The Legends of Dodger Baseball was established to honor and recognize the outstanding achievements of former Dodgers players, coaches, and executives.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to honor two of their all-time greats, Manny Mota and Orel Hershiser, as the latest inductees into the Legends of Dodger Baseball. This upcoming season, fans will have the opportunity to pay homage to these two Dodgers legends who have left a lasting impact on the franchise and the game of baseball.
Mota and Hershiser will be joining the five current members of the group: Fernando Valenzuela, Steve Garvey, Don Newcombe, Maury Wills, and Kirk Gibson.
Mota, a former outfielder, and coach played for the Dodgers from 1969 to 1982 and then served as a coach for the team for over two decades.
Mota holds the record for the most pinch-hit RBIs in Major League Baseball history with 150 and was an instrumental part of the Dodgers’ 1981 World Series championship team. He was recently inducted into the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame and recently shared his appreciation with the announcement of the new honor:
“I’m very grateful to the Dodgers for selecting me as a Legend of Dodger Baseball. I don’t consider myself a legend. I consider myself another person who always tried to contribute to the organization and give the organization all my best,” Mota said. “I was very humbled to receive the good news, and it made me very pleased and very proud of being part of this great organization. I really appreciate what the Dodgers are doing for me, the way they’ve taken care of me for a long time.”
Hershiser, a former pitcher, spent the majority of his 18-year career with the Dodgers and was an integral part of the team’s success in the late 1980s.
In 1988, Hershiser had one of the greatest seasons in baseball history, setting the record for the most consecutive scoreless innings pitched and winning the National League Cy Young Award. He also helped lead the Dodgers to the World Series championship that year and was named the series MVP.
“This is amazing to be placed among the greats in franchise history. This is the part of life that you never imagined,” Hershiser said. “To think I was drafted in the 17th round in 1979 and here now I am still representing this great organization. The Dodgers have been one of the most important parts of my life. I love my teammates, I love this organization, and I love you fans. The experiences that I’ve had in uniform on and off the field have taken my life to places I never thought I could go.”
Both Mota and Hershiser made a mark on the Dodgers franchise and their legacies will be forever remembered by fans. The Legends of Dodger Baseball was established to honor and recognize the outstanding achievements of former Dodgers players, coaches, and executives, and Mota and Hershiser are certainly deserving of this recognition.
