# 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers season

The 1974 Los Angeles Dodgers won the National League West by four games over the Cincinnati Reds, then beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NLCS before losing to the Oakland Athletics in the World Series.

## Offseason

* October 27, 1973: Rick Auerbach was purchased by the Dodgers from the Milwaukee Brewers.
* December 3, 1973: Sergio Ferrer was drafted from the Dodgers by the Minnesota Twins in the 1973 rule 5 draft.
* December 5, 1973: Willie Davis was traded by the Dodgers to the Montreal Expos for Mike Marshall.
* December 5, 1973: Pete Richert was traded by the Dodgers to the St. Louis Cardinals for Tommie Agee.
* December 6, 1973: Claude Osteen and Dave Culpepper (minors) were traded by the Dodgers to the Houston Astros for Jimmy Wynn.

## Regular season

Mike Marshall set a record by pitching in 106 games in 1974, a record that still stands today.

### Season standings

vteNL West :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 102 | 60 | .630 | — | 52‍–‍29 | 50‍–‍31 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 98 | 64 | .605 | 4 | 50‍–‍31 | 48‍–‍33 |
| Atlanta Braves | 88 | 74 | .543 | 14 | 46‍–‍35 | 42‍–‍39 |
| Houston Astros | 81 | 81 | .500 | 21 | 46‍–‍35 | 35‍–‍46 |
| San Francisco Giants | 72 | 90 | .444 | 30 | 37‍–‍44 | 35‍–‍46 |
| San Diego Padres | 60 | 102 | .370 | 42 | 36‍–‍45 | 24‍–‍57 |

### Record vs. opponents

1974 National League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL |
| Atlanta | — | 4–8 | 7–11–1 | 6–12 | 8–10 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 17–1 | 8–10 | 9–3 |
| Chicago | 8–4 | — | 5–7 | 4–8 | 2–10 | 5–13 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 5–13 |
| Cincinnati | 11–7–1 | 7–5 | — | 14–4 | 6–12 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 12–6 | 11–7 | 6–6 |
| Houston | 12–6 | 8–4 | 4–14 | — | 5–13 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 7–11 | 10–8 | 8–4 |
| Los Angeles | 10–8 | 10–2 | 12–6 | 13–5 | — | 8–4 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 16–2 | 12–6 | 6–6 |
| Montreal | 3–9 | 13–5 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 4–8 | — | 9–9 | 11–7 | 9–9 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 8–9 |
| New York | 4–8 | 10–8 | 3–9 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 9–9 | — | 7–11 | 7–11 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 6–12 |
| Philadelphia | 4-8 | 10–8 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 7–11 | 11–7 | — | 10–8 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 9–9 |
| Pittsburgh | 8–4 | 9–9 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 8–10 | — | 9–3 | 8–4 | 7–11 |
| San Diego | 1–17 | 6–6 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 2–16 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 3–9 | — | 11–7 | 5–7 |
| San Francisco | 10–8 | 6–6 | 7–11 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 7–11 | — | 6–6 |
| St. Louis | 3–9 | 13–5 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 9–8 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 7–5 | 6–6 | — |

### Opening Day lineup

Opening Day starters :
| Name | Position |
| Davey Lopes | Second baseman |
| Bill Buckner | First baseman |
| Jimmy Wynn | Center fielder |
| Joe Ferguson | Catcher |
| Willie Crawford | Right fielder |
| Ron Cey | Third baseman |
| Von Joshua | Left fielder |
| Bill Russell | Shortstop |
| Don Sutton | Starting pitcher |

### Notable transactions

* April 3, 1974: Bruce Ellingsen was traded by the Dodgers to the Cleveland Indians for Pedro Guerrero.
* July 11, 1974: Gail Hopkins was purchased by the Dodgers from the Hawaii Islanders.

