October 9, 2026
October 9, 2026
1965 Los Angeles Dodgers: Overcoming Obstacles
Only one year removed from winning the 1963 World Series, the Dodgers suffered a setback in 1964. Badly timed injuries dropped them to sixth place in the National League. One injury seemed to doom the Dodgers a month into the 1965 regular season, when left fielder Tommy Davis fractured his ankle sliding into second base. However, a couple of trades helped the 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers recover. They went 97-65 and won the National League pennant by two games over the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers went 10-8 against the Giants in head-to-head play.
Shortstop Maury Wills batted .286 with 186 hits, 14 doubles, 7 triples and an amazing 94 stolen bases. Third baseman Jim Gilliam batted .280 with 4 home runs, 104 hits, 19 doubles and 4 triples. Right fielder Ron Fairly batted .274 with 9 home runs and 70 RBIs on 152 hits and 28 doubles. The Dodgers traded pitcher Larry Sherry to the Detroit Tigers for left fielder Lou Johnson, who gave the team a much-needed lift after the injury to Davis. Johnson had 12 home runs and 58 RBIs on 121 hits, 24 doubles, 3 triples and 25 stolen bases. First baseman Wes Parker had 8 home runs and 51 RBIs on 129 hits, 24 doubles, 7 triples and 13 stolen bases. Catcher John Roseboro had 8 home runs and 57 RBIs on 102 hits.
Sandy Koufax remained as dominant as ever on the mound. He went 26-8 with 382 strikeouts and a 2.04 ERA, recording 27 complete games and 8 shutouts. Don Drysdale went 23-12 with 210 strikeouts and a 2.77 ERA, recording 20 complete games and 7 shutouts. Claude Osteen, acquired from the Washington Senators in a trade for pitchers Phil Ortega and Pete Richert and outfielder and first baseman Frank Howard, went 15-15 with 162 strikeouts and a 2.79 ERA, recording 9 complete games and 1 shutout. Johnny Podres went 7-6 with a 3.43 ERA, recording 2 complete games and 1 shutout. Closer Ron Perranoski went 6-6 with 18 saves and a 2.24 ERA. Bob Miller had 9 saves and a 2.97 ERA. Howie Reed went 7-5 with a 3.12 ERA, and Jim Brewer went 3-2 with a 1.82 ERA.
The 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers faced the American League champion Minnesota Twins in the 1965 World Series, and it took all seven games for a champion to emerge.
In Game 1 on October 6 at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota, the Twins beat the Dodgers 8-2. James “Mudcat” Grant pitched a complete game for Minnesota, giving up 10 hits, 1 walk and 2 runs while recording 5 strikeouts. Ron Fairly hit a solo home run in the top of the 2nd inning, and in the bottom of the 2nd, Twins first baseman Don Mincher answered with a solo home run. In the bottom of the 3rd, shortstop Zoilo Versalles smacked a 3-run home run, catcher Earl Battey hit a 2-run single, and second baseman Frank Quilici added an RBI single. Versalles had an RBI single in the bottom of the 6th, and a bunt RBI single by Maury Wills in the top of the 9th didn’t hurt the Twins.
In Game 2 on October 7, the Twins beat the Dodgers 5-1. Jim Kaat pitched a complete game for Minnesota, giving up 7 hits, 1 walk and 1 run while recording 3 strikeouts. In the bottom of the 6th inning, right fielder Tony Oliva had an RBI double, and third baseman Harmon Killebrew followed with an RBI single. In the top of the 7th, John Roseboro had an RBI single, and a wild pitch later scored Versalles. Kaat added a 2-run single in the bottom of the 8th.
In Game 3 on October 9 at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers blanked the Twins 4-0. Claude Osteen pitched a complete game, giving up 5 hits and 2 walks while recording 2 strikeouts. In the bottom of the 4th inning, Roseboro had a 2-run single. In the bottom of the 5th, Lou Johnson had an RBI double, and in the bottom of the 6th, Maury Wills had an RBI double.
In Game 4 on October 10, the Dodgers won 7-2. Drysdale pitched a complete game, giving up 5 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs while recording 11 strikeouts. Fairly had an RBI groundout in the bottom of the 1st, and in the bottom of the 2nd, Roseboro reached on an error that scored Parker. In the top of the 4th, Killebrew hit a solo home run, and Parker responded with a solo home run of his own in the bottom of the 4th. Oliva hit a solo home run in the top of the 6th. In the bottom of the 6th, Fairly had a 2-run single, and Johnson followed by scoring Fairly on a sacrifice bunt. Johnson hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 8th.
In Game 5 on October 11, the Dodgers blanked the Twins 7-0. Sandy Koufax pitched a complete game, giving up 4 hits and 1 walk while recording 10 strikeouts. In the bottom of the 1st inning, Jim Gilliam had an RBI single, and then Willie Davis reached on an error on a bunt to score Gilliam. In the bottom of the 3rd, Johnson had an RBI single, and Fairly followed with an RBI double. In the bottom of the 4th, Gilliam had an RBI single, and in the bottom of the 7th, Koufax and Wills both had RBI singles.
In Game 6 on October 13, the Twins won 5-1 at Metropolitan Stadium. Mudcat Grant pitched a complete game, giving up 6 hits and 1 run while recording 5 strikeouts. In the bottom of the 4th, left fielder Bob Allison smacked a 2-run home run, and in the bottom of the 6th, Grant helped himself by crushing a 3-run home run. Fairly hit a solo home run in the top of the 7th.
In Game 7 on October 14, the Dodgers blanked the Twins 2-0, sending Minnesota fans home unhappy. Sandy Koufax pitched a complete game, giving up 3 hits and 3 walks while recording 10 strikeouts. Lou Johnson hit a solo home run in the top of the 4th inning, and Wes Parker followed with an RBI single. The 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers won the franchise’s third World Series championship since moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, overcoming the tough obstacles they faced earlier in the year.
Sandy Koufax once again collected multiple awards and honors. He won the National League Cy Young Award, the Associated Press Athlete of the Year, The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year and Major League Pitcher of the Year awards, and the 1965 World Series Most Valuable Player Award. Dodgers second baseman Jim Lefebvre was named the National League Rookie of the Year.
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