Dodger Army
From Brooklyn to Los Angeles: A legacy of baseball history.
The Los Angeles Dodgers originated as the Brooklyn Dodgers, a Major League Baseball team founded in 1883 as the Brooklyn Grays. They played in the Inter-State Association that year before joining the American Association in 1884 as the Brooklyn Atlantics, and later moved to the National League in 1890. The team remained in Brooklyn until the 1957 season, then moved to Los Angeles, where it has played since 1958.
Quick Facts
- Origin era
- Brooklyn Grays (1883) to Los Angeles (1958)
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 1945, and he broke the color barrier in the modern major leagues in 1947. The name 'Dodgers' was first used in the 1890s and officially adopted in 1932.
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 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.
- The nickname 'Trolley Dodgers' was first used in 1895.
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