Dodgers News: Orel Hershiser Inducted into Legends of Dodger Baseball

Saturday, Orel Leonard Hershiser finally became one of the Legends of Dodger Baseball. Anyone who witnessed the incredible 1988 Dodger World Championship will think the honor is long overdue. Without Hershiser, there would be no Dodger World Championship in 1988. What Hershiser as a starter gave to the Dodger organization is truly remarkable. As a top-notch broadcaster, Hershiser continues to strive for excellence and inspire players and fans to do the same.

From the first time I watched him, I admired Hershiser’s determination to excel, and that was before the late great Tommy Lasorda gave him the nickname of Bulldog. He didn’t look like a major-league pitcher with his sunken chest and long lanky frame. However, he acted like one with a 90-mile-per-hour sinker and a devastating rainbow curve.

As all rookies do, Hershiser nibbled at the edges of the strike zone, not believing in his innate ability, so Lasorda named him a Bulldog to give him confidence to attack the opposition. In 1985, his first year as a full-time starter, he had 19 wins and 3 losses with a 2.03 ERA.

Now, in 1988, Hershiser had his best pitching performance. He didn’t start spring training on time because he had an emergency appendectomy, but he was 5 and 0 in April. It continued through the summer, though he didn’t have much offensive support. In September, he didn’t allow a run and pitched 5 consecutive complete-game shutouts, breaking Don Drysdale’s record for consecutive scoreless innings.

During the 1988 NLCS and World Series, Hershiser did everything that the Dodgers needed. He closed Game 4 of the NLCS after he pitched 6 innings the day before. In Game 2 of the World Series against the huge Oakland Athletics, Hershiser pitched a 3-hit complete-game shutout and had 3 doubles. He earned NLCS and World Series MVP.

When Hershiser underwent experimental shoulder surgery in April 1990, nobody knew if he would come back. He had 99 wins, but he finished his career with 240 wins. His determination to succeed and humility to learn and work hard earned admiration from his peers. Hershiser belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

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