From their inception in 1884 through their last year inBrooklyn , 1957, theBrooklyn Dodgers (also known as the Trolley Dodgers, Grooms, Bridegrooms, Superbas, and Robins at various times in their history) used 41 differentstarting pitchers onOpening Day .Brickyard Kennedy made the most Opening Day starts for the Brooklyn Dodgers, with 6 such starts between 1894 and 1900.Nap Rucker made 5 such starts between 1907 and 1913.Carl Erskine made 4 Opening Day starts between 1951 and 1955 andVan Mungo also made 4 Opening Day starts between 1934 and 1938. Five Brooklyn pitchers made 3 Opening Day starts:Leon Cadore ,Watty Clark ,Don Newcombe ,Jesse Petty ,Dutch Ruether . The first game of the new baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, and being named the Opening Day starter is an honor, which is often given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season,[ 2] though there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day.[ 3]
The Dodgers played in the modernWorld Series nine times before moving to Los Angeles, winning once in 1955, when Carl Esrkine was the Opening Day pitcher. Erskine was also the Opening Day pitcher in 1953 when they played in the World Series but lost to theNew York Yankees .Joe Hatten also had two Opening Day starts in World Series years, 1947 and 1949. Other Opening Day starting pitchers in World Series years wereLarry Cheney in 1916, Leon Cadore in 1920,Whit Wyatt in 1941,Preacher Roe in 1952, and Don Newcombe in 1956.
Prior to the existence of the modern World Series, the Dodgers wonNational League championships in 1890, 1899 and 1900. They also won anAmerican Association championship in 1889, when the American Association was considered a Major League. They played in the 19th century version of the World Series in 1889 and 1890.Mickey Hughes was the Opening Day starting pitcher in 1889,Bob Caruthers was the Opening Day starting pitcher in 1890, and Kennedy was the Opening Day starting pitcher in 1899 and 1900.
Don Newcombe was the starting pitcher in 1956, the last Opening Day that the Dodgers played in their longtime home field,Ebbets Field . Newcombe was also the Opening Day starter on Opening Day of the 1957 season, the Dodgers last Opening Day before moving to Los Angeles. Nap Rucker was the Opening Day starting pitcher in the last Opening Day the team (then called the Trolley Dodgers) played at their previous home park,Washington Park , in 1912. Rucker was also the Opening Day pitcher in the first game at Ebbets Field in 1913.
Joe Hatten was the Opening Day starting pitcher in one of the most momentous games in baseball history. That was in 1947, the years ofJackie Robinson 's first game in the Major Leagues, ending the racial segregation that had prevailed inMajor League Baseball since before 1900. The Joe Hatten started and the Dodgers won Jackie Robinson's first major league game, beating theBoston Braves 5–3 at Ebbets Field.[ 4]
Year Each year is linked to an article about that particular Dodgers season. W Win L Loss T Tie Game; no decision to starting pitcher ND (W) No Decision by starting pitcher; Dodgers won game ND (L) No Decision by starting pitcher; Dodgers lost game (W) Dodgers won game; no information on starting pitcher's decision (L) Dodgers lost game; no information on starting pitcher's decision (#) Number of appearances as Opening Day starter Location Stadium in italics for home game* American Association champions ** National League champions # World Series Champions
Brickyard Kennedy was the Opening Day starting pitcher six times, more often than any other pitcher during the franchise's time in Brooklyn.Bob Caruthers was Brooklyn's Opening Day starting pitcher in their first season in theNational League , 1890, in which the team won the National League championship.Dave Foutz was Brooklyn's Opening Day starting pitcher in 1892.Hall of Famer Rube Marquard was Brooklyn's Opening Day starting pitcher in 1918.George Earnshaw was the Dodgers Opening Day starting pitcher in 1936.General Specific ^ "The 1913 Brooklyn Superbas Regular Season Game Log" .Retrosheet . Retrieved2011-08-13 .^ Bastian, Jordan (March 22, 2010)."Marcum tapped for Jays' Opening Day" .MLB.com . RetrievedSeptember 26, 2010 . ^ Dilbeck, Steve (February 24, 2014)."Dodgers may not start Clayton Kershaw in Sydney" .Los Angeles Times . RetrievedFebruary 25, 2014 . ^a b "National Media Downplayed Jackie's Debut" . NBC Sports. Archived fromthe original on 2011-05-19. 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Retrieved2012-01-04 .^ "The 1893 Brooklyn Bridegrooms Regular Season Game Log" .Retrosheet . Retrieved2012-01-04 .^ "The 1894 Brooklyn Bridegrooms Regular Season Game Log" .Retrosheet . Retrieved2012-01-04 .^ "The 1895 Brooklyn Bridegrooms Regular Season Game Log" .Retrosheet . Retrieved2012-01-04 .^ "The 1896 Brooklyn Bridegrooms Regular Season Game Log" .Retrosheet . Retrieved2012-01-04 .^ "The 1897 Brooklyn Bridegrooms Regular Season Game Log" .Retrosheet . Retrieved2012-01-04 .^ "The 1898 Brooklyn Bridegrooms Regular Season Game Log" .Retrosheet . Retrieved2012-01-04 .^ "The 1899 Brooklyn Superbas Regular Season Game Log" .Retrosheet . Retrieved2012-01-04 .^ "The 1900 Brooklyn Superbas Regular Season Game Log" .Retrosheet . Retrieved2012-01-04 .^ "1901 Brooklyn Dodgers" . Baseball Library. Archived fromthe original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved2008-10-03 .^ "1902 Brooklyn Dodgers" . Baseball Library. Archived fromthe original on 2011-06-04. 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Franchise Ballparks Culture
Lore Rivalries Key personnel World Series Championships (9) League pennants (26) Division titles (23) Wild card berths (3) Minor league affiliates
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