1965 Los Angeles Dodgers season
Dodgers won pennant and World Series in 1965.
The 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 76th for the franchise, their 8th in Los Angeles, and their 4th at Dodger Stadium. The team finished with a 97–65 record, winning the National League pennant by two games over the San Francisco Giants, and then defeated the Minnesota Twins in seven games to win the World Series.
Quick Facts
- Season
- 1965
- League
- National League
- Ballpark
- Dodger Stadium
- City
- Los Angeles
- Record
- 97–65 (97, 65)
- League place
- 1st
- Owners
- Walter O'Malley, James & Dearie Mulvey
- President
- Walter O'Malley
Facts from the source article.
Offseason
On October 15, 1964, the Dodgers sold Nick Willhite to the Washington Senators and traded Larry Miller to the New York Mets for Dick Smith. Doug Camilli was sold to the Senators on November 30. On December 4, the Dodgers traded Frank Howard, Phil Ortega, Pete Richert, and a player to be named later to the Senators for Claude Osteen, John Kennedy, and cash; the deal was completed on December 15 by sending Dick Nen to Washington.
Regular season
After winning the World Series in 1963, the Dodgers fell to 6th place in 1964 due to injuries and poor play. Despite a weak offense and the trade of Frank Howard for Claude Osteen, strong pitching kept them in contention in 1965. One month into the season, top hitter Tommy Davis fractured his ankle sliding into second base; the club called up Lou Johnson, whose cheerful attitude and timely hitting helped keep the team competitive. The pennant race involved six teams—the Dodgers, Giants, Pirates, Reds, Braves, and Phillies—with the Dodgers, Giants, Braves, and Reds each taking turns in first place. The Giants went on a 14-game winning streak to lead by 4½ games with two weeks left, but the Dodgers responded with a 13-game winning streak and won 15 of their last 16 games to take the pennant by two games. Shortstop Maury Wills stole 94 bases, Sandy Koufax posted a 26–8 record with a 2.04 ERA and a then-record 382 strikeouts, and Don Drysdale went 23–12 with a 2.77 ERA and hit 7 home runs, the only Dodger to bat .300. On May 11, 1965, the Dodgers purchased Nick Willhite from the Senators. On December 15, 1965, they traded Dick Tracewski to the Detroit Tigers for Phil Regan.
[[1965 Major League Baseball draft]]
This was the first Major League Baseball draft. The Dodgers selected 30 players in the June draft and two more in the August Legion draft. Their first-ever draft pick was shortstop John Wyatt from Bakersfield High School; he played in the farm system through 1970 but never advanced past Class-A. Five players from this draft class eventually reached the major leagues. The most notable draftee was Tom Seaver, chosen in the 10th round from the University of Southern California, but he did not sign and re-entered the draft the following year, where the New York Mets selected him.
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