Dodger Army

Lore & Background

The Dodgers name is a shortened form of Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, a nickname for Brooklyn residents who had to avoid fast-moving trolleys. The team also earned the nickname Dem Bums. They played at Washington Park, Eastern Park, and later Ebbets Field, which opened in 1913. The team signed Jackie Robinson in 1947 as the first black player in the modern major leagues.

In Their Own Story

The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the green expanse of Dodger Stadium as the seventh-inning stretch begins. Thousands of voices rise in unison, a wall of sound that seems to vibrate through the concrete stands. An old man in a weathered Sandy Koufax jersey sits next to a young girl wearing a modern Mookie Betts cap; they are strangers by blood but brothers and sisters by choice. As the final note of 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' fades, a hush falls over the crowd, followed instantly by a roar that shakes the foundations as a ball rockets into the left-field bleachers. In that split second, the distinction between Brooklyn and Los Angeles vanishes, leaving only the blue-clad army celebrating another moment in their shared history.

Reader's Guide

The Brooklyn Dodgers had an overall win–loss record of 5,624–5,290–133 (.515) during their 68 years in Brooklyn. Eight former Brooklyn Dodgers players were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The team's legal name was the Brooklyn Base Ball Club, and the name Dodgers appeared on jerseys in 1932.

Did You Know?

• The Dodgers were originally called the Brooklyn Grays in 1883, playing in the Inter-State Association.
• The team moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season and first played there in 1958, the same year the New York Giants moved to San Francisco.
• Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Dodgers in 1947.
• The nickname 'Trolley Dodgers' was first used in 1895.