This day in Los Angeles Dodgers history saw the franchise reach an attendance milestone in their first season after moving from Brooklyn, and also Yasiel Puig achieve a first for any player who made his MLB debut.
On July 3, 1958, playing a doubleheader to reach their 35th home game in Los Angeles, the Dodgers hit 1 million in attendance. They split the two games against the St. Louis Cardinals after just having done so in a two-game series at Busch Stadium from June 30-July 1.
Dodgers attendance for the 1958 season finished at 1,845,556. The mark easily surpassed the 1,028,258 attendance the Dodgers drew during their final season in Brooklyn, when they played home games at Ebbets Field and Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Along with interest in the Dodgers due to their moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, they had the advantage of playing home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, an expansive football stadium that also has been sed to host the Olympics.
The Dodgers played their home games at the L.A. Coliseum until Dodger Stadium opened on April 10, 1962. The Dodgers drew 2,755,184 in attendance during their first season at Dodger Stadium.
Aside from fan interest, the 1958 season was a disappointment on the field as the Dodgers missed the postseason for a second consecutive year. The 1958 season was notable in that marked Hall of Fame shortstop Pee Wee Reese’s last of his career.
The Dodgers roster featured additional stars 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.
Yasiel Puig makes history
Yasiel Puig made his MLB debut on June 3, 2013, and immediately captivated the sport. He earned National League Player of the Week honors, soon after was named Player of the Month as well.
Puig became the first player in MLB history to receive that honor for the first month played at the Major League level. Puig only was named NL Player of the Month one other time in his career, for May 2014.
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