### Roster
## Player stats
### Batting
#### Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| C | Steve Yeager | 94 | 316 | 84 | .266 | 12 | 41 |
| 1B | Steve Garvey | 156 | 642 | 200 | .312 | 21 | 111 |
| 2B | Davey Lopes | 145 | 530 | 141 | .266 | 10 | 35 |
| SS | Bill Russell | 160 | 553 | 149 | .269 | 5 | 65 |
| 3B | Ron Cey | 159 | 577 | 151 | .262 | 18 | 97 |
| LF | Bill Buckner | 145 | 580 | 182 | .314 | 7 | 58 |
| CF | Jim Wynn | 150 | 535 | 145 | .271 | 32 | 108 |
| RF | Willie Crawford | 139 | 468 | 138 | .295 | 11 | 61 |

#### Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
| Joe Ferguson | 111 | 349 | 88 | .252 | 16 | 57 |
| Tom Paciorek | 85 | 175 | 42 | .240 | 1 | 24 |
| Von Joshua | 81 | 124 | 29 | .234 | 1 | 16 |
| Lee Lacy | 48 | 78 | 22 | .282 | 0 | 8 |
| Rick Auerbach | 45 | 73 | 25 | .342 | 1 | 4 |
| Ken McMullen | 44 | 60 | 15 | .250 | 3 | 12 |
| Manny Mota | 66 | 57 | 16 | .281 | 0 | 16 |
| Gail Hopkins | 15 | 18 | 4 | .222 | 0 | 0 |
| John Hale | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1.000 | 0 | 2 |
| Charlie Manuel | 4 | 3 | 1 | .333 | 0 | 1 |
| Ivan DeJesus | 3 | 3 | 1 | .333 | 0 | 0 |
| Orlando Alvarez | 2 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerry Royster | 6 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
| Kevin Pasley | 1 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |

### Pitching
#### Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| Andy Messersmith | 39 | 292.1 | 20 | 6 | 2.59 | 221 |
| Don Sutton | 40 | 276.0 | 19 | 9 | 3.23 | 179 |
| Doug Rau | 36 | 198.1 | 13 | 11 | 3.72 | 126 |
| Tommy John | 22 | 153.0 | 13 | 3 | 2.59 | 78 |

#### Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
| Al Downing | 21 | 98.1 | 5 | 6 | 3.66 | 63 |
| Geoff Zahn | 21 | 79.2 | 3 | 5 | 2.03 | 33 |

#### Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
| Mike Marshall | 106 | 15 | 12 | 21 | 2.42 | 143 |
| Charlie Hough | 49 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 3.75 | 63 |
| Jim Brewer | 24 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2.52 | 26 |
| Rick Rhoden | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 | 7 |
| Eddie Solomon | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.50 | 2 |
| Greg Shanahan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.86 | 2 |
| Rex Hudson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.50 | 0 |

## Postseason
### 1974 National League Championship Series

The Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in four games in the NLCS.

#### Game One

October 5, Three Rivers Stadium
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Los Angeles | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| W: Don Sutton (1–0) L: Jerry Reuss (0–1) |||||||||||||
| HR: None |||||||||||||

#### Game Two

October 6, Three Rivers Stadium
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Los Angeles | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| W: Andy Messersmith (1–0) L: Dave Giusti (0–1) |||||||||||||
| HRs: LAD – Ron Cey (1) |||||||||||||

#### Game Three

October 8, Dodger Stadium
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Pittsburgh | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 |
| Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| W: Bruce Kison (1–0) L: Doug Rau (0–1) |||||||||||||
| HRs: PIT – Willie Stargell (1), Richie Hebner (1) |||||||||||||

#### Game Four

October 9, Dodger Stadium
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Los Angeles | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | X | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| W: Don Sutton (2–0) L: Jerry Reuss (0–2) |||||||||||||
| HRs: LAD – Steve Garvey (2); PIT – Willie Stargell (2) |||||||||||||

### 1974 World Series

The Dodgers were defeated by the Oakland Athletics in five games in the World Series.
AL Oakland Athletics (4) vs. NL Los Angeles Dodgers (1)
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance | Time of Game |
| 1 | Athletics – 3, Dodgers – 2 | October 12 | Dodger Stadium | 55,974 | 2:43 |
| 2 | Athletics – 2, Dodgers – 3 | October 13 | Dodger Stadium | 55,989 | 2:40 |
| 3 | Dodgers – 2, Athletics – 3 | October 15 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 49,347 | 2:35 |
| 4 | Dodgers – 2, Athletics – 5 | October 16 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 49,347 | 2:17 |
| 5 | Dodgers – 2, Athletics – 3 | October 17 | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum | 49,347 | 2:23 |

## Awards and honors
### All-Stars

* 1974 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
** Andy Messersmith starter
** Steve Garvey starter
** Ron Cey starter
** Jimmy Wynn starter
** Mike Marshall reserve
* Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVP Award
** Steve Garvey

