The 1967 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 78th season for the

Los Angeles Dodgers 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

franchise in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB), their 10th season in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and their 5th season playing their home games at

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a ballpark in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a ...

Los Angeles California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3,878,704 residents within the city ...

. It marked the end of one of the franchise's most successful eras. One season after losing the World Series to the Baltimore Orioles, the Dodgers declined to a record of 73–89, and finished ahead of only the Houston Astros and the New York Mets in the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

race, games behind the NL and

World Series Champion The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) and concludes the MLB postseason. First played in 1903, the World Series championship is a best-of-seven playoff and is a contest between the champions of base ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. It was the Dodgers' worst record since the war-affected 1944 season, and their worst peacetime record since

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

. The Dodgers would not return to the postseason until 1974.

Offseason

* November 21, 1966: Wes Covington was released by the Dodgers. * November 29, 1966: Tommy Davis and Derrell Griffith were traded by the Dodgers to the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

for

Ron Hunt Ronald Kenneth (Ron) Hunt (born February 23, 1941) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1974 for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Mon ...

and Jim Hickman. * December 1, 1966:

Maury Wills Maurice Morning Wills (October 2, 1932 – September 19, 2022) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1959 to 1972, most prominently as an integral member of the Los Ange ...

was traded by the Dodgers to the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

for Bob Bailey and

Gene Michael Eugene Richard Michael (June 2, 1938 – September 7, 2017), known as Stick, was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout, manager and team executive. He appeared in 973 games in Major League Baseball, primarily as a shortstop, bet ...

. * December 15, 1966:

Nick Willhite Jon Nicholas Willhite (January 27, 1941 – December 14, 2008) was an American professional baseball player, a left-handed pitcher. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Willhite grew up in Denver, Colorado and graduated from South High School in 1959. He wa ...

was traded by the Dodgers to the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

for Bob Lee.Bob Lee page at Baseball Reference
/ref>

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day lineup

Notable transactions

* April 3, 1967:

John Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

was traded by the Dodgers to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

for Jack Cullen, John Miller and cash. * May 10, 1967:

Johnny Werhas John Charles Werhas (born February 7, 1938) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman who was a pastor for The Rock Community Church in Anaheim Hills, California. He retired from this position on August 23, 2015, and moved to Oregon to spe ...

was traded by the Dodgers to the

for

Len Gabrielson Leonard Gary Gabrielson (born February 14, 1940) is a retired outfielder in Major League Baseball. He graduated from the University of Southern California and played in the majors from 1960 through 1970, initially signing with the Milwaukee Brav ...

. * May 31, 1967: Bob Lee was purchased from the Dodgers by the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. * June 28, 1967:

Von Joshua Von Everett Joshua (born May 1, 1948) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1969–71, 1973–74 and 1979), San Francisco Giants (1975–76), Milwaukee Brewers (1976–77) and San Diego Pad ...

was signed by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent.Von Joshua page at Baseball Reference
/ref>

Roster

Season recap

The Dodgers were coming off back to back National League titles, but were mildly surprised by ace pitcher

Sandy Koufax Sanford Koufax (; né Braun; born December 30, 1935), nicknamed "the Left Arm of God", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 195 ...

's retirement after the 1966 season. Still, while not expected to be a contender in 1967, there was a solid nucleus that would have been expected to win in the neighborhood of 85 games. However, a couple of questionable trades (Tommy Davis for Ron Hunt, and Maury Wills for Bob Bailey and Gene Michael) further weakened an offense that was already considered below average. In April, leading hitter and team home run leader

Lou Johnson Louis Brown Johnson (September 22, 1934 – October 1, 2020), nicknamed "Sweet Lou," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. Johnson's professional baseball career lasted for 17 seasons, and included 8 years in the majors: parts of 196 ...

was injured sliding into home against the Braves and missed two months of the season. New shortstop

batted .202, a full 100 points less than the man he replaced, as Maury Wills batted .302 for the Pirates.

