The history of the Dodgers is that of a team that had never even played a home game in Los Angeles until The Beatles started their transition into liberal rock ’n’ roll.
When amateur baseball started in the 1840s in Brooklyn, N.Y., games were played at Carol Park, a simple, fenced-in ballpark where people could watch a game of baseball.
The National League was formed in 1876 and in 1890, the Brooklyn "Bridegrooms" – named so because seven players got married that year – won the National League Championship. The team was renamed the Dodgers after the term "Trolley Dodgers," because Washington Field where the team played was in the midst of a maze of trolley cars.
Finally, in the 1958, the Brooklyn Dodgers became the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team played games out of the Los Angeles Coliseum until Dodger Stadium opened its doors in ’62, at which point the Dodgers found a permanent home.
Running over an area of 300 acre, the stadium has had many upgrades since it was built. State-of-the-art grass has been installed and a new club level was built over the past four years.
The stadium has become a piece of West Coast baseball history. The field offers a view of downtown L.A., the Elysian Hills and the San Gabriel Mountains. In 2003, major league players voted the stadium the best in baseball in a Sports Illustrated poll.
The move apparently worked out for the Dodgers, who took two World Series and three National League pennants in the ’60s. They continued their tradition of being a dominating force in the ’70s. No Dodgers team in the decade finished lower than third place in the National League.
The ’90s became the first decade where the team didn’t make a deep stretch into the playoffs, however they have made a steady run toward improvement since the turn of the millennium.
What’s been just under a 50-year run in L.A. has turned into an establishment that the city can be proud of, making the Dodgers an indispensable addition to So Cal sports and the team’s stadium a significant Los Angeles landmark.
Dodger Stadium is located at 1000 Elysian Park Ave. in Los Angeles. Tickets can be picked up in person at the Dodger Stadium Advance Ticket Office in Lot 2, Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and during home games. Tickets are also available at participating Ticketmaster outlets as well as via phone by calling (866) 363-4377. Price: Single-game tickets $6-$75, Season tickets $6-$50 per game (prices depend on seating location). Discount tickets are available on the day of the game only, 1 1/2 hours prior to the start of the game. For more information, visit www.dodgers.com.
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