After spending the first seven-plus decades of their existence in Brooklyn, N.Y., the Dodgers relocated to Los Angeles for the 1958 season.
The club played its home games at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum that year, and would do so for the next four seasons until the construction of Dodger Stadium was complete.
While the Dodgers’ inaugural season in L.A. was historic for bringing Major League Baseball to the West Coast, the club struggled for a second consecutive year and did not advance to the playoffs.
The 1958 season was notable in that marked Hall of Fame shortstop Pee Wee Reese’s final Major League campaign.
The Dodgers roster featured additional Cooperstown hopefuls in Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax, who were in the early stages of their respective careers, and Duke Snider, one of the many holdovers from the team’s Brooklyn days.
Regular season
On April 18, 1958, the Dodgers hosted the San Francisco Giants for their first game in the city of Los Angeles. Like the Dodgers, the 1958 season represented the Giants’ inaugural season in California.
A day that started off with a parade rally ended with L.A. defeating their rival, 6-5, in front of a crowd of 78,672 fans that were on hand for the festivities.
The victory was one of the few bright spots for the Dodgers in April. The club posted a 5-9 record during the month, only for their struggles to continue into May.
An 11-17 showing that month sunk the Dodgers to last place in the National League by the start of June. They finished the first half with a disappointing 33-42 record.
The Dodgers bounced back some in the second half, but it would not be enough to extend their season into October. They went 13-15 in July, 17-14 in August and 10-15 in September, concluding the second half of play with a 38-41 record.
Postseason
The Dodgers finished the 1958 season with a 71-83 record, which was good for seventh place in the NL. As a result, they did not qualify for the postseason.
The Dodgers would return to the playoffs the following year, posting an 88-68 record during the regular season before defeating the Chicago White Sox, 4-2, in the World Series.
