Dodgers: Top Three Most Beloved Dodgers of All-Time

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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 17: Los Angeles Dodgers fans cheer during the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game Five of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 17, 2018, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

Happy Valentine’s Day to all you lovely Dodger fans! As a fan base, the Dodgers have a tendency to hold players and members of the organization close to their heart. Similarly, it is very easy for these players or members to earn the venom that the fan base spews. But, on this day of love, let us take a look at some of the most beloved Dodgers in history.

All players have some sort of impression on their fans. Whether that is love, hate or indifference, they all garner some sort of reaction. The players that fans remember most just happen to be players they loved or hated. However, the fans love for a player will always have a special place in the heart of the fan base.

Before we get into the list let us take a look at some honorable mentions.

Jackie Robinson

Nowadays you will not find a fan in all of baseball that actively dislikes Jackie Robinson. His love goes beyond just the Dodger fan base. He opened the door for so many people to eventually come up and thrive. For Robinson, he is loved by all of baseball more than just the Dodgers. Obviously, Dodger fans love him, but it is greater than just the Dodgers and this list is specific to just the Dodgers fan base.

Sandy Koufax

The Hall-of-Fame southpaw was the greatest pitcher in Dodger history until very recently. Even 53 years after his final season in blue, he is greeted with some of the loudest cheers you will here in Chavez Ravine.

Kirk Gibson

Gibson’s inclusion is solely based on the big moment that occurred during game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Ask any Dodger fan where they were when Gibson took Eckersley deep, and they will tell you the location, time and clothes they had on. That moment will forever be enshrined in Dodgers lore.

There are many more players that some fans have connections with. I know I’m going to miss some players because in some minds of fans certain players had a large impact on their life. Let us get into the list and if I missed anyone please list your most beloved Dodgers ever in the comment section.

Number 3: Vin Scully

Scully may have announced national broadcasts and football games, but he is a Dodger. He is the voice of the Dodgers. Scully is one of the best storytellers of all-time. Oh, and he is also arguably the greatest announcer of all-time. Dodger fans were lucky enough to have him be the voice of their team.

These fans know just how lucky they were. His retirement was a big event. Fans filled into Dodger stadium for Vin Scully’s farewell ceremony and they greeted him with deafening roars. It is no secret that Dodger fans absolutely adore Vin.

He was the voice of so many great moments. His most notable for some was his call of the Kirk Gibson home run. His “she is gone” call could not have been scripted any better. To this day I get goosebumps when listening to Vin Scully say “In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened”

I get goosebumps and I wasn’t even alive to see this magical moment live. I could only imagine how fans who lived the moment feel when that clip is played. Aside from that call, Scully just has so many moments. Whether it was about the game, a child in the stands or a story about a player, Scully found a way to connect with fans. Scully knew exactly what to say and when to say it. His voice was golden and his stories were even better. Scully is and always will be a fan favorite.

GLENDALE, AZ – MARCH 10: Tommy Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers watches from the dugout during the spring training game against the Oakland Athletics at Camelback Ranch on March 10, 2014, in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Number 2: Tommy Lasorda

Lasorda bleeds Dodger blue. If you don’t believe me, just ask him. He loves the Dodgers more than we love him. That says a whole lot considering how much we do love our Tommy. The reason fans love him so much is for that very reason. They know just how much he loves the team and how he always did whatever it took to help the boys in blue win.

As a player, Lasorda did not make an impact on the Dodgers fan base. They were indifferent to him. After all, it is hard to love a player who made a grand total of 8 appearances in 2 seasons. In those 8 appearances, Lasorda was unimpressive. He had just 9 strikeouts and 11 walks to go along with his 7.62 ERA. Luckily he made the transition into becoming a manager.

As a manager, all he did was win 1599 games, 4 NL pennants, and 2 World Series titles. Once again this tracks back to that 1988 moment. Tommy was already loved by the fans, but his decision to let Kirk Gibson hit in the bottom of the 9th with one good leg only widened that love. He took risks and was just trying to win.

Tommy Lasorda is one of the greatest personalities in Dodger history. Fans understood and respected just how much he was willing to do for the team to win a game. That respect turned into admiration and love. Nowadays when Lasorda is shown on the jumbotron, he gets the loudest cheer at the stadium. Fans in the past loved Tommy and that will not change.

LOS ANGELES – 1985: Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela #34 of the Los Angeles Dodgers winds up for a pitch during a 1985 MLB season game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by: Rick Stewart/Getty Images) /

Number 1: Fernando Valenzuela

Scully and Lasorda both made a connection with the fans in Los Angeles. Valenzuela did the exact same thing, however, he did it at a much deeper level. The connection between Lasorda or Scully and the fans took time to develop into what it is today. The connection between Fernando and Los Angeles was instantaneous. Fernandomania took fans and the city by storm.

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Fernando immediately became a fan favorite upon his debut. With a very heavy Latino fan base present in Los Angeles, it is no surprise that Valenzuela became a local hero in a matter of weeks. Fans packed the Chavez Ravine just to get a glimpse of the young Mexican southpaw. Not only was he an instant favorite because of his background, but also because he was absolutely dealing on the mound.

In his first full season with the Dodgers as a 20-year-old, Valenzuela found himself pitching in and winning a World Series. His rookie season, he earned the Rookie of the Year, a Silver Slugger, a top 5 finish in MVP voting, an all-star appearance and a Cy Young award. It is easy to see why fans loved him. He was electric. His unorthodox “look to the sky” windup will forever be imitated by fans.

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It wasn’t just that he was good. It was that the Latino fan base of the Dodger finally had someone that they could relate to. He was just a kid Navojoa, Mexico and out of nowhere, he is an instant sensation. Fans had the Latino idol they had longed for and he helped win them their first title in over 15 years. Now he is a mainstay in the community and his broadcasting accolades only further the adoration fans have for him.

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