On June 3, 1958, Peter O’Malley and the Los Angeles Dodgers received approval from Los Angeles voters to purchase the land in Chavez Ravine that would be used for the construction of Dodger Stadium.
The original push received enough total signatures from various petitions to put the city’s contract with the Dodgers on a referendum. Voting yes on Proposition B meant approving the team’s purchase of the land inside of Chavez Ravine.
The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce then endorsed the deal, leaving it to the vote of the citizens during the State Direct Primary Election, which was held on June 3, 1958.
When the voting was said and done, the citizens gave a 62.3 percent approval of the purchase. At the time, the 677,581 total votes turned out to be the largest non-presidential number of voters, with 351,683 voting in favor of Proposition B.
The approval meant O’Malley cleared a final major hurdle to beginning construction of Dodger Stadium. Landslides delayed the project and led to the Dodgers playing four seasons at the the Los Angeles Coliseum. Their first game at Dodger Stadium was played April 10, 1962, against the Cincinnati Reds.
Dodgers play longest game
June 3 is a memorable day for Dodgers history, as the team played their longest game in franchise history, based on total time. The matchup with the Houston Astros during the 1989 season went seven hours and 14 minutes.
Los Angeles finished on the wrong side of a 22-inning affair, suffering a 5-4 loss at the Astrodome. John Shelby went 0-for-10, while Kirk Gibson had a solo home run, two runs scored and two hits in seven plate appearances.
Current Spectrum SportsNet LA analyst and Dodgers legend Orel Hershiser made a relief appearance, throwing seven shutout innings with only three hits allowed.
Puig makes MLB debut
On June 3, 2013, Yasiel Puig made his electric MLB debut. Puig went 2-for-4 but it was his catch and throw from the warning track to first base to complete a game-ending double play that resonates.
Seager sets rookie record
Lastly, on June 3, 2016, Corey Seager became the first Dodgers rookie and first rookie shortstop in MLB history to hit three home runs in a game. All three homers were solo shots in a 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
Seager became the sixth-youngest player in Major League history to accumulate three home runs in a single game.
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