The team cut him at the end of spring training in 2017. He signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers the next month and made his Dodgers debut a year later.

Muncy described returning this week for the second time — he was with the Dodgers when they played in Oakland in 2018 — as “weird.”

As for racking up three hits Monday? Muncy cracked a smile.

“I can’t lie,” Muncy said. “I’d say it’s very satisfying to get several hits against your old team. It felt really good.”

Mike Scioscia

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

For the first time since leaving the Angels three years ago, Mike Scioscia is back in the dugout.

Scioscia was selected Tuesday as manager of the United States team looking to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

Although nine former major league managers have been hired by clubs since Scioscia last managed the Angels, he said he did not take the Team USA job to enhance his visibility for another major league job.

“I don’t expect to manage in the major leagues,” he said. “That’s my decision.”

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