1970 Los Angeles Dodgers season


In 1970, Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley stepped down as team president, turning the reins over to his son Peter, while remaining as the team's chairman. The Dodgers remained competitive, finishing the season in second place, 14½ games behind the NL Champion Cincinnati Reds in the National League West.

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day lineup

Notable transactions

First major league foul ball injury death

On May 16, the Dodgers were playing a home game against the Giants when, during the third inning, Mota fouled a Gaylord Perry pitch into the stands near first base. It struck Alan Fish, 14, attending the game with other boys from his nearby recreational baseball team and their coach. Fish was unconscious for a minute, and spoke incoherently when he reawakened and, while his speech had recovered, needed assistance walking to Dodger Stadium's first-aid center.
There, he seemed to have recovered completely. The stadium doctor did not ask whether he had lost consciousness or check his blood pressure, and released him after giving him two aspirin for the lingering pain. He returned to his seat and watched the rest of the game normally, even trying to get autographs from the Dodgers afterwards. However, on his return home he began experiencing dizziness, shaking and crying, and his parents decided to take him to a hospital.
Two hospitals were unable to take the boy immediately, even as his condition deteriorated, and he was not admitted until early the next morning. His condition at first improved, but then became even worse, and a neurosurgeon discovered a large mass at the site of the injury. Before he could operate, however, Fish suffered a convulsion that left him brain dead, and three days later he died after being taken off life support.
The autopsy found that Fish had died due to an intracerebral hemorrhage after the hairline fracture caused by the foul ball had pushed a piece of his skull into his brain. Had he been required to rest and hospitalized immediately afterward, the neurosurgeon believed he could have recovered completely. The Fishes sued the Dodgers, the stadium physician and the two hospitals that had not been able to treat their son for negligence and medical malpractice; at trial, after dropping the other hospitals, the jury found for the team and doctor. However, an appeals court reversed that verdict three years later due to a jury instruction that should have been given but was not.

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
SS132522141.270034
CF146593181.305893

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
PlayerGIPWLERASO

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
PlayerGIPWLERASO

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
PlayerGWLSVERASO
5876243.1391
302015.2327

Awards and honors

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Albuquerque, Bakersfield

1970 Major League Baseball Draft

This was the sixth year of a Major League Baseball Draft. The Dodgers drafted 45 players in the June draft and 9 in the January draft.
The most notable pick in this years draft was pitcher Doug Rau, who was selected with the 1st pick in the June Secondary draft out of Texas A&M University. Rau would play for the Dodgers from 1972–1979 and made 184 starts for the team, with an 80–58 record and 3.30 ERA before spending his final season with the California Angels in 1981.
The first pick in the regular June draft was pitcher Jim Haller from Creighton Prep High School. Haller was 18–18 in 123 minor league games over six seasons, with a 3.65 ERA.

January draft

RoundNamePositionSchoolSignedCareer spanHighest level
1Jim BurnesRHPGlendale Community CollegeNo
2Edward WomboldtCIndian Hills Community CollegeNo
3David HolmesCGlendale Community CollegeNo
Cubs – 1972 FA		1972Rookie
4Ralph DavisRHPAlice High SchoolYes1970–1971A-
5Ken Harris1BPasadena City CollegeNo
Angels – June 1970		1970–1971A

January Secondary phase

RoundNamePositionSchoolSignedCareer spanHighest level
1John LaRoseLHPCumberland High SchoolNo
Red Sox – June 1970		1970–1980MLB
2Kevin KooymanCGrossmont CollegeNo
Reds – 1970 FA		1970–1973A
3Bruce RaibleRHPWestern Hills High SchoolYes1970–1972AA
4Mike BarlowRHPSyracuse UniversityNo
Athletics – 1970 FA		1970–1982MLB

June draft

RoundNamePositionSchoolSignedCareer spanHighest level
1Jim HallerRHPCreighton Prep High SchoolYes1970–1975AAA
2Randy FairbanksLHPSatellite Beach High SchoolYes1970–1975AA
3Lance RautzhanLHPBlue Mountain High SchoolYes1970–1980MLB
4Rick NitzRHPHoover High SchoolYes1970–1978AAA
5Dewey ForryOFTerra Linda High SchoolYes1972–1977AAA
6Janes VaethRHPSeaford High SchoolNo
7Thomas JenkinsOFUniversity of TulsaYes1970–1972AA
8Rex Peters1BMidland Park High SchoolNo
9John Snider3BFairfield Union High SchoolYes1970–1975AA
10Wayne Ristig2BChapman UniversityYes1970–1973A
11Creighton TevlinOFCanoga Park High SchoolNo
Orioles – 1974		1974–1982AAA
12Patrick PaulsonLHPEast Haven High SchoolNo
Dodgers – 1971		1971Rookie
13Norman BrownOFUniversity of California, BerkeleyYes1970–1971A
14Thomas CorderSSSan Jose State UniversityYes1970–1972A
15John Cosmos1BSacred Heart UniversityNo
16Michael PlunkettRHPEmporia State UniversityYes1970–1971A
17Mike VailSSArchbishop Mitty High SchoolNo
Cardinals -1971		1971–1984MLB
18Larry TolbertRHPEast Central High SchoolNo
19Paul BarnesOFMiddle Georgia CollegeYes1970–1971A
20Philip KellerRHPStanford UniversityYes1970–1974AAA
21Albert TaylorRHPKearny High SchoolYes1970–1974A
22Wayne Burney1BUniversity of Louisiana at MonroeYes1970–1975AAA
23Leslie Rogers3BUniversity of TulsaYes1970–1971A
24Francisco SuarezSSHialeah High SchoolNo
Twins – 1971		1971A-
25Dennis AbelOFSan Francisco State UniversityNo
26Thomas GleasonLHPGrover Cleveland High SchoolYes1970–1972A
27John WadeCPasadena High SchoolNo
28Ronald HallLHPUniversity of OklahomaYes1970–1972A
29Steven WilsonRHPSouth Georgia CollegeYes1970–1972A
30James IveyLHPNo
Braves – 1971 FA		1971A
31Bruce CollinsRHPSouth San Francisco High SchoolNo
32Thaddeus RoweINFBrookland-Cayce High SchoolNo
33Greg ShanahanRHPHumboldt State UniversityYes1970–1977MLB
34Chris KinselCSt. Augustine High SchoolNo
35Mike GarrettOFNo
36Mark AndersonOFGarden Grove High SchoolNo
Cardinals -1971		1971Rookie
37Michael Sanders3BD. W. Daniel High SchoolNo
38Maury DamkrogerCNortheast High SchoolNo
39Vandon MattisonLHPJohn F. Kennedy High SchoolYes1970–1975A
40Scott WaltermateRHPSteeleville High SchoolNo

June secondary phase

RoundNamePositionSchoolSignedCareer spanHighest level
1Doug RauLHPTexas A&M UniversityYes1970–1981MLB
2George PughLHPMesa State CollegeNo
3Red DanielsOFUniversity of New MexicoYes1970–1973AA
4Kenneth O'BrienRHPVillanova UniversityYes1970–1972AA
5Paul Womble3BUniversity of KansasNo
Mets -1971		1971–1973AA