Dodgers Dugout: Guess how many pitchers the Dodgers used this season?

Occasional Digest - a story for you

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. In this brutal, desperate, terrible, they are no good season, the Dodgers managed to win 98 games and the division.

The Dodgers swept the Rockies over the weekend and have the best record in baseball, meaning they will have home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

While we await the Dodgers’ NLDS opponent, let’s take a look at some interesting and hopefully fun stats from the 2024 regular season.

—The Dodgers used an incredible 40 pitchers this season (including two position players who pitched).

—Only two of the 40 pitched more than 100 innings, and neither will be on the postseason roster: Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone.

—Here’s the list of pitchers in order of innings pitched. How many do you remember?

Gavin Stone
Tyler Glasnow
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
James Paxton
Walker Buehler
Landon Knack
Ryan Yarbrough
Alex Vesia
Daniel Hudson
Bobby Miller
Jack Flaherty
Evan Phillips
Michael Grove
Anthony Banda
Blake Treinen
Justin Wrobleski
Brent Honeywell
Joe Kelly
Clayton Kershaw
Yohan Ramirez
Ryan Brasier
Michael Kopech
River Ryan
Michael Petersen
Nick Ramirez
J.P. Feyereisen
Elieser Hernández
Ben Casparius
Brusdar Graterol
Nabil Crismatt
Kyle Hurt
Gus Varland
Kiké Hernández
Dinelson Lamet
Edgardo Henriquez
Eduardo Salazar
Zach Logue
Ricky Vanasco
Miguel Rojas
Connor Brogdon

It seems like some of these guys were released a couple of years ago.

—Shohei Ohtani set or came close to setting a few Dodgers records this season:

Most home runs

Ohtani, 54 (2024)
Shawn Green, 49 (2001)
Adrian Beltré, 48 (2004)
Cody Bellinger, 47 (2019)
Gary Sheffