One strength of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization is its rich tradition and the pride that players take in putting on the uniform, whether they spent one year with the club or 15. On Saturday, the Dodgers welcomed back several greats for the Old-Timers Game.
The annual event honored Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager, the trio more commonly known as the tri-MVPs of the 1981 World Series. Along with Cey, Guerrero and Yeager, Sandy Koufax, Tommy Lasorda, Don Newcombe, Maury Wills, Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser were among those who participated in the event.
The game also featured some recent retirees such as Nick Punto, Mark Ellis, Skip Schumaker, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Nomar Garciaparra. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and quality assurance coach Juan Castro represented the current club.
Hershiser, the 1988 Cy Young Award winner started for one team, and he was opposed by the 1981 Cy Young winner Valenzuela.
Some of the highlights included a double by Ellis that was just out of reach of Kenny Lofton in left field, a perfect relay from Punto to nail Shawn Green at home plate and vintage curveballs from Valenzuela that still baffled hitters some 30 years later.
There also was a home run derby among the younger Dodger alumni, as Schumaker and Hairston both went deep.