### Sporting News awards

* TSN Pitcher of the Year Award
** Mike Marshall
* TSN Fireman of the Year Award
** Mike Marshall
* TSN National League All-Star
** Jimmy Wynn
** Andy Messersmith
** Steve Garvey

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Albuquerque Dukes | Pacific Coast League | Stan Wasiak |
| AA | Waterbury Dodgers | Eastern League | Don LeJohn |
| A | Bakersfield Dodgers | California League | George Freese |
| A | Orangeburg Dodgers | Western Carolinas League | Bart Shirley |
| Rookie | Bellingham Dodgers | Northwest League | Bill Berrier |

## 1974 Major League Baseball Draft

This was the tenth year of a Major League Baseball Draft. The Dodgers drafted 23 players in the June draft and six in the January draft.
The top pick was pitcher Rick Sutcliffe from Van Horn High School in Independence, Missouri. Sutcliffe would go on to win the 1979 Rookie of the Year Award. The Dodgers traded him to the Cleveland Indians in 1982 but he would remain in the league through 1994. He accumulated a record of 171–139, was a three-time All-Star and won the 1984 National League Cy Young Award, while with the Chicago Cubs.
They also drafted infielder Jim Riggleman in the fourth round. While he never made the Majors as a player, he had a stint as the Dodgers Major League Bench coach and would become a successful Major League Manager with four different clubs.
1974 Draft Picks :
January draft
Round
Name
Position
School
Signed
Career span
Highest level
1
Claude Westmoreland
OF
University of California, Berkeley
Yes
1974–1982
AAA
2
Dale Forchetti
SS
University of Southern Mississippi
No
3
Hank Boguszewski
RHP
Nassau Community College
No
4
Shane Rawley
LHP
Indian Hills Community College
No Expos-1974
1974–1989
MLB
January Secondary phase
Round
Name
Position
School
Signed
Career span
Highest level
1
Donald Cardoza
OF
College of the Sequoias
Yes
1974–1978
AAA
2
Jim Dorsey
RHP
Los Angeles Valley College
No Angels-1975
1975–1985
MLB
June draft
Round
Name
Position
School
Signed
Career span
Highest level
1
Rick Sutcliffe
RHP
Van Horn High School
Yes
1974–1994
MLB
2
Steve Shirley
LHP
Terra Nova High School
Yes
1974–1988
MLB
3
Freddie Tisdale
SS
Centennial High School
Yes
1974–1983
AAA
4
Jim Riggleman
2B
Frostburg State University
Yes
1974–1981
AAA
5
Alvin Harper
SS
Southern University and A&M College
Yes
1974
A
6
James Del Vecchio
2B
Andrew Ward High School
Yes
1974–1979
AAA
7
Chris Gandy
OF
Christian Brothers High School
No Dodgers-1978
1978–1980
A
8
Randy Rogers
SS
Texas High School
Yes
1974–1981
AAA
9
Joseph Keller
RHP
Clover Park High School
Yes
1974–1976
A
10
Charles Ollar
OF
Oklahoma State University
Yes
1974–1980
AAA
11
Scott Anderson
RHP
Lake Oswego High School
No Expos-1977
1977–1982
AA
12
Dwayne Wright
C
Berkeley High School
No Blue Jays-1977
1977–1978
A
13
Les Pearsey
SS
Brethren High School
No Twins-1978
1978–1982
AAA
14
Jackie Schuman
2B
Putnam City High School
No
15
Richard Oliveri
3B
Bishop Fallon High School
Yes
1974–1978
A-
16
Billy Wilson
RHP
Emporia State University
Yes
1974–1978
AAA
17
Michael Laurent
RHP
University of New Mexico
Yes
1974–1975
A
18
Ramon Murillo
RHP
Agua Fria High School
No White Sox-1978
1978–1982
AAA
19
Brian Heublein
LHP
University of Southern California
No
20
Chris Lynch
RHP
Miami Dade College
No
21
Ronald Wrobel
LHP
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
No Indians-1978
1978–1980
A
22
Doug Slocum
RHP
Arizona State University
Yes
1974–1978
AA
June secondary phase
Round
Name
Position
School
Signed
Career span
Highest level
1
Robert Glass
3B
State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota
Yes
1974–1979
AAA :