Plus Luis Arraez's body in space, Derek Hill on embracing small-ball, an under-the-radar Twins prospect, scoring changes, facts and stats galore, and more.
Origin
At the beginning of 1962, the Los Angeles Dodgers were poised to become the premier team in baseball’s National League, just as their forebears in Brooklyn had been in the years between the end of World War II and the team’s move to California (1946-57). Having shed of most of the stars from their glory days in Brooklyn, and ensconced themselves in Dodger Stadium, a brand-new ballpark that favored pitching over slugging, the Dodger squads of the early 1960s seemed ideally suited to their news environment.
Indeed, over the next five years, led by the pitching duo of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale (who won four Cy Young Awards between them from 1962-65) and speedster Maury Wills (who captured six straight stolen base titles from 1960-65), the Dodgers captured three National League pennants, missed a fourth title by a single game, and brought home two World Series championships.