Orel Hershiser became the latest member to be inducted into the “Legends of Dodger Baseball” class, joining Steve Garvey, Kirk Gibson, Don Newcombe, Fernando Valenzuela, Maury Wills and Manny Mota.
The pregame ceremony at Dodger Stadium was hosted by Dodgers broadcaster Joe Davis, who has developed a close friendship with Hershiser. Jaime Jarrín, Fred Claire, Sandy Koufax, Fernando Valenzuela, Rick Monday and Manny Mota were among those in attendance.
Davis shared a heartfelt story about his broadcasting partner and Hershiser’s ceremony also included recorded messages from Justin Turner, Gibson and Mike Scioscia, in addition to others.
Then it was time for Hershiser to step up to the dais, which he did to loud applause and fought back tears while expressing his appreciation for the Dodgers organization, fans and former teammates.
“Wow,” Hershiser began. “Thank you, Joe. I love you, too. Thank you, Rick. I continue to love you, and it’s been a long time. Jaime, you are my Latino father, and you know that. He calls me ‘mijo.’
“Dana, family, thank you for coming out. I love you guys so very, very much. It’s ridiculous what we’ve been through together. Thank you, God. I knelt next to a bed at the Bonaventure hotel and I said, ‘God, if you let me have a career here, I’ll let this city and this world know who my ability came from.’
“To my teammates, I can’t name each one by name, but we did some unbelievable things. And it was a lot of fun, wasn’t it? To the coaches, Joey Amalfitano, Ron Perranoski, God bless his soul. All the different coaches that helped me along the way, thank you.”
Hershiser went on to recall needing right shoulder surgery when he sat at 99 career wins, which wound up proving instrumental to his overall success.
Orel Hershiser’s Dodgers career
The Dodgers drafted Hershiser in 1979, and the right-hander made his MLB debut four years later. Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda gave Hershiser the “Bulldog” nickname during his rookie season in 1984, which remains to this day.
Hershiser spent 13 of his 18 seasons with the Dodgers.
Hershiser’s career with the Dodgers included three All-Star Game selections, Cy Young Award, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, among other accolades. He arguably is most remembered for being instrumental to the Dodgers winning the 1988 World Series.
Hershiser is only player in MLB history to win a Cy Young Award along with both National League Championship Series and World Series MVP honors in the same season.
The 1988 season saw Hershiser lead the NL in wins (23), innings pitched (267), shutouts (eight) and complete games (15), and set the all-time MLB record of 59 consecutive scoreless innings.
Since retiring in 2000, Hershiser has held various roles, including assistant to the general manager and pitching coach with the Texas Rangers, and establishing a successful broadcasting career.
Hershiser is one of the original SportsNet LA broadcast members who remain with the network since it launched in 2014.
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