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In doing so, they wrote another chapter of baseball history — they brought big league baseball to this city, an event which a few years earlier had seemed almost impossible.”1
Herald-Examiner artist Karl Hubenthal penned a cartoon in O’Malley’s honor. The “His Oyster” sketch portrayed a smiling O’Malley opening a giant-sized baseball, containing the sparkling “pearl” of a new stadium.2
The headline in the Los Angeles Times sports section on April 10 was “PALMER RALLIES TO WIN MASTERS GOLF.” But right below was the headline “At Last It’s Play Ball in Chavez Ravine Today!” along with a picture of starting pitchers Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax and Johnny Podres from the previous day’s workout.
There was also a photo of Baseball Commissioner Ford C. Frick handing an oversized key to Dodger Stadium to Dodger President Walter O’Malley as National League President Warren Giles looked on. Batting practice had to be called off when no one could find a backstop, so O’Malley called instead for infield practice.
The players, coaches and estimated 5,000 fans in the grandstands enjoyed the sneak preview of the new Dodger Stadium.
“It’s the most gorgeous thing I’ve seen in my life,” said Dodger shortstop Maury Wills. “The infield is perfect. It’s nice and firm and true. It’s bound to get better, too. They’ve done a wonderful job on it.”
Podres, the Opening Day starting pitcher who clinched the Dodgers’ only Brooklyn championship with a shutout in Game 7 of the 1955 World Series, exclaimed, “The mound is real good, I like it. This park knocks your eyes out.”
Mrs. Gene Autry, whose husband’s Los Angeles Angels American League franchise would also share Dodger Stadium, said “I want to thank Mr. O’Malley for paying so much attention to the beauty of the ballpark.”
“I have never seen anything like this,” Dodger Coach Leo Durocher said. “Now you’ll see baseball that is real baseball. You rip one out of the park here and you’ve really earned it. This is what I call a ball park.”
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