1998 Los Angeles Dodgers season
Major League Baseball team season
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The 1998 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 109th for the franchise in Major League Baseball, and their 41st season in Los Angeles, California. It was the first season since the sale of the franchise from Peter O'Malley to the Fox Entertainment Group took effect. The new corporate executives would quickly anger Dodger fans when they bypassed General Manager Fred Claire and made one of the biggest trades in franchise history. They traded All-Star catcher Mike Piazza and starting third baseman Todd Zeile to the Florida Marlins for a package that included Gary Sheffield.
| 1998 Los Angeles Dodgers | |
|---|---|
| League | National League |
| Division | West |
| Ballpark | Dodger Stadium |
| City | Los Angeles |
| Record | 83–79 (.512) |
| Divisional place | 3rd |
| Owners | Fox Entertainment Group |
| President | Bob Graziano |
| General managers | Fred Claire, Tommy Lasorda |
| Managers | Bill Russell, Glenn Hoffman |
| Television | Fox Sports West 2; KTLA (5) |
| Radio | XTRA Sports 1150 (Vin Scully, Ross Porter, Rick Monday) KWKW (Jaime Jarrín, René Cárdenas, Pepe Yñiguez) |
The team on the field performed poorly under all the stress and soon Fox fired Claire and manager Bill Russell, replacing them with former Manager Tommy Lasorda, who was appointed interim GM and Minor League manager Glenn Hoffman who took over for Russell. The team limped along to finish in third place in the National League West and more changes were in the offing for the following season.
Regular season
Season standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Padres | 98 | 64 | .605 | — | 54–27 | 44–37 |
| San Francisco Giants | 89 | 74 | .546 | 9½ | 49–32 | 40–42 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 83 | 79 | .512 | 15 | 48–33 | 35–46 |
| Colorado Rockies | 77 | 85 | .475 | 21 | 42–39 | 35–46 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 65 | 97 | .401 | 33 | 34–47 | 31–50 |
Record vs. opponents
| Team | AZ | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MIL | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | — | 1–8 | 5–7 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 6–2 | 4–5 | 4–8 | 6–3 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 2–7 | 6–3 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 2–7 | 5–8 |
| Atlanta | 8–1 | — | 3–6 | 7–2 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 4–5 | 8–1 | 7–2 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 7–2 | 6–3 | 9–7 |
| Chicago | 7–5 | 6–3 | — | 6–5 | 7–2 | 7–2 | 4–7 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 7–2 | 4–5 | 3–6 | 8–3 | 5–4 | 7–3 | 4–7 | 5–8 |
| Cincinnati | 5–4 | 2–7 | 5–6 | — | 4–5 | 9–0 | 3–8 | 5–4 | 6–5 | 8–1 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 5–7 | 1–11 | 2–7 | 8–3 | 7-6 |
| Colorado | 6–6 | 3–5 | 2–7 | 5–4 | — | 6–3 | 6–5 | 6–6 | 4–7 | 7–2 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 3–6 | 4–8 |
| Florida | 2–6 | 5–7 | 2–7 | 0–9 | 3–6 | — | 3–6 | 4–5 | 0–9 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 0–9 | 4–5 | 8–8 |
| Houston | 5–4 | 5–4 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 5–6 | 6–3 | — | 3–6 | 9–2 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 7–2 | 9–2 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 5–7 | 10–4 |
| Los Angeles | 8–4 | 1–8 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 5–4 | 6–3 | — | 5–4 | 5–4 | 3–5 | 5–4 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 4–5 | 8–5 |
| Milwaukee | 3–6 | 2–7 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 7–4 | 9–0 | 2–9 | 4–5 | — | 6–3 | 1–8 | 4–5 | 6–5 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 3–8 | 8–6 |
| Montreal | 7–2 | 6–6 | 2–7 | 1–8 | 2–7 | 7–5 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 3–6 | — | 8–4 | 5–7 | 2–7 | 4–4 | 3–6 | 3–6 | 6–10 |
