October 25, 2024 • 10 mins
On the day of the first game of the 2024 Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series, KCRW invited Richard to tell the story of the 2024 Dodgers baseball season, in 7 minutes. Please share this episode with somebody you know who would like to get caught up on the season in less than 10 minutes time.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bitch time for Dodgeration.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good morning, Dodger blue dreamers. It is Friday, October twenty fifth,
twenty twenty four. The World Series starts in Los Angeles today,
Dodgers versus Yankees. I am so incredibly excited about this
and I can't wait to help tell this story. For
(00:30):
those of you who are listening and just to get
the chips rolling, today, we have something very special. It's
a crossover episode, something that I did especially for my
local public radio station, CACRW. The fine folks at KCRW
asked me to summarize the story of the Dodgers twenty
(00:51):
twenty four baseball season in seven minutes, and I said,
you're crazy, and they said please, and I said, okay,
I'll do. I love public radio, I love Los Angeles.
I am honored to be the person to share the
stories from the Dodgers twenty twenty four baseball season on
the airwaves of my beloved city today. The following piece
(01:15):
is being broadcast a couple times on terrestrial radio today.
And for you Dodger blue dreamers, y'all roll so deep
with the Dodgers at this point that this might feel
a little bit too basic for you, But I wanted
to run it here because I have a suggestion. If
you have somebody in your life who's a baseball nor me,
(01:36):
somebody who maybe hasn't been paying attention to the story
the way that you have been by listening to this show,
may I recommend that you share this piece with them.
This is a way to easily get caught up on
the most important storylines from the Dodgers twenty twenty four
baseball season in under ten minutes. So here it is
a Dodger Blue Dream KCRW crossover, the story of a
(02:00):
baseball season in seven minutes. Take it away me. Most
baseball seasons start in the springtime. This season started way
(02:23):
back in December. At least it felt that way for
US Dodger fans. Breaking news from Major League Baseball. Where
show Hey Otani is signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers
seven hundred million dollarslerdlerd what's worth seven hundred million? Well?
(02:43):
From my drive straight away center field, he hits towering
home runs. Oh that is God. He way on Joey
Otani on top of the patters. Otani's ready and as
a pitcher, drout's ready. He's an ACE three to two.
He's the first player since Babe Ruth to both hit
(03:05):
and pitch simultaneously at the major league level. Within hours
of his signing, Otani had broken the record for jerseys
sold by a sports star. The reason that why I
chose the team, and he and the Dodgers had a
shared goal.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
I knew that they were all about winning, and that's
exactly how I feel.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
So that's one of the things I stood out the
World Series. The Dodgers are a perennial first place team.
They've made the playoffs every year for more than a decade,
but they've won the World Series only once in that span,
in twenty twenty, and LA didn't get a parade this offseason.
(03:49):
The Dodgers spent one point four billion. With a b
dollars ulsterring and already stellar roster of MVPs like Clayton Kershaw,
Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman. The new death Star Dodgers
team made twenty twenty four the most highly anticipated season
(04:10):
in Dodgers' history, But as soon as the season got
underway in March, a bombshell.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You're following that baseball player shoe Hey Otani seven hundred
million dollar contract with La Dodgers. And now there's some
weird stuff going on with gambling four and a half
million dollar betting scandal.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
On opening day, a news story broke, linking Otani to
a gambling operation. Under federal investigation, wire transfers sent to
an illegal bookmaker had surfaced, totaling millions of dollars with
Otani's name on them. Otani's then translator, Ibe Mizuhara, confessed
the truth. He had been draining Otani's bank account for
(04:53):
years to pay for a massive gambling addiction. And that's
how the Dodgers kicked off the twenty twenty four baseball
season with a pr nightmare. The season has not begun
the way, Showy Otani. The Dodgers are Major League Baseball
Anticipation and more complications were waiting on deck. As March
(05:16):
turned to April, Otani had yet to hit his first
home run as a Dodger. In May, third baseman Max
Munsey was placed on the injured list indefinitely, and then
on Father's Day at Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Oh no, no, no, no no.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
No, Dodgers' MVP Mookie Betts was hit by a pitch
and fell to the ground. He's having trouble moving. He'd
fractured a bone in his left hand. Now he was
out too. The injury bug had arrived in the Dodgers clubhouse.
By the All Star break in mid July, the Dodgers
had an entire starting rotation's worth of ace pitchers all
(05:57):
on the injured list. Then in eight July, Freddie Freeman,
another MVP, was scratched from the lineup indefinitely. Freeman's three
year old son was hospitalized with a rare neurological disorder.
