Top Ten Dodger Villains Victorino

Only one name can stir up such high amounts of hatred and irritation in Dodger fans. One man’s name can elicit such a negative response that would make even the most positive happy-go lucky Dodger fan cringe in disgust. One man’s rat like essence has pissed off millions of Dodger fans over the last ten years. One man, one name….Victorino. The man is also dubbed as “Rat boy”/“Rat Face” for his annoyance on the base paths. He is also been called “The Flying bitch Face”. The latter is a nickname coined by the MSTI community as a playful jab on his actual nickname of “The Flying Hawaiin”.

Victorino-Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Only Shane Victorino can make all Dodger fans sick to their stomachs whenever his name is mentioned. Let us not forget his annoying face. Only this one man can break hearts, and make Dodger fans reach for the kool-aid. If you’ve ever hated, or couldn’t stand Shane Victorino, raise your hand. (The entire room raises their hands)

2. Shane Victorino

Victorino might be the most hated Dodger villain ever. A vile and despicable annoyance put here to annoy the Dodgers and their fans. Victorino is a ruthless enemy. His crimes against the Dodgers and the Dodger family are just too numerous to mention, so we’ll just hit the lowlights on the way to hell. Victorino’s career began most interestingly though. I’m sure you know by now that he was originally drafted by the Dodgers. In 1999, the Dodgers drafted him out of St. Anthony’s high school in Waliku, Hawaii, in the sixth round of the 1999 draft.

But the Dodgers eventually didn’t want him and tried to get rid of him. (can’t say I blame them) After playing in the Dodger’s minor league system for about three years, the Dodgers let him go via the rule V draft. The Padres grabbed him up, and he eventually made his MLB debut for the Padres in 2003. He got his first MLB hit with the Padres that season, and then was given right back to the Dodgers. The Padres didn’t want him either. He played just 36 games in San Diego.

The Dodgers took him back, and after playing two more seasons in double-A ball, the Phillies selected him in the rule V draft in December 2004. Victorino had reached triple-A ball with the Dodgers, and the Phillies tried to give him right back. The Dodgers declined, and instead the Phillies kept him and placed him in triple-A Scranton-Wilkes. Victorino went on to become the minor league player of the year in 2005, winning the International league MVP award, and soon became the Phillies starting right fielder in 2006. The next season he replaced Aaron Rowand, and became the everyday center fielder.

Postseason Victorino

Victorino in the postseason can be even more aggravating than the regular season Victorino. He hit .357 (5 for 14) with a grand slam home run against the Brewers in the 2008 NLDS. He hit .368 (7 for 19) with two home runs against the Dodgers in the 2009 NLCS. We’ll get to that in a minute. He hit his second career postseason grand slam in last season’s ALCS to lead Boston to a six game victory over the Tigers. Victorino is one of just two players (Jim Thome) to hit two grand slams in the postseason.

With Philadelphia 2006-2012

During Victorino’s years with the Phillies, which were the best years of his career, he tortured the Dodgers on a yearly basis. Victorino hit .291 at Dodger Stadium with five home runs, and 58 hits in 199 at-bats. The 33-year old switch-hitting outfielder was a two-time all-star in Philadelphia, and won four gold gloves in center field. A skilled contact hitter, Victorino never whiffed more than 80 times in a season, and has a career .277 batting average, to go along with 105 home runs, 222 stolen bases, and 67 triples.

Second stint with the Dodgers in 2012

Shane Victorino’s first Dodger HR helps secure win over Bucs. AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

During the trade deadline of 2012, the Dodgers were in desperate need of a lead-off hitter and left fielder. So the Dodgers traded pitchers Josh Lindblom, and Ethan Martin for Victorino. Dodger fans across the globe were horrified by the trade. Just the thought of Victorino wearing Dodger Blue was enough to make anyone queasy. Naturally Victorino was pathetic in his second stint in Dodger Blue. He was already having a down year with the Phillies, but was even worse in his short time with the Dodgers. Victorino batted lead-off and played left field. In 53 useless games, and 235 plate appearances, Victorino batted just .245 with two home runs, and 15 stolen bases. He would leave for free agency the following winter, signing a 39 million dollar contract with the Red Sox.

2008 & 2009 NLCS crimes against the Dodgers

Victorino committed his most heinous crimes against the Dodgers in the 2008 and 2009 National League Championship playoff series’. During those back-to-back NLCS teams, Victorino badgered and infuriated the Dodgers and their fans with his vulgar and in your face display of peskiness.

If you remember he drove in four runs in game two, and in game three his controversial behavior reached a zenith. Game three at Dodger Stadium was the Dodger’s lone win in the series. During an at-bat in the third frame with the Dodgers winning 6-1, Dodger starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda brushed Victorino back with an inside pitch. The pitch was totally clean, but flew over his head. This sparked Victorino to begin to make some kind of inane retarded hand gestures towards Kuroda. I don’t know exactly what he was trying to say, but it was not in kind. Remember Phillie’s pitcher Brett Myers threw at Manny, and Russell Martin in game two. After he grounded out to second base to complete the at-bat, he (Victorino) continued making stupid gestures at Kuroda while walking back to the Philadelphia dugout. This caused the benches from both sides to clear. The fracas was broken up pretty quickly but damned if Victorino wasn’t being annoying.

Dodger fans began to heroically boo the evil Victorino every time he came to bat. If there was ever a person to deserve such booing it is indeed Shane Victorino. His game-tying two-run game 4 home run the next night crushed our souls, and cemented Victorino as the most hated man in Los Angeles. (That was Victorino’s only home run of the series in which he went on to bat .222)

Victorino continued playing the villain in the 2009 NLCS as well. He went on to bat .368 in that series with two home runs and six runs driven in. The Phillies went on to win both series in five games. Victorino’s reputation as a troublemaker followed him to the World Series that year as he was thrown at several times throughout the series. He suffered a hand and wrist injury as a result of an inside pitch in that fall classic and was hampered by that injury over the next couple of seasons.

Victorino’s Face

Victorino’s face has been a source of great comedy and consternation over the years. Namely because he makes such ridiculous faces all the time. He has a different facial expression for everything. When he stands in front of a pitch like a tool. When he gets a hit, or makes a catch. When he’s interviewing, or just when he’s being himself. Dodger fans will never get tired of making fun of Victorino’s face

You are awful Victorino, just awful-Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Shane Victorino gestures to Hiroki Kuroda in 2008 NLCS.

2013 Postseason with Boston

Despite hitting just .125 (3 for 24) in the ALCS against Detroit, and just .154 (2 for 13) in the World Series against the Cardinals, Victorino still wound up winning his third World Series ring. Can you believe it? It was also his go-ahead grand slam home run in game six of the ALCS against Detroit that helped carry the Red Sox to the American league pennant.

Present day Victorino

Victorino is loco-Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Victorino is shady. He’ll do anything to get on base and it often involves something annoying, or shifty. The word has gotten around the league to give him some chin music in order to keep him honest at the plate. Victorino only has himself to blame for his crooked ways and shady base-running. Victorino remains as disgusting as ever before. He patrols Fenway Park’s center field for the Red Sox. He’ll be there for another couple of years so we won’t see much of him if at all unless the Dodgers meet the Red Sox in the World Series. Which I suppose is possible.

If you ever do see him again though, you boo him. Boo him good. Boo him hard, Boo him loud, Boo him twice. Boo him until your lungs burn. Boo that evil little man proper. One day soon his comeuppance is coming, and we will have our revenge upon his dorky face.