Jolting Joe Posnanski comes up with his favorite home runs. It is a fun list but I thought we should come up with our favorite Los Angeles Dodger home runs. I only picked home runs I'd seen or heard at the time it took place. So no Shawn Green 4 home run game. No back to back to back to back Nomar walk off home run. No home runs before 1970. These are my 10, they should be different from anyone else's ten. Feel free to add your 10 to the comments. Don't be shy about using Baseball-Reference to find your game. This list differs a little from the list I posted on Dodger Thoughts as I've had more time to think about the games. Thanks to Eric Enders for the idea.
10-Oct 2nd, 1977, Dusty Baker - this is the only game that the Dodgers lost that is on this list. Dusty Baker hit a home run off of JR Richard to give the Dodgers 4 players with 30 home runs and it was the 1st time in history it had ever been done. It was a big deal at the time and there was a lot of pressure on Dusty to hit the home run. JR was hurling his normal shutout against us and was a head 2 - 0 when he gave up 3 home runs in the 6th inning. Dusty's 30th tied the game and the crowd went crazy. JR went on to win the game 6-3 and struck out 14 in a complete game effort. Other then the home runs in the 6th he only gave up one other hit. Dusty worked hard for that 30th. For a time JR Richard was the best pitcher I ever saw. He would just show up and the Dodgers were history. He had 5 shutouts in 24 starts with a 15-4 record at Chavez Ravine.
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June 12th, 2005, Hee Sop Choi - 3 Home Run day off of Brad Radke, 7 home runs in 4 games. I was a big Choi fan and this was the pinnacle of his career. The game is blurry but I remember that one of the shots just being an absolute screamer that barely cleared the fence. The Hee Sop Choi chant hit a fever pitch after the 3rd home run. It was the best of times just before the start of the worse of times.
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October 3, 1993, Mike Piazza - Mike goes deep twice as we crush the Giants hope for a pennant. In my memory I've seen Piazza hit a home run that bounced off the top of the Pavilion and skipped into the parking lot. I have no idea when that game was or if my memory is even correct.
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Oct 3rd, 1980 - Joe Ferguson - Game Winning home run of the 1st game of the greatest non-playoff series that I ever witnessed. Ferguson hits the walk off game winner and hugs his helmet like a football as he running around the base paths. The Dodgers are 3 games back of the Astro's and the Astro's are coming into town for the last 3 games of the year. By the end of this game the Dodgers are down only 2 games with 2 games to go.
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Oct 5th, 1980 - Ron Cey - Game Winner of game three of the same series. Dodgers are now tied with the Astro's. I watched all 3 of these games on TV and then went and stood in line for hours and got tickets for the one game playoff. My Dad and I skip work and we sit in the LF pavilion and the fans are standing long before the game starts. It has a World Series atmosphere and then Dave Goltz puts an arrow into our hearts.
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June 16th, 1970, Bill Grabarkewitz - Dodgers win 1 - 0 behind Don Sutton and Billy hits the 1st home run I ever saw at Dodger Stadium. Before Billy got hurt he was having one of the great 1st halves in Dodger history.
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Oct 25, 1981 - Steve Yeager and Pedro Guerrero go back to back to break up Guidry's shutout and propel Dodgers to 2-1 victory. Going into the 1974, 77, and 78 World Series I was full of optimism and felt we had the better team each time. Headed into the 1981 World Series I was sure the Yankee's would beat us for the 3rd time in 5 years. The game before we had somehow comeback from a 4-1 deficit to tie the series at two games a piece. The Dodgers had to win this game or they were going to head back to NY needing to sweep the final two games. It looked hopeless after 6 innings. We were down 1 - 0 and Guidry had only given up two hits. Then the young Guerrero ties the game with his home and then the offensively challenged Yeagar who had only hit 3 home runs all year hits the game winner. This was the turning point. We went on to crush them in game Six and notch our 1st world series since 1965.
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Oct 9th, 1988 - Mike Scoscia ties the game with a home run off of Dwight Gooden. Kirk Gibson wins the game with a home run in the 12th. The Dodgers were down 2 games to 1 and Dwight Gooden was pitching in the 9th with a one run lead. Mike Scoscia not known for his power hits the game tying home run, but we have to wait several more inning before Kirk Gibson delivers the shot to tie the series and Orel comes in to save the game. Orel then shuts out the Mets in game 7 and were headed for history.
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Oct 19th, 1981 - Rick Monday - Game Winner - Rick Monday breaks a 1 -1 tie with a home run in the top of the 9th inning and Bob Welch comes in and saves the game. The Expo's were a great team in 1981 and it was a hard fought playoff series and the ace of the Expo's, Steve Rogers gave up the home run..
- Oct 15th, 1988 - Kirk Gibson Game One walk off