2009 Los Angeles Dodgers season
The 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers season saw the team defend their National League West title while earning the best record in the National League, and marked the 50th anniversary of their 1959 World Series Championship. The Dodgers reached the National League Championship Series for the second straight season only to once more fall short in five games against the Philadelphia Phillies. Spring training. 2009 saw the Dodgers open their brand new spring training facility, Camelback Ranch-Glendale. The 13,000-seat stadium and surrounding facilities that the Dodgers share with the Chicago White Sox replaced their  former facility at Holman Stadium in Vero Beach, Florida, where the team had trained in the spring since 1948. This also marked the Dodgers debut as a member of the Cactus League. Postseason. National League Division Series. As National League West Champions, the Dodgers faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the Division Series and held home field advantage. They swept the Cardinals in three games. Game 1. Wednesday, October 7, 2009 – 6:37 p.m. (PT) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California Game 2. Thursday, October 8, 2009 – 3:07 p.m. (PT) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California Game 3. Saturday , October 10, 2009 – 3:07 p.m. (PT) at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri National League Championship Series. The Dodgers advanced to the NLCS and faced the Philadelphia Phillies in a rematch of the 2008 National League Championship Series. However, they again lost to the Phillies in five games. Game 1. Thursday, October 15, 2009 – 5:07 p.m. (PT) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California Game 2. Friday, October 16, 2009 – 1:07 p.m. (PT) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California Game 3. Sunday, October 18, 2009 – 5:07 p.m. (PT) at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Game 4. Monday, October  19, 2009 – 5:07 p.m. (PT) at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Game 5. Wednesday, October 21, 2009 – 5:07 p.m. (PT) at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Player stats. Batting. "Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; TB = Total bases; BB = Walks; SO = Strikeouts; SB = Stolen bases; OBP = On-base percentage; SLG = Slugging; Avg. = Batting average" Pitching. "Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average ; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts" Major League Baseball draft. The Dodgers selected 51 players in this draft. Of those, seven of them have played Major League Baseball. They lost their first-round pick as a result of signing free agent Orlando Hudson but gained a supplemental first-round pick and a second-round pick as a compensation for losing pitcher Derek Lowe. The Dodgers top pick in this draft was left-handed pitcher Aaron  Miller from Baylor University. In five seasons in the minors he was 20–19 with a 4.03 ERA in 82 games (65 starts). Midway through the 2013 season, the Dodgers decided to take him off the mound and turn him into a position player. He hit 14 homers and drove in 60 RBI in 2014 in class-A as a designated hitter but retired after the season without making it to the Majors. They went the opposite direction with outfielder Blake Smith from University of California, Berkeley. Also in the 2013 season they decided to take Smith and make him into  a relief pitcher. He was later traded, and eventually made it to the majors with the Chicago White Sox.