Season Recap:
In their first season of Divisional play, the Dodgers finished fourth in the Western Division, but hung tough in the race until the last two weeks. The Dodgers did a free-fall in late September, losing eight times in seven days to the Giants and Reds. The Dodger pitching staff was solid, as usual, producing a pair of 20-game winners in lone All-Star Bill Singer and left-hander Claude Osteen. Right-handed pitcher Don Sutton had 17 victories, while the bullpen was led by southpaw Jim Brewer. By moving home plate 10 feet closer to the outfield wall, the Dodgers indeed saw a power surge, hitting 16 more home runs at Dodger Stadium than in 1968. But, the real difference was the opponents’ increase in home runs as they hit 30 more than the previous season. The offense was led by N.L. Rookie of the Year Ted Sizemore, who transitioned from a minor league catcher to second base. An early-season trade brought former Dodger Maury Wills back into the fold, along with pinch-hitter extraordinaire Manny Mota to the club. Speedster Willie Davis, who spent three sessions in the hospital after being hit by pitched balls, wound up with a .311 batting average and a 31-game hitting streak, longest in L.A. history. Wilver Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first player in history to hit a ball completely out of Dodger Stadium, as he belted a 506 ft., 6 in. home run over the Right Field Pavilion scoreboard on August 5. It would be the first of two that Stargell hit out of Dodger Stadium, as he repeated the feat with a 470 ft. blast on May 8, 1973. Al Campanis was named the new Vice President, Player Personnel replacing long-time decision-maker Fresco Thompson and immediately made his presence felt, acquiring Andy Kosco, Pete Mikkelsen, Jim Bunning, Wills and Mota.