This day in Los Angeles Dodgers history saw the end of an era at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, plus Sandy Koufax and Clayton Kershaw reach individual milestones.
On September 20, 1961, the Dodgers came away with a 3-2 walk-off win against the Chicago Cubs in 13 innings. The game was notable in that Koufax not only pitched all 13 innings but it was the Dodgers’ final time playing at the L.A. Coliseum.
It was their home since moving from Brooklyn for the start of the 1958 season and until Dodger Stadium opened on April 10, 1962.
En route to pitching a complete game, Koufax finished with 15 strikeouts to earn his 18th win of the season.
Although that marked the Dodgers’ final time playing at the Coliseum, their 1961 season concluded with a nine-game road trip comprised of series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cubs.
The Dodgers went 89-65, good for second place in the National League. They finished four games back of the Cincinnati Reds, who lost in the World Series to the New York Yankees.
On September 20, 1966, Koufax was part of another memorable performance as he became the first NL pitcher in 31 years with back-to-back seasons of at least 25 victories.
Koufax reached the milestone with a complete game in the Dodgers 11-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium. The left-hander had 26 wins in 1965 and 27 in 1966, which wound up being his final season.
On September 20, 2011, Kershaw became the Dodgers’ first 20-game winner since Ramon Martinez accomplished the feat in 1990. Kershaw pitched 7.1 innings against the San Francisco Giants to earn his 20th win.
Dodgers returned to Coliseum
On March 29, 2008, the Dodgers faced defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox in front of 115,300 fans for an exhibition game at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. It was held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers franchise moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
The crowd represented the largest ever for a baseball game, surpassing the approximately 114,000 fans that were in attendance when the Australian national team played an American services team during the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.
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