The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. Founded in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York, the team joined the NL in 1890 as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and used other monikers before settling as the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932.^[5]^[6]^[7] From the 1940s through the mid-1950s, the Dodgers developed a fierce crosstown rivalry with the New York Yankees as the two clubs faced each other in the World Series seven times, with the Dodgers losing the first five matchups before defeating them to win the franchise's first title in 1955. The Dodgers made history by breaking the baseball color line in 1947 with the debut of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in the Major Leagues since 1884.^[8] Another major milestone was reached in 1956 when Don Newcombe became the first player ever to win both the Cy Young Award and the NL MVP in the same season.^[9]

After 68 seasons in Brooklyn, Dodgers owner and president Walter O'Malley moved the franchise to Los Angeles before the 1958 season.^[10] The team played their first four seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving to their current home of Dodger Stadium in 1962.^[11] The Dodgers found immediate success in Los Angeles, winning the 1959 World Series. Success continued into the 1960s; their ace pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale were the cornerstones of titles in 1963 and 1965. In 1981, rookie Mexican phenom pitcher Fernando Valenzuela became a sensation and led the team to a championship; he is the only player to win the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season.^[12] The Dodgers were once again victorious in 1988, upsetting their heavily favored opponent in each series and becoming the only franchise to win multiple titles in the 1980s.^[13] Next came a 32-year championship drought, despite 12 postseason appearances in a 17-year span and eight consecutive division titles from 2013 to 2020. It was broken when the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series.^[14] The Dodgers signed global sensation Shohei Ohtani in 2024, who set league and franchise records with the team en route to their eighth World Series title that season.^[15]

One of the most successful and storied franchises in MLB, the Dodgers have won eight World Series championships and a record 25 National League pennants. Eleven NL MVP award winners have played for the Dodgers, winning a total of 14. Eight Cy Young Award winners have pitched for the club, winning a total of 12—by far the most of any Major League franchise. The Dodgers boast 18 Rookie of the Year Award winners, twice as many as the next club. This includes four consecutive Rookies of the Year from 1979 to 1982 and five consecutive from 1992 to 1996. From 1884 through 2024, the Dodgers' all-time record is 11,432–10,068–139 (.532). Since moving to Los Angeles in 1958, the Dodgers have a win–loss record of 5,808–4,778–6 (.549) through the end of 2024.^[16]

Today, the Dodgers are among the most popular MLB teams, enjoying large fan support both at home and on the road;^[17]^[18]^[19] they are widely seen as one of National League's most dominant teams.^[20]^[21] They maintain a fierce rivalry with the San Francisco Giants dating back to the two clubs' start in New York City, as well as a more recent rivalry with the American League's Houston Astros due to the controversy over the Astros' sign stealing scandal in the 2017 World Series. As of 2024, Forbes ranked the Dodgers second in MLB franchise valuation at $5.45 billion.^[22]

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1988 Topps Big 218 John Shelby

1988 Topps Big 218 John Shelby