Los Angeles may arrive in the third inning and leave in the seventh, but that doesn’t mean we’re not good fans to the Dodgers.
Starting even before Walter O’Malley relocated the team to Los Angeles in 1958, Angelenos have been cheering for and supporting the Boys of Summer, from Sandy Koufax to Fernando Valenzuela to Orel Hershiser to Yasiel Puig, first at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and then, starting in 1962, at Dodger Stadium.
In honor of the 2018 playoffs, here’s a look back at Dodgers fans through the ages:
Frances Hambelton, 15, of Canoga Park, gathers signatures for a petition to bring Dodgers to Los Angeles in the fall of 1957. USC Digital Library
Dodgers fans celebrate at bar at Seventh and Broadway; “Bartender John Wixted had misfortune to be a White Sox fan.”USC Digital Library
“Here’s [a] portion of wild-eyed throng that set a new National League night game record in the season debut of the Dodgers” on April 13, 1960.Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
“No, this isn’t an on-ramp to a toll road. Nor is it a traffic jam. It’s an auto lineup of anxious baseball fans waiting at Solano Street entrance to new Dodger Stadium” in 1962.Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
April 10, 1962: On opening day of the first season at Dodger Stadium, “Fans lined up to see the new ballpark, then awaited the first pitch.”Los Angeles Public Library Photo CollectionApril 18, 1958: “The team rides in a motorcade parade down Broadway, en route to its first game in Los Angeles: A 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants before 78,672 fans at the Coliseum.”Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
1988: “Los Angeles hailed its world champion Dodgers with a parade down Broadway. Fans packed the sidewalks as floats made their way up the street.”Los Angeles Public Library Photo CollectionJune 2, 1958: “Never in the history of baseball did a team—a last place team—receive such a welcome as that accorded the Dodgers last night at International Airport, where some 7,500 rabid fans met the club.”Los Angeles Public Library Photo CollectionA Dodger fan's tattoo of sportscaster Vin Scully is seen at the premiere of 'Bluetopia' at the Pacific Design Center on April 18, 2009 in West Hollywood, California.
Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images
October 3, 1959: “Here are some of the 5,000 greeters at airport last night as the Dodgers returned from Chicago where they evened the series yesterday. What a day it’ll be at the Coliseum tomorrow!”Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
Dodger Fan Club enthusiasts at the airport on October 3, 1959. “They and all Southern Californians are ready for the very first World Series Game ever to be played in Los Angeles. Coliseum will be rocking tomorrow!" Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers hold up a sign intended for Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on July 31, 2007.
Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
October 8, 1963: “Mrs. Green simply held out her Dodger apron!” Mrs. Green’s apron reads “The heck with housework, let’s see the Dodgers play!”Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection