# 1997 Los Angeles Dodgers season

The 1997 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 108th for the franchise in Major League Baseball, and their 40th season in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers were competitive all season long before finally fading down the stretch; the Dodgers finished in second place behind their longtime rivals, San Francisco Giants, in the National League West. The edition of the Dodgers had, for the second time in team history (and for the first time since 1977), four players crack the 30 home run barrier: Mike Piazza led the team with 40, Eric Karros and Todd Zeile hit 31 each, and Raul Mondesi hit 30.

## Offseason

* December 9, 1996: Acquired Jeff Berblinger from the Detroit Tigers for Deivi Cruz and Juan Hernaiz

## Regular season
### Season standings

vteNL West :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| San Francisco Giants | 90 | 72 | .556 | — | 48‍–‍33 | 42‍–‍39 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 88 | 74 | .543 | 2 | 47‍–‍34 | 41‍–‍40 |
| Colorado Rockies | 83 | 79 | .512 | 7 | 47‍–‍34 | 36‍–‍45 |
| San Diego Padres | 76 | 86 | .469 | 14 | 39‍–‍42 | 37‍–‍44 |

### Record vs. opponents

1997 National League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LA | MTL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL |
| Atlanta | — | 9–2 | 9–2 | 5–6 | 4–8 | 7–4 | 6–5 | 10–2 | 5–7 | 10–2 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 8–7 |
| Chicago | 2–9 | — | 7–5 | 2–9 | 2–9 | 3–9 | 5–6 | 4–7 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 7–5 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 4–8 | 9–6 |
| Cincinnati | 2–9 | 5–7 | — | 5–6 | 5–6 | 5–7 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 2–9 | 8–3 | 8–4 | 5–6 | 4–7 | 6–6 | 9–6 |
| Colorado | 6–5 | 9–2 | 6–5 | — | 7–4 | 5–6 | 5–7 | 7–4 | 6–5 | 4–7 | 4–7 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 7–4 | 9–7 |
| Florida | 8–4 | 9–2 | 6–5 | 4–7 | — | 7–4 | 7–4 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 7–4 | 5–6 | 5–6 | 5–6 | 12–3 |
| Houston | 4–7 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 6–5 | 4–7 | — | 7–4 | 8–3 | 7–4 | 4–7 | 6–6 | 6–5 | 3–8 | 9–3 | 4–11 |
| Los Angeles | 5–6 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 7–5 | 4–7 | 4–7 | — | 7–4 | 6–5 | 10–1 | 9–2 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 9–7 |
| Montreal | 2–10 | 7–4 | 5–6 | 4–7 | 5–7 | 3–8 | 4–7 | — | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 12–3 |
| New York | 7–5 | 5–6 | 9–2 | 5–6 | 8–4 | 4–7 | 5–6 | 7–5 | — | 7–5 | 7–4 | 5–6 | 3–8 | 9–2 | 7–8 |
| Philadelphia | 2–10 | 5–6 | 3–8 | 7–4 | 6–6 | 7–4 | 1–10 | 6–6 | 5–7 | — | 5–6 | 7–4 | 3–8 | 6–5 | 5–10 |
| Pittsburgh | 6–5 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 7–4 | 4–7 | 6–6 | 2–9 | 6–5 | 4–7 | 6–5 | — | 5–6 | 8–3 | 9–3 | 7–8 |
| San Diego | 3–8 | 5–6 | 6–5 | 8–4 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 7–5 | 3–8 | 6–5 | 4–7 | 6–5 | — | 4–8 | 5–6 | 8–8 |
| San Francisco | 4–7 | 6–5 | 7–4 | 8–4 | 6–5 | 8–3 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 8–3 | 3–8 | 8–4 | — | 3–8 | 10–6 |
| St. Louis | 3–8 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 4–7 | 6–5 | 3–9 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 2–9 | 5–6 | 3–9 | 6–5 | 8–3 | — | 8–7 |

### Opening Day lineup

Opening Day Starters :
| Name | Position |
| Brett Butler | Center fielder |
| Wilton Guerrero | Second baseman |
| Raúl Mondesí | Right fielder |
| Mike Piazza | Catcher |
| Eric Karros | First baseman |
| Todd Zeile | Third baseman |
| Todd Hollandsworth | Left fielder |
| Greg Gagne | Shortstop |
| Ramón Martínez | Starting pitcher |

## Notable Transactions

* August 9, 1997: Acquired Hal Garrett from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Eddie Williams.
* August 12, 1997: Acquired Otis Nixon from the Toronto Blue Jays for Bobby Cripps.
* August 18, 1997: Acquired Eric Young from the Colorado Rockies for Pedro Astacio.
* August 27, 1997: Acquired Darren Lewis from the Chicago White Sox for Chad Fonville.
* September 3, 1997: Chip Hale was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

### Roster
## Game log
### Regular season

Legend :
| | Dodgers win |
| | Dodgers loss |
| | Postponement |
| | Clinched division |
| Bold | Dodgers team member |
1997 regular season game log: 88–74 (Home: 47–34; Away: 41–40) :
April: 13–11 (Home: 8–6; Away: 5–5)
#DateTime (PT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
22April 28@ Braves
23April 29@ Braves :
May: 13–15 (Home: 9–5; Away: 4–10)
#DateTime (PT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
45May 23Braves
46May 24Braves
47May 25Braves :
June: 13–16 (Home: 9–9; Away: 4–7)
#DateTime (PT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
68June 177:05 p.m. PDTAngelsW 4–3Hall (2–2)Percival (2–3)—2:5541,42833–35W1
69June 187:35 p.m. PDTAngelsW 7–5Dreifort (2–0)Holtz (2–1)Worrell (16)3:1045,95334–35W2 :
July: 20–7 (Home: 10–3; Away: 10–4)
#DateTime (PT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
83July 27:36 p.m. PDT@ AngelsW 5–4Radinsky (3–1)Percival (2–4)Worrell (18)3:3834,50741–42W2
84July 37:05 p.m. PDT@ AngelsW 8–2Nomo (8–7)Watson (7–5)—3:3335,29542–42W3
—July 868th All-Star Game in Cleveland, OH
96July 18@ Braves
97July 19@ Braves
98July 20@ Braves
99July 21@ Braves :
August: 19–11 (Home: 7–4; Away: 12–7)
#DateTime (PT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak :
September: 10–14 (Home: 4–7; Away: 6–7)
#DateTime (PT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/ Streak
145September 9Braves
146September 10Braves :

### Detailed records

National League :
| Opponent | W | L | WP | RS | RA |
| NL East |||||||
| Atlanta Braves | 5 | 6 | 0.455 | 40 | 47 |
| Div Total | 5 | 6 | 0.455 | 22 | 27 |
| NL Central |||||||
| Div Total |
| NL West |||||||
| Los Angeles Dodgers | | | | | |
| Div Total |
| League Total |
American League :
| Opponent | W | L | WP | RS | RA |
| AL West |||||||
| Anaheim Angels | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 24 | 14 |
| Div Total | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 24 | 14 |
| League Total | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 24 | 14 |
| Season Total | 9 | 6 | 0.600 | 64 | 61 |
| Month | Games | Won | Lost | Win % | RS | RA |
| April | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.500 | 6 | 16 |
| May | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0.667 | 14 | 7 |
| June | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 11 | 8 |
| July | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0.667 | 30 | 6 |
| September | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 3 | 11 |
| Total | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0.600 | 64 | 61 |
| | Games | Won | Lost | Win % | RS | RA |
| Home | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0.571 | 28 | 16 |
| Away | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0.625 | 36 | 35 |
| Total | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0.600 | 64 | 61 |

## 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 |
| Hideo Nomo | 33 | 33 | 207.1 | 14-12 | 4.25 | 92 | 233 | 1 |
| Ismael Valdez | 30 | 30 | 196.2 | 10-11 | 2.65 | 47 | 140 | 0 |
| Chan Ho Park | 32 | 29 | 192.0 | 14-8 | 3.38 | 70 | 166 | 2 |
| Pedro Astacio | 26 | 24 | 153.2 | 7-9 | 4.10 | 47 | 115 | 2 |
| Ramón Martínez | 22 | 22 | 133.2 | 10-5 | 3.64 | 68 | 120 | 1 |

## 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 |
| Todd Worrell | 65 | 0 | 59.2 | 2-6 | 5.28 | 23 | 61 | 35 |
| Scott Radinsky | 75 | 0 | 62.1 | 5-1 | 2.89 | 21 | 44 | 3 |
| Darren Hall | 63 | 0 | 54.2 | 3-2 | 2.30 | 26 | 39 | 2 |
| Mark Guthrie | 62 | 0 | 69.1 | 1-4 | 5.32 | 30 | 42 | 1 |
| Darren Dreifort | 48 | 0 | 63.0 | 5-2 | 2.86 | 34 | 63 | 4 |
| Tom Candiotti | 41 | 18 | 135.0 | 10-7 | 3.60 | 40 | 90 | 0 |
| Antonio Osuna | 48 | 0 | 61.2 | 3-4 | 2.19 | 19 | 68 | 0 |
| Dennys Reyes | 14 | 5 | 47.0 | 2-3 | 3.83 | 18 | 36 | 0 |
| Mike Harkey | 10 | 0 | 14.2 | 1-0 | 4.30 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| Rick Gorecki | 4 | 1 | 6.0 | 1-0 | 15.00 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| Mike Judd | 1 | 0 | 2.2 | 0-0 | 0.00 | 0 | 4 | 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 |
| Mike Piazza | C | 152 | 556 | .362 | 104 | 201 | 40 | 124 | 5 |
| Tom Prince | C | 47 | 100 | .220 | 17 | 22 | 3 | 14 | 0 |
| Eric Karros | 1B | 162 | 628 | .266 | 86 | 167 | 31 | 104 | 15 |
| Wilton Guerrero | 2B/SS | 111 | 357 | .291 | 39 | 104 | 4 | 32 | 6 |
| Greg Gagne | SS | 144 | 514 | .251 | 49 | 129 | 9 | 57 | 2 |
| Todd Zeile | 3B | 160 | 575 | .268 | 89 | 154 | 31 | 90 | 8 |
| Eric Young | 2B | 37 | 154 | .273 | 28 | 42 | 2 | 16 | 13 |
| Nelson Liriano | 2B/SS/3B/1B | 76 | 88 | .227 | 10 | 20 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| Tripp Cromer | 2B/SS | 28 | 86 | .291 | 8 | 25 | 4 | 20 | 0 |
| Juan Castro | SS/2B/3B | 40 | 75 | .147 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Adam Riggs | 2B | 9 | 20 | .200 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Chad Fonville | 2B | 9 | 14 | .143 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Chip Hale | 3B | 14 | 12 | .083 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Konerko | 1B/3B | 6 | 7 | .143 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eddie Murray | 1B | 9 | 7 | .286 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Eddie Williams | 1B | 8 | 7 | .143 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Henry Blanco | 1B | 3 | 5 | .400 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Raúl Mondesí | RF | 159 | 616 | .310 | 95 | 191 | 30 | 87 | 32 |
| Roger Cedeño | CF/LF/RF | 80 | 194 | .273 | 31 | 53 | 3 | 17 | 9 |
| Todd Hollandsworth | LF/CF/RF | 106 | 296 | .247 | 39 | 73 | 4 | 31 | 5 |
| Brett Butler | CF/LF | 105 | 343 | .283 | 52 | 97 | 0 | 18 | 15 |
| Otis Nixon | CF | 42 | 175 | .274 | 30 | 48 | 1 | 18 | 12 |
| Billy Ashley | LF | 71 | 131 | .244 | 12 | 32 | 6 | 19 | 0 |
| Darren Lewis | LF/CF/RF | 26 | 77 | .299 | 7 | 23 | 1 | 10 | 3 |
| Eric Anthony | LF/RF | 47 | 74 | .243 | 8 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Wayne Kirby | CF/LF/RF | 46 | 65 | .169 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Karim García | LF/RF | 15 | 39 | .128 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Garey Ingram | LF/CF | 12 | 9 | .444 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |

## 1997 Awards

* 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
** Mike Piazza starter
* Gold Glove Award
** Raúl Mondesí
* Silver Slugger Award
** Mike Piazza
* TSN National League All-Star
** Mike Piazza
* NL Player of the Month
** Mike Piazza (July 1997)
** Mike Piazza (August 1997)
* NL Player of the Week
** Mike Piazza (Aug. 25–31)