He woke up Monday morning with a limp, and by
(06:18):
Monday night he couldn't walk anymore. Another key player and
another team leader was out indefinitely. And yet throughout it all,
the team was finding ways to win. Veterans and backup
players stepped up to fill in the gaps left by
injuries and personal crises. The bullpen became the team's strength,
(06:41):
picking up the slack for a banged up starting rotation,
and a handful of trade deadline pickups joined the ranks,
ready to fight for a title. Freddy. One night in
early August, Freddie Freeman was announced as a batter in
the first inning. His son was going to be okay
Hey and he was back. And a couple weeks after that,
(07:03):
Mookie Betts returned from his injury and sho hey Otani
was on fire. By mid August, he was nearing a
historic achievement. Only five players in the history of baseball
had ever done it. Forty home runs and forty stolen
bases in the same season. And one magical night in
(07:25):
late August at Dodger Stadium series going back, He's at
the Track, He's at the Law. On September nineteenth, show
(07:46):
Hey went fifty to fifty, fifty home runs and fifty
stolen bases. Nobody had ever done that deal two pitch.
A week later, the Dodgers clinched the divisions, tested and rose,
what's broken and diverson samps again. They finished the regular
(08:08):
season with the best record in baseball. They beat the
heavily favored Padres in the National League Division Series, they
beat the red hot New York Mets in the National
League Championship Series, and now the stage is set for
a Hollywood ending Dodgers versus Yankees in the World Series.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Well, Los Angeles Dodgers have guessed done the impossible.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
The last time these cross country rivals met in the
Fall Classic was nineteen eighty one. A twenty year old
left handed pitcher from Sonora, Mexico, was on the mound.
Fernando Valuella Fernando Mania turned Dodger Stadium into a party
in nineteen eighty one and forty three years ago this month,
(08:58):
the Dodgers beat the Bronx Bomber in six games. Before
the Dodgers take the field tonight to try to beat
the Yankees in the Fall Classic again, we'll take a
moment to remember Valenzuela, who died earlier this week at
the age of sixty three, and then the boys in
(09:19):
Blue will play ball and try to make history all
over again. For CACRW, I'm Richard Parks, the third. That's
it pretty cool? Huh? Six months of baseball in seven minutes.
(09:41):
Please share this episode with a friend who might be
interested in it and subscribe to Dodger Blue Dream wherever
you listen to podcasts. Leave us a rating and a review,
and check out our backcat walk. Thank you for listening.
Bitch time for Dodgeration.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good morning, Dodger blue dreamers. It is Friday, October twenty fifth,
twenty twenty four. The World Series starts in Los Angeles today,
Dodgers versus Yankees. I am so incredibly excited about this
and I can't wait to help tell this story. For
(00:30):
those of you who are listening and just to get
the chips rolling, today, we have something very special. It's
a crossover episode, something that I did especially for my
local public radio station, CACRW. The fine folks at KCRW
asked me to summarize the story of the Dodgers twenty
(00:51):
twenty four baseball season in seven minutes, and I said,
you're crazy, and they said please, and I said, okay,
I'll do. I love public radio, I love Los Angeles.
I am honored to be the person to share the
stories from the Dodgers twenty twenty four baseball season on
the airwaves of my beloved city today. The following piece
(01:15):
is being broadcast a couple times on terrestrial radio today.
And for you Dodger blue dreamers, y'all roll so deep
with the Dodgers at this point that this might feel
a little bit too basic for you, But I wanted
to run it here because I have a suggestion. If
you have somebody in your life who's a baseball nor me,
(01:36):
somebody who maybe hasn't been paying attention to the story
the way that you have been by listening to this show,
may I recommend that you share this piece with them.
This is a way to easily get caught up on
the most important storylines from the Dodgers twenty twenty four
baseball season in under ten minutes. So here it is
a Dodger Blue Dream KCRW crossover, the story of a
(02:00):
baseball season in seven minutes. Take it away me. Most
baseball seasons start in the springtime. This season started way
(02:23):
back in December. At least it felt that way for
US Dodger fans. Breaking news from Major League Baseball. Where
show Hey Otani is signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers
seven hundred million dollarslerdlerd what's worth seven hundred million? Well?
(02:43):
From my drive straight away center field, he hits towering
home runs. Oh that is God. He way on Joey
Otani on top of the patters. Otani's ready and as
a pitcher, drout's ready. He's an ACE three to two.
He's the first player since Babe Ruth to both hit
(03:05):
and pitch simultaneously at the major league level. Within hours
of his signing, Otani had broken the record for jerseys
sold by a sports star. The reason that why I
chose the team, and he and the Dodgers had a
shared goal.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
I knew that they were all about winning, and that's
exactly how I feel.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
So that's one of the things I stood out the
World Series. The Dodgers are a perennial first place team.
