Walt Alston's young Dodger team beat the Expos 3-1 in 12 innings on June 17th to move into sole possession of 1st place. The team would rattle off 14 wins in 16 games to take a 6 1/2 game lead in the NL West. Things couldn't have been better as the team rattled off another streak of 12 wins in 14 games to go up by 8 1/2. That was the good news. The bad news was that at 69-35 they weren't able to shake the Big Red Machine. By early September their lead had whittled down to just 2 games. After a 9 game losing streak they found themselves now 2 games back and quickly fading. By September 16th boys in blue were 6 1/2 games out and left for dead. The venerable Alston rallied his troops to win 9 of their final 11 games, but they were only able to gain 3 games in the standings thanks to their only 2 losses being against a 99 win Cincy team that was on fire.
LA's starting lineup had just 2 players over the age of 30. Left fielder Manny Mota (.314) was more or less a platoon player and 33 year old Willie Davis, a holdover from their mid 60's championship teams hit a robust .285 with 16 homers and gold glove defense. The rest of the lineup proudly displayed the jewels of their productive farm system. Names like Buckner, Garvey, Lopes, Russell, Cey, Yeager and Crawford were all neophytes in their first pennant race, which would explain why the team was so streaky. Their pitching staff was the best in the league with an even 3.00 ERA and a stout 1.161 WHIP. With no 20 game winners, the Dodgers had the most solid 5 man rotation in the game. 28 year old Don Sutton was entering his 8th season with the club was now its ace. Incredibly he only won 18 games (lost 10) with a 2.42 ERA and 0.983 WHIP. Newly acquired former Angel Andy Messersmith (14-10, 2.70) was the team's second ace. A trio of 30+ year old lefties: Claude Osteen, Tommy John and Al Downing all appeared in 30 games. There was no letup for opposing hitters vs this rotation. The pen had virtually no weaknesses with veteran reliever Jim Brewer hitting the 20 save plateau and getting support from Charlie Hough, Pete Richert and George Culver. 1973 would serve as the hor d'oeuvre with 1974's 102 win season being the main course.
In total I had to create 20 new cards to complete the '73 set. Many of the players on this team were featured in rookie panel cards.
"Popeye's" original Topps card showcased Wes Parker, his predecessor, more than him, so I decided to create a this card for him. Garvey apprenticed for almost 4 years behind the slick fielding Parker before finally getting a shot to platoon at 1st and left with Bill Buckner in 1973. Garvey hit over .300 and showed that he was a gold glove caliber 1B. The Dodgers were smart enough to reward him with the full time job and he paid them back and then some with an MVP 1974 and a string of 200 hit seasons. Sadly it looks like his apprenticeship behind Parker might have cost him his spot in Cooperstown. I have no doubt that he belongs there along with Gil Hodges.
Culver pitched a no-hitter for the Reds on July 29, 1968 in a 6–1 win over the Phillies at Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium. Culver struck out four batters and walked five as he outdueled Chris Short in game two of a doubleheader. Culver's one season in SoCal was 1973 where he posted a 4-4, 3.00, 2sv record out of the pen. He would move on to Philly and play 2 more seasons before being farmed out and released midway through the '75 season. He then picked up and went to Japan for a very unimpressive year before returning to the states as both player coach in the Phillies chain
He pitched two innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Houston Astros on September 2, 1973. He allowed 2 hits, 1 earned run, struck out 1 and walked 1 in his brief major league stint. Due to his lack of major league action I was only able to find this grainy B&W head shot. If anyone comes across a decent color shot I will update the card ASAP ! Heydeman spent 3 more seasons in the Dodger farm system. He was demoted from AAA Albuquerque to Bakersfield and Lodi (A) before being released after the '76 season.
Shanahan pitched in 11 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 1973 and 1974 seasons. During the '73 season he got into 7 of those games and posted an even 0-0, 3.45 record. During the 3 years (73-75) that he spent in Albuquerque he posted a sub .500 record with a 4.50 ERA. After sitting out the full '76 season he wound up with Omaha (KCR AAA affiliate) where he was 11-11, 2.54, but at the age of 29 the Royals didn't see much upside and let him go.
In 3 seasons with the Dodgers Royster was only able to get into 29 games mostly as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. He got his big break when the Dodgers dealt him to the Braves after the '75 season. The Dodgers got Dusty Baker in return and the Braves got a guy who would play many positions for them over the course of the next 9 seasons. Royster also made stops in San Diego, Chicago (AL), the Bronx and back in Atlanta before hanging it up at the age of 35 in 1988.
