LOS ANGELES – This Saturday evening, July 29, prior to the Dodgers’ 6:10 p.m. contest vs. the Cincinnati Reds, legendary Dodger pitcher, Cy Young Award winner, World Series champion and broadcaster Orel Hershiser will become the seventh player to be inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball, presented by Bank of America.

The pregame ceremony will be hosted by Dodger broadcast partner and close friend, Joe Davis, and feature several guests, including Hall of Fame broadcaster Jaime Jarrín, fellow broadcaster Rick Monday, and several members of the 1988 World Series Championship team, as well as other former teammates and surprise guests. The festivities will also include video tributes for Orel, who has been a fixture of Dodger baseball over parts of the last four decades.    

“I am humbled to be inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball,” said Hershiser. “This is the part of life that you never imagined. To think I was drafted in the 17th round in 1979 and here now I am still representing this great organization. The Dodgers have been one of the most important parts of my life. I love my teammates, I love this organization and I love you fans. The experiences that I’ve had in uniform on and off the field have taken my life to places I never thought I could go. Thank you so much for this recognition and God bless all of you.”

Hershiser will be available in the Dodgers’ interview room on the first level adjacent to the clubhouse at 4:15 p.m. prior to the game on Saturday.    

_Legends of Dodger Baseball _is a recognition of Dodger greats and their impact on the franchise, both on and off the field. Inductees receive a plaque honoring their Dodger achievements, which will also be on permanent display at Dodger Stadium. 

Steve Garvey, Don Newcombe and Fernando Valenzuela made up the inaugural Legends of Dodger Baseball class in 2019. Maury Wills and Kirk Gibson were inducted during the 2022 season and Manny Mota was initiated earlier this year on April 29.   

Hershiser pitched 13 of his 18 seasons with the Dodgers and the three-time All-Star right-hander was the driving force behind the 1988 World Series Championship. That season, Hershiser led the National League in wins (23), innings pitched (267.0), shutouts (8) and complete games (15) en route to a Cy Young Award and set the all-time Major League record of 59 consecutive scoreless innings (Aug. 30-Sept. 28). He secured his place in Dodger lore with a dominant 1988 Postseason, where he earned both NLCS and World Series MVP honors and became the only player in history to win those honors in addition to the Cy Young Award in the same season. He later received both The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year and Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year awards for his brilliant season. 

Hershiser played baseball at Bowling Green (OH) State University and was drafted in the 17th round by the Dodgers in the 1979 Major League First-Year Player Draft. It was during a game in his rookie year of 1984, that Hershiser was nicknamed “Bulldog,” in an effort by Dodgers Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda to get Hershiser to adopt a tougher attitude on the mound. It worked, as Hershiser had his first stellar campaign in 1985, going 19-3 with a 2.03 ERA while helping lead the club to an NL-West crown. 

Since his retirement in 2000, he held titles of Special Assistant to the GM and pitching coach with the Texas Rangers while forging a terrific broadcasting career, including the last nine years with the Dodgers. Hershiser returned to Los Angeles in 2014 and has been instrumental in the award-winning Dodger broadcast on SNLA.