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Albuquerque Dukes | Pacific Coast League | Glenn Hoffman |
| AA | San Antonio Missions | Texas League | Ron Roenicke |
| High A | San Bernardino Stampede | California League | Del Crandall Dino Ebel |
| High A | Vero Beach Dodgers | Florida State League | John Shoemaker |
| A | Savannah Sand Gnats | South Atlantic League | John Shelby |
| A-Short Season | Yakima Bears | Northwest League | Joe Vavra |
| Rookie | Great Falls Dodgers | Pioneer League | Mickey Hatcher |
| Rookie | DSL Dodgers DSL Dodgers 2 | Dominican Summer League | |
| Rookie | Adelaide Giants | Australian Baseball League | |
Teams in BOLD won League Championships

## Major League Baseball Draft

The Dodgers selected 71 players in this draft. Of those, seven of them would eventually play Major League baseball. They received an extra supplemental pick in the second round as a result of losing free agent Delino DeShields.
The first round pick was first baseman Glenn Davis from Vanderbilt University. In eight seasons in the minors, he never advanced past AA. He hit .242 in 802 minor league games with 108 homers and 431 RBI. With their second round pick, the Dodgers picked shortstop Chase Utley from Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California. However, Utley refused to sign and went to college instead. He was eventually a first round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2000 and became a multi-time All-Star.
None of the players signed by the Dodgers in this draft class had a significant major league career.
1997 Draft Picks :
| Round | Name | Position | School | Signed | Career span | Highest level |
| 1 | Glenn Davis | 1B | Vanderbilt University | Yes | 1997–2004 | AA |
| 2 | Chase Utley | SS | Polytechnic High School | No Phillies-2000 | 2000–2018 | MLB |
| 2s | Steve Colyer | LHP | Fort Zumwalt South High School | Yes | 1998–2007 | MLB |
| 3 | Ricky Bell | SS | Moeller High School | Yes | 1997–2006 | AAA |
| 4 | John Hernandez | C | Nogales High School | Yes | 1997–2010 | AAA |
| 5 | Kip Harkrider | SS | University of Texas at Austin | Yes | 1997–2007 | AA |
| 6 | Will McCrotty | C | Russellville High School | Yes | 1997–2003 | AA |
| 7 | Miles Durham | OF | Cooper High School | No Tigers-2000 | 2000–2002 | A |
| 8 | Beau Parker | RHP | Prairie High School | Yes | 1997–1999 | A- |
| 9 | Jaime Goudie | SS | Hardaway High School | Yes | 1997–2001 | AA |
| 10 | Joe Patterson | OF | Ontario High School | No | | |
| 11 | Cory Vance | LHP | Butler High School | No Rockies-2000 | 2000–2005 | MLB |
| 12 | David Lamberth | SS | Macon County High School | No | | |
| 13 | Matt Bornyk | RHP | Esquimalt High School | Yes | 1997–1998 | A- |
| 14 | Brent Husted | RHP | University of Nevada, Reno | Yes | 1997–2002 | AAA |
| 15 | David Mittauer | RHP | Dade Christian High School | No | | |
| 16 | Scott Walter | C | Loyola High School | No Royals-2000 | 2000–2005 | AAA |
| 17 | Chad Cislak | RHP | Sabino High School | No Indians-2000 | 2000–2001 | Rookie |
| 18 | Mike Balbuena | 3B | Key West High School | Yes | 1997–1998 | A- |
| 19 | Shane Allen | OF | Glenns Ferry High School | Yes | 1997–1999 | A- |
| 20 | Pete Zamora | 1B | University of California, Los Angeles | Yes | 1997–2005 | AAA |
| 21 | Steve Verigood | LHP | Spartanburg Methodist College | Yes | 1997–1998 | A- |
| 22 | Matt Montgomery | RHP | California State University, Long Beach | Yes | 1997–2006 | AAA |