Ron Fairly Ronald Ray Fairly (July 12, 1938 – October 30, 2019) was an American professional baseball player and television sports presenter. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and right fielder from 1958 to 1978, most prominently as a ...

, Willie Davis, and Bob Bailey all slumped off from their 1966 production; but one of the few bright spots was rookie

Al Ferrara Alfred John Ferrara Jr. (December 22, 1939 – November 15, 2024), nicknamed "The Bull", was an American Major League Baseball player who played from 1963 to 1971. Early life Alfred Ferrara Jr. was born on December 22, 1939, in Brooklyn, New Yo ...

's .277 average and 16 home runs in just over half the season. Ultimately, the Dodgers scored fewer runs than any National League team except the last place Mets. Despite the loss of Koufax, the pitching was generally solid, but the starters' won-loss records suffered from lack of run support despite solid ERAs. Rookie

Bill Singer William Robert Singer (born April 24, 1944) is an American former professional baseball pitcher with a 14-year career from 1964 to 1977. He played primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1964–72) and the California Angels (1973–75), spending h ...

was 12–8 with a 2.64 ERA,

Don Drysdale Donald Scott Drysdale (July 23, 1936 – July 3, 1993), nicknamed "Big D", was an American professional baseball pitcher and broadcaster who played in Major League Baseball. He spent his entire 14-year career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Do ...

was 13–16 with a 2.74 ERA, and Claude Osteen was 17–17 with a 3.22 ERA.

Don Sutton Donald Howard Sutton (April 2, 1945 – January 19, 2021) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sutton won a total of 324 games, pitched 58 s ...

suffered from a "sophomore jinx", as he went 11–15 with a 3.95 ERA, nearly a full run higher than his 2.99 ERA in 1966. The bullpen was led by

Ron Perranoski Ronald Peter Perranoski (April 1, 1936 – October 2, 2020) was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed relief pitcher from to , most prominently as a member of the Los Angeles Dodg ...

, Jim Brewer, and Phil Regan, who combined for 23 saves and all had an ERA under 3. The Dodgers lost 10 of their first 16 games and never got closer than 7 games out of 1st place. They were never able to top the .500 mark, and while they were a respectable 42–39 at home, they were a dismal 31–50 on the road.

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''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Awards and honors

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

Wes Parker Maurice Wesley Parker III (born November 13, 1939) is an American former first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers from to . He also played one season in Japan for the Nankai Hawks in . As of 2009, Parker ha ...

, outfield

All-Stars

1967 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1967 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 38th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 11, 196 ...

reserve **

Claude Osteen Claude Wilson Osteen (born August 9, 1939), nicknamed "Gomer" because of his resemblance to television character Gomer Pyle, is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cinci ...

reserve

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Albuquerque, Ogden

1967 Major League Baseball draft

This was the third year of a

Major League Baseball draft The Major League Baseball draft (officially the Rule 4 Draft; also known as the first-year player draft or amateur draft) is the primary mechanism by which Major League Baseball (MLB) assigns amateur baseball players from high schools, colleg ...

. The Dodgers drafted 87 players in the June draft and 9 in the January draft. The top draft pick was

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

Donnie Denbow from

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

. He played in the Dodgers farm system through 1970. In 177 games in the rookie leagues and Class-A, he hit .242. Of this years draft class, only catcher

Steve Yeager Stephen Wayne Yeager (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Yeager spent 14 of the 15 seasons of his Major League Baseball career, from 1972 through 1985, with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His last year, 1986, ...

, drafted in the fourth round, made any impact in the Majors. He played with the Dodgers from 1972 to 1985 and hit 102 home runs during his career.

Notes

References

Baseball-Reference season pageBaseball Almanac season page

External links

1967 Los Angeles Dodgers uniformLos Angeles Dodgers official web site
{{Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Dodgers seasons Los Angeles Dodgers season Los Angel