From 1969-1972 Fairey served the Expos as a valuable 4th outfielder and pinch hitter. Sandwiched around that were his two tours with the Dodgers. In '69 he hit .199 in 99 games and in '73 he finished off his major league career going 2 for 9 in 10 games. To his credit he never gave up his dream and spent the next 5 seasons playing well in AAA hoping for that call that never came. His final 3 seasons were with Hawaii (SDP's AAA) where he hit over .300 and won the Little World Series.
On November 28, 1972, McMullen was part of a blockbuster trade, as he and Andy Messersmith were sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Billy Grabarkewitz, Frank Robinson, Bill Singer, Mike Strahler and Bobby Valentine. McMullen played the 1973 season opener at third base, but was soon displaced by rookie Ron Cey. From there, he served mostly as a pinch hitter, going six-for-nineteen with a walk, two home runs and nine RBIs in that role. He spent two more seasons backing up Cey and pinch hitting in Los Angeles, clubbing a pinch hit grand slam against the San Diego Padres on April 24, 1975.
In parts of 3 seasons for the Dodgers Alvarez played in 10 games and hit .111. After posting decent numbers in the minor (.291 career average) he was not able to make the transition to the big leagues. After hitting .273 in OKC (Phillies AAA) he left professional ball in the states and played in both Puerto Rico and the Mexican leagues until he was 32 in 1984.
Powell played in just 2 games and struck out in his one plate appearance in 1973. With guys like Steve Yeager and Joe Ferguson ahead of him there was definitely not much of a path for him within the Dodger organization. He did return for 8 games in 1975, but after hitting just .257 in Albuquerque in 21 games he was given his walking papers.
The Penguin shared space with Michael Jack Schmidt on a Topps Rookie Panel card. Here he gets his own 1973 solo card. Cey hit just .245 in 1973, but he had pop and was real good with the leather at the hot corner. Everyone loved his play and for the next 10 seasons he was a fixture on the left side of the infield next to buddy Bill Russell. Cey would finish 6th in the NL ROY voting in '73 and represent the Dodgers as a NL All-Star 6 consecutive times at 3rd base. After moving on from LA he had 4 All Star Caliber seasons with the Cubbies and then one final season at the age of 39 in Oakland before retiring with a lifetime .261 average and 316 homers. The highlight of his career was winning the World Series MVP in 1981 as the Dodgers finally solved their Yankee hex.
Paciorek was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1968, one of 14 players drafted by the Dodgers that year to reach the majors. A top prospect, he was The Sporting News' Minor League Player of the Year in 1972. He spent the 1973 through 1975 seasons as a fourth outfielder and pinch hitter. After hitting under .200 in 1975, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves as part of a trade for Dusty Baker. He hit .290 in a platoon role for Atlanta in 1976 but he struggled to duplicate those numbers the following year. He then moved on to Seattle where he became an All-Star DH. For Paciorek it was just a numbers game in LA, just like it was for Buckner. Too many talented young guys all at once vying for the same spot. Once he got going he was a right handed hitting machine. He finished his 18 year career in Texas at the age of 40 hitting .283.
The "Quiet Man" was in his 20th season as the Dodgers skipper. By 1973 Walter was the only Dodger manager to have won a World Championship (4). He was the calm hand that took over a veteran team in Brooklyn in 1954 and won it all the following year. He made the trip out West with the team and oversaw the transition from a power hitting veteran team to a pitching first speed team. By 1973 he was 7 years removed from his last pennant, but nobody was clamoring for his head. He was the right guy to bring the young bucks along and LA's farm system was rich with young talent. His patience would be rewarded with a pennant in 1974.
In his 14th and final season with the Dodgers "3-Dog" hit .285 with 16 homers and 77 RBI's. He also won his 3rd consecutive Gold Glove. If some guys named Mays and Flood weren't in the NL during the 60's he probably would have wound a dozen of them. In 14 seasons with the Dodgers he hit .279 with 154 HR's and 335 stolen bases. This my friends was a true unheralded superstar who was overshadowed by the big names, but was irreplaceable until the Dodgers traded him to Montreal for reliever Mike Marshall, who was a key component in the 1974 pennant. Davis spent an All-Star caliber season in Montreal then moved on to Texas, St. Louis and San Diego. For all intents and purposes it looked like he retired after the '76 season, but two years later he made a successful comeback with the Angels as a DH/corner OF'er. Fittingly he went 1-2 in the 1979 ALCS before retiring. His '73 Topps card was horizontal, so I created a neat vertical card for him with a era reflective photo.
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