Last modified: 2019-02-24 by rick wyatt
Keywords: united states | baseball | mlb | nl-west | Dodgers | Los Angeles Dodgers |
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image by Pete Loeser, 24 February 2019
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The Los Angeles Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The franchise originated in Brooklyn (New York City) as the Atlantics in 1883-84, and probably holds the record for comical name changes (11 in total) before settling on the Dodgers around 1932. According to popular lore they choose "Dodgers" to represent the Brooklyn pedestrians who dodged the streetcars in the city on the way to the games. The franchise joined the American Association (1884-1889) and has been a member of the National League since 1890. The Dodgers have almost had as many stadiums as names: They played in Washington Park I (1884-1890), Ridgewood Park (1886-1889), Eastern Park (1891-1897), Washington Park II (1898-1912), Ebbets Field (1913-1956), and Roosevelt Stadium (1956-1957) while in Brooklyn. After moving to Los Angeles they first played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1958-1961) and finally Dodger Stadium (1962 - present).
The team, under the name as the Brooklyn Robins, won league pennants in 1916 and 1920, but lost the World Series those years - first to Boston and then Cleveland. After they changed their name to the Brooklyn Dodgers they captured their third National League pennant in 1942, only to lose to their cross town rivals, the New York Yankees in their next six World Series appearances. The Dodgers, known affectedly as "Dem Bums" by their fans, captured their first World Series title in 1955 finally defeating the Yankees. The story now made famous in the 1972 book The Boys of Summer.
After that he Dodgers franchise went on to win five more World Series titles and 23 National League pennants.
Note: Be aware that in the early years baseball teams used pennants rather than flags and there were a host of manufacturer's variants of these and later fan flags marketed for the Giants and their fans. They include flags, banners, and pennants too numerous to all be shown here.
Pete Loeser, 24 February 2019
image from Pete Loeser, 24 February 2017
The legionary Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player, played for the Dodgers from 1947 to 1956. In 1997, the MLB retired his uniform number 42 across all major league teams to honor him; he was the first pro athlete in any sport to be so honored. The MLB also adopted a new annual tradition, on each April 15th it is "Jackie Robinson Day", on which every player on every MLB team wears Number 42 to honor Robinson.
Pete Loeser, 24 February 2019
image from Pete Loeser, 24 February 2017
For the fifth time in nine years, the 1955 World Series pitted the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees in what became known as the "Subway Series." The first four times, in 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953, the Yankees triumphed over Brooklyn. But in 1955, in seven games, the Dodgers finally won the Series for its first world championship. It was the Dodgers first and only World Series Championship won while located in Brooklyn and a huge banner measuring approximately 15 feet long cerebrated the victory.
Pete Loeser, 24 February 2019
images from Pete Loeser, 24 February 2017
These popular variants of the American national flag have been produced for all the MLB teams and displayed by their enthusiastic fans. In the canton of the first illustrated here the white stars of the national flag have a Dodgers logo superimposed over the stars on a blue field. The 13 red and white stripes in the fly have been replaced with the white and blue colors of Los Angeles Dodgers.
The second variant shown here features less stripes and less stars, 11 silver and blue stripes and 13 stars to be exact.
Pete Loeser, 24 February 2019
images from Pete Loeser, 24 February 2017
There are also variants of the Los Angeles Dodgers Stars and Stripes Flag that feature the Dodger's jersey logo in the blue canton with fields of white stars. The second shown here is a similar Los Angeles Dodgers fan Stars and Stripes Flag featuring the Dodger's jersey logo in the blue canton with no white field of stars.
Pete Loeser, 24 February 2017
image from Pete Loeser, 24 February 2017
The Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, who now share the oldest rivalry in baseball, dating back to when the two franchises played in New York City, both moved west for the 1958 season and carried the rivalry with them. This flag is provided for those families with divided loyalties.
Pete Loeser, 24 February 2019
images from Pete Loeser, 24 February 2017
Examples of fan flags using a team "Dodgers" logo with different background designs in the teams colors.
Pete Loeser, 24 February 2019
images from Pete Loeser, 24 February 2017
These are examples of Dodgers fan flags being sold with the team LA logo.
Pete Loeser, 24 February 2019