They've made the playoffs every year for more than a decade,
but they've won the World Series only once in that span,
in twenty twenty, and LA didn't get a parade this offseason.
(03:49):
The Dodgers spent one point four billion. With a b
dollars ulsterring and already stellar roster of MVPs like Clayton Kershaw,
Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman. The new death Star Dodgers
team made twenty twenty four the most highly anticipated season
(04:10):
in Dodgers' history, But as soon as the season got
underway in March, a bombshell.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
You're following that baseball player shoe Hey Otani seven hundred
million dollar contract with La Dodgers. And now there's some
weird stuff going on with gambling four and a half
million dollar betting scandal.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
On opening day, a news story broke, linking Otani to
a gambling operation. Under federal investigation, wire transfers sent to
an illegal bookmaker had surfaced, totaling millions of dollars with
Otani's name on them. Otani's then translator, Ibe Mizuhara, confessed
the truth. He had been draining Otani's bank account for
(04:53):
years to pay for a massive gambling addiction. And that's
how the Dodgers kicked off the twenty twenty four baseball
season with a pr nightmare. The season has not begun
the way, Showy Otani. The Dodgers are Major League Baseball
Anticipation and more complications were waiting on deck. As March
(05:16):
turned to April, Otani had yet to hit his first
home run as a Dodger. In May, third baseman Max
Munsey was placed on the injured list indefinitely, and then
on Father's Day at Dodger Stadium.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Oh no, no, no, no no.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
No, Dodgers' MVP Mookie Betts was hit by a pitch
and fell to the ground. He's having trouble moving. He'd
fractured a bone in his left hand. Now he was
out too. The injury bug had arrived in the Dodgers clubhouse.
By the All Star break in mid July, the Dodgers
had an entire starting rotation's worth of ace pitchers all
(05:57):
on the injured list. Then in eight July, Freddie Freeman,
another MVP, was scratched from the lineup indefinitely. Freeman's three
year old son was hospitalized with a rare neurological disorder.
He woke up Monday morning with a limp, and by
(06:18):
Monday night he couldn't walk anymore. Another key player and
another team leader was out indefinitely. And yet throughout it all,
the team was finding ways to win. Veterans and backup
players stepped up to fill in the gaps left by
injuries and personal crises. The bullpen became the team's strength,
(06:41):
picking up the slack for a banged up starting rotation,
and a handful of trade deadline pickups joined the ranks,
ready to fight for a title. Freddy. One night in
early August, Freddie Freeman was announced as a batter in
the first inning. His son was going to be okay
Hey and he was back. And a couple weeks after that,
(07:03):
Mookie Betts returned from his injury and sho hey Otani
was on fire. By mid August, he was nearing a
historic achievement. Only five players in the history of baseball
had ever done it. Forty home runs and forty stolen
bases in the same season. And one magical night in
(07:25):
late August at Dodger Stadium series going back, He's at
the Track, He's at the Law. On September nineteenth, show
(07:46):
Hey went fifty to fifty, fifty home runs and fifty
stolen bases. Nobody had ever done that deal two pitch.
A week later, the Dodgers clinched the divisions, tested and rose,
what's broken and diverson samps again. They finished the regular
(08:08):
season with the best record in baseball. They beat the
heavily favored Padres in the National League Division Series, they
beat the red hot New York Mets in the National
League Championship Series, and now the stage is set for
a Hollywood ending Dodgers versus Yankees in the World Series.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Well, Los Angeles Dodgers have guessed done the impossible.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
The last time these cross country rivals met in the
Fall Classic was nineteen eighty one. A twenty year old
left handed pitcher from Sonora, Mexico, was on the mound.
Fernando Valuella Fernando Mania turned Dodger Stadium into a party
in nineteen eighty one and forty three years ago this month,
(08:58):
the Dodgers beat the Bronx Bomber in six games. Before
the Dodgers take the field tonight to try to beat
the Yankees in the Fall Classic again, we'll take a
moment to remember Valenzuela, who died earlier this week at
the age of sixty three, and then the boys in
(09:19):
Blue will play ball and try to make history all
over again. For CACRW, I'm Richard Parks, the third. That's
it pretty cool? Huh? Six months of baseball in seven minutes.
(09:41):
Please share this episode with a friend who might be
interested in it and subscribe to Dodger Blue Dream wherever
you listen to podcasts. Leave us a rating and a review,
and check out our backcat walk. Thank you for listening.
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