| New York | 5–4 | 3–9 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 6–3 | 7–5 | 4–5 | 5–3 | 8–1 | 4–8 | — | 8–4 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 9–7 |
| Philadelphia | 7-2 | 4–8 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 7–5 | 4–8 | — | 8–1 | 1–8 | 2–6 | 3–6 | 7–9 |
| Pittsburgh | 3–6 | 2–7 | 3–8 | 7–5 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 2–9 | 5–7 | 5–6 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 1–8 | — | 5–4 | 2–7 | 6–5 | 6–7 |
| San Diego | 9–3 | 4–5 | 4–5 | 11–1 | 7–5 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 7–5 | 6–3 | 4–4 | 5–4 | 8–1 | 4–5 | — | 8–4 | 6–3 | 6–7 |
| San Francisco | 7–5 | 2–7 | 3–7 | 7–2 | 5–7 | 9–0 | 3–6 | 6–6 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 6–2 | 7–2 | 4–8 | — | 7–5 | 8–5 |
| St. Louis | 7–2 | 3–6 | 7–4 | 3–8 | 6–3 | 5-4 | 7–5 | 5–4 | 8–3 | 6–3 | 3–6 | 6–3 | 5–6 | 3–6 | 5–7 | — | 4–9 |
Opening Day lineup
Notable transactions
- May 15, 1998: Acquired Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich, Charles Johnson, Gary Sheffield and Manuel Barrios from the Florida Marlins for Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile
- June 4, 1998: Acquired Dave Mlicki and Greg McMichael from the New York Mets for Hideo Nomo and Brad Clontz
- July 4, 1998: Acquired Jeff Shaw from the Cincinnati Reds for Paul Konerko and Dennys Reyes
- July 10, 1998: Acquired Brian Bohanon from the New York Mets for Greg McMichael
- July 23, 1998: Acquired Widd Workman from the San Diego Padres for Jim Bruske
- July 31, 1998: Acquired Mark Grudzielanek, Carlos Perez and Hiram Bocachica from the Montreal Expos for Wilton Guerrero, Ted Lilly, Peter Bergeron and Jonathan Tucker
Roster
Starting Pitchers stats
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W/L = Wins/Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts; CG = Complete games
| Name | G | GS | IP | W/L | ERA | BB | SO | CG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chan Ho Park | 34 | 34 | 220.2 | 15-9 | 3.71 | 97 | 191 | 2 |
| Darren Dreifort | 32 | 26 | 180.0 | 8-12 | 4.00 | 57 | 168 | 1 |
| Ismael Valdez | 27 | 27 | 174.0 | 11-10 | 3.98 | 66 | 122 | 2 |
| Dave Mlicki | 20 | 20 | 124.1 | 7-3 | 4.05 | 38 | 78 | 2 |
| Ramón Martínez | 15 | 15 | 101.2 | 7-3 | 2.83 | 41 | 91 | 1 |
| Brian Bohanon | 14 | 14 | 97.1 | 5-7 | 2.40 | 36 | 72 | 2 |
| Carlos Perez | 11 | 11 | 77.2 | 4-4 | 3.24 | 30 | 46 | 4 |
| Hideo Nomo | 12 | 12 | 67.2 | 2-7 | 5.05 | 38 | 73 | 2 |
Relief Pitchers stats
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W/L = Wins/Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts; SV = Saves
| Name | G | GS | IP | W/L | ERA | BB | SO | SV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Shaw | 34 | 0 | 35.1 | 1-4 | 2.55 | 7 | 26 | 25 |
| Scott Radinsky | 62 | 0 | 61.2 | 6-6 | 2.63 | 20 | 45 | 13 |
| Antonio Osuna | 54 | 0 | 64.2 | 7-1 | 3.06 | 32 | 72 | 6 |
| Mark Guthrie | 53 | 0 | 54.0 | 2-1 | 3.50 | 24 | 45 | 0 |
| Jim Bruske | 35 | 0 | 44.0 | 3-0 | 3.48 | 19 | 31 | 1 |
| Dennys Reyes | 11 | 3 | 28.2 | 0-4 | 4.71 | 20 | 33 | 0 |
| Brad Clontz | 18 | 0 | 20.2 | 2-0 | 5.66 | 10 | 14 | 0 |
| Frank Lankford | 12 | 0 | 19.2 | 0-2 | 5.95 | 7 | 7 | 1 |
| Greg McMichael | 12 | 0 | 14.1 | 0-1 | 4.40 | 6 | 11 | 1 |
| Sean Maloney | 11 | 0 | 12.2 | 0-1 | 4.97 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| Mike Judd | 7 | 0 | 11.1 | 0-0 | 15.09 | 9 | 14 | 0 |
| Darren Hall | 11 | 0 | 11.1 | 0-3 | 10.32 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| Eric Weaver | 7 | 0 | 9.2 | 2-0 | 0.93 | 6 | 5 | 0 |
| Jeff Kubenka | 6 | 0 | 9.1 | 1-0 | 0.96 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
| Gary Rath | 3 | 0 | 3.1 | 0-0 | 10.80 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Will Brunson | 2 | 0 | 2.1 | 0-1 | 11.57 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Manuel Barrios | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | 0-0 | 0.00 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Batting Stats