| 23 | Jared Moon | RHP | Redondo Beach High School | Yes | 1997–1999 | A- |
| 24 | Mike Rawls | LHP | Bethune-Cookman University | Yes | 1997 | A- |
| 25 | Dave Detienne | 3B | Auburn Drive High School | Yes | 1998–2008 | AAA |
| 26 | Bill Everly | RHP | West Virginia Wesleyan College | Yes | 1997–2000 | AAA |
| 27 | Aaron Dean | 1B | Lamar University | Yes | 1997–2005 | A+ |
| 28 | Richard Bell | LHP | California Lutheran University | No | 1998–2005 | AAA |
| 29 | Darin Schmalz | RHP | University of Notre Dame | Yes | 1997 | A- |
| 30 | Sam Lopez | SS | Dinuba High School | No Mets-1999 | 1999 | A- |
| 31 | Wayne Slater | OF | Bethune-Cookman University | Yes | 1997–1998 | A- |
| 32 | Shaylar Hatch | RHP | | No | | |
| 33 | Shaun Benzor | LHP | Redlands High School | No | | |
| 34 | Blake McGinley | LHP | North Bakersfield High School | No Mets-2001 | 2001–2007 | AAA |
| 35 | Adam Thomas | OF | Hazel Park High School | No | | |
| 36 | Jesús Feliciano | OF | Academia Discipulos de Cristo | Yes | 1998–2013 | MLB |
| 37 | Tyler Renwick | RHP | New Mexico Junior College | No Blue Jays-1998 | 1998–2001 | AAA |
| 38 | Eliot Joynet | OF | Mt. San Jacinto College | No | | |
| 39 | Jahseam George | LHP | Dr. Floyd B. Buchanan High School | No Indians-2002 | 2002 | A- |
| 40 | John Nelson | SS | Denton High School | No Cardinals-2001 | 2001–2008 | MLB |
| 41 | Ryan Beaver | RHP | Millikan High School | No | | |
| 42 | Carlos Orozco | OF | Montgomery High School | No | | |
| 43 | Michael Hernandez | LHP | Carson High School | No | | - |
| 44 | Graig Merritt | C | College of Southern Idaho | No Devil Rays-2001 | 2001–2005 | AA |
| 45 | Shane Youman | LHP | New Iberia High School | No Pirates-2002 | 2002–2016 | MLB |
| 46 | Ryan Kellner | C | Spartanburg Methodist College | Yes | 1998–2005 | AAA |
| 47 | Jean Emard | LHP | Ployvalente Edouard Montpetit | No | | |
| 48 | Luis DeJesus | C | Miguel de Cervantes High School | No | | |
| 49 | Lance Warren | C | Richmond High School | Yes | 1997–1998 | A+ |
| 50 | Chris Howay | RHP | New Westminster High School | No Athletics-2002 | 2001–2004 | A- |
| 51 | Eric Burris | 1B | Los Angeles Harbor College | No | | |
| 52 | Russell Ivory | OF | Grossmont College | No | | |
| 53 | Ismael Garcia | 2B | Mt. San Antonio College | Yes | 1998–2003 | A- |
| 54 | Michael Ford | OF | Elk Grove High School | No | | |
| 55 | Melvin Anderson | 3B | North Iverville High School | No Phillies-2000 | 2000–2003 | A |
| 56 | Reggie Laplante | RHP | Polyvalente Edouard Montpetit | No Yankees-1999 | 1999–2003 | A |
| 57 | George Bailey | 3B | Indian River Community College | No | 2000 | Ind |
| 58 | James Howard | RHP | Allen D Nease High School | No | | |
| 59 | Joshua Ridgway | SS | Delta Secondary School | No | | |
| 60 | Jason Ware | 1B | Long Beach City College | No | | |
| 61 | Javier Gonzalez | RHP | Mt. San Antonio College | No | | |
| 62 | Steve Holm | SS | McClatchy High School | No Giants-2001 | 2001–2012 | MLB |
| 63 | Cedric Herbert | RHP | Grayson County College | No | | |
| 64 | Jeremy Loftice | RHP | Truett-McConnell College | No | | |
| 65 | Luis Fontanez | C | Juano Colon High School | No | | |
| 66 | John Castellano | C | Indian River Community College | Yes | 1998–2006 | AAA |
| 67 | Cory Stephen | C | Martin Collegiate Institute | No | | |
| 68 | Matt Ybarra | C | Encinal High School | No | | |
| 69 | Luis Medina | C | Pedro Casa Blanca High School | No | | |
| 70 | Ryan Withey | OF | Seminole Community College | No Angels-2000 | 2000–2001 | A |