The Los Angeles Dodgers continued Alumni Weekend at Dodger Stadium on Saturday with a pregame ceremony to honor former owner Walter O’Malley, who was added to the team’s Ring of Honor.
Peter O’Malley, president of the Dodgers from 1970-1998, accepted the honor on behalf of his late father.
Dodgers broadcaster Joe Davis emceed the event, with president and CEO Stan Kasten and former player and broadcaster Orel Hershiser delivering speeches. Late Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully also narrated a video highlighting O’Malley’s accomplishments.
“Walter O’Malley was a pioneer, whom we can thank for expanding baseball into a truly national game – and also, through his goodwill exchanges with Japan, an international one,” Kasten said earlier this year.
“He loved baseball, and he loved the Dodgers, illustrated by the longtime brilliance of Dodger Stadium, a ballpark for the ages. We are thrilled to celebrate Walter’s legacy, and we are grateful that Peter, who built upon that foundation so impactfully, will join us for this celebration.”
O’Malley was responsible for moving the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, bringing Major League Baseball to the West Coast and ushering in a new era.
O’Malley joined the Dodgers in 1943 as vice president and general counsel before becoming a co-owner the following year and majority owner in 1950. Over the next six seasons the Dodgers won four National League pennants and in 1955, their first World Series title under O’Malley’s ownership.
O’Malley brought the Dodgers to L.A. after all options were exhausted in Brooklyn, becoming the visionary behind the design, construction and financing of Dodger Stadium. The team went on to win three more World Series within their first eight years in Los Angeles.
Walter O’Malley joins Dodger Stadium Ring of Honor
O’Malley became the 15th member of the Dodgers’ Ring of Honor, joining Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Jim Gilliam, Don Sutton, Sandy Koufax, Fernando Valenzuela, Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson and Don Drysdale, managers Walter Alston and Tommy Lasorda, and broadcasters Jaime Jarrín and Scully.
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