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; Avg. = Batting average; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
| Name | Pos | G | AB | Avg. | R | H | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Johnson | C | 102 | 346 | .217 | 31 | 75 | 12 | 35 | 3 |
| Mike Piazza | C | 37 | 149 | .282 | 20 | 42 | 9 | 30 | 0 |
| Tom Prince | C | 37 | 81 | .185 | 7 | 115 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Paul Lo Duca | C | 6 | 14 | .286 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ángel Peña | C | 6 | 13 | .231 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Karros | 1B | 139 | 507 | .296 | 59 | 150 | 23 | 87 | 7 |
| Eric Young | 2B | 117 | 452 | .285 | 78 | 129 | 8 | 43 | 42 |
| José Vizcaíno | SS | 67 | 237 | .262 | 30 | 62 | 3 | 29 | 7 |
| Adrián Beltré | 3B/SS | 77 | 195 | .215 | 18 | 42 | 7 | 22 | 3 |
| Bobby Bonilla | 3B/LF | 72 | 236 | .237 | 28 | 56 | 7 | 30 | 1 |
| Juan Castro | 2B/SS | 89 | 220 | .195 | 25 | 43 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Mark Grudzielanek | SS | 51 | 193 | .264 | 11 | 51 | 2 | 21 | 7 |
| Wilton Guerrero | 2B/SS/LF/CF | 64 | 180 | .283 | 21 | 51 | 0 | 7 | 5 |
| Todd Zeile | 3B/1B | 40 | 158 | .253 | 22 | 40 | 7 | 27 | 1 |
| Paul Konerko | 1B/3B/LF | 49 | 144 | .215 | 14 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Alex Cora | SS/2B | 29 | 33 | .121 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tripp Cromer | IF | 6 | 6 | .167 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Mike Metcalfe | 2B | 4 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Gary Sheffield | RF | 90 | 301 | .316 | 52 | 95 | 16 | 57 | 18 |
| Raúl Mondesí | CF/RF | 148 | 580 | .279 | 85 | 162 | 30 | 90 | 16 |
| Todd Hollandsworth | LF/CF/RF | 55 | 175 | .269 | 23 | 47 | 3 | 20 | 4 |
| Roger Cedeño | LF/CF/RF | 105 | 240 | .242 | 33 | 58 | 2 | 17 | 8 |
| Trenidad Hubbard | CF/LF/RF/3B | 94 | 208 | .298 | 29 | 62 | 7 | 18 | 9 |
| Matt Luke | LF/RF/1B | 69 | 160 | .213 | 24 | 34 | 9 | 23 | 2 |
| Jim Eisenreich | LF/1B/RF | 75 | 127 | .197 | 12 | 25 | 0 | 6 | 4 |
| Thomas Howard | CF/LF/RF | 47 | 76 | .184 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Mike Devereaux | CF/LF/RF | 9 | 13 | .308 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Damon Hollins | RF/LF | 5 | 9 | .222 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
1998 Awards
- 1998 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
- Gary Sheffield reserve
- Jeff Shaw reserve (selected as a member of the Cincinnati Reds but was traded to the Dodgers during the break and made his first appearance in a Dodger uniform in the All-Star Game)
- Gold Glove Award
- NL Pitcher of the Month
- Chan Ho Park (July 1998)
- NL Player of the Week
- Mike Piazza (April 6–12)
- Mike Piazza (April 20–26)
- Raúl Mondesí (June 29 – July 5)
Farm system
Major League Baseball draft
The Dodgers selected 50 players in this draft. Of those, only four of them would eventually play Major League baseball.
The first round pick was outfielder Bubba Crosby from Rice University. He played nine games for the Dodgers before he was traded to the New York Yankees, where he was a part-time player for three seasons. He hit .216 in 205 games in the Majors.
This draft also included pitcher Scott Proctor (5th round) from Florida State University and catcher David Ross (7th round) from the University of Florida. Proctor was a relief pitcher in the Majors, who played in seven seasons (two for the Dodgers) and was 18-16 with a 4.78 ERA in 307 games (most prominently with the New York Yankees). Ross was primarily a backup catcher during his two decade career which began in 2002 and ended in 2016.
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