1970 Los Angeles Dodgers season

Regular season

On May 16, during a home game against the Giants, a foul ball hit by Mota off Gaylord Perry struck 14-year-old Alan Fish in the stands near first base. Fish lost consciousness briefly, spoke incoherently upon waking, and needed help walking to the first-aid center. The stadium doctor did not ask about the loss of consciousness or check his blood pressure, gave him two aspirin, and released him. Fish returned to his seat and watched the rest of the game normally, even seeking autographs afterward.

At home he experienced dizziness, shaking, and crying; his parents took him to a hospital. Two hospitals could not admit him immediately, and he was not admitted until early the next morning. His condition initially improved but then worsened; a neurosurgeon found a large mass at the injury site. Before surgery could occur, Fish suffered a convulsion that left him brain dead; he died three days later after being taken off life support.

The autopsy determined death was due to an intracerebral hemorrhage after a hairline fracture pushed a piece of skull into his brain. The neurosurgeon believed immediate rest and hospitalization would have allowed full recovery. The Fishes sued the Dodgers, the stadium physician, and two hospitals for negligence and malpractice; at trial, after dropping the other hospitals, the jury found for the team and doctor. An appeals court reversed that verdict three years later due to a missing jury instruction.

Also during the season, on August 21, Jerry Royster was signed as an amateur free agent; on August 24, Sergio Ferrer was signed as an amateur free agent; and on September 28, Fred Norman was purchased from the Dodgers by the St. Louis Cardinals.

1970 Major League Baseball draft

The Dodgers made 45 selections in the June draft and nine in the January draft; six of those players eventually reached the major leagues. The most notable pick was pitcher Doug Rau, taken with the first pick of the June Secondary draft from Texas A&M University. Rau pitched for the Dodgers from 1972 to 1979, making 184 starts with an 80–58 record and a 3.30 ERA, then spent his final season with the California Angels in 1981. The first pick in the regular June draft was pitcher Jim Haller from Creighton Prep High School; he went 18–18 with a 3.65 ERA in 123 minor league games over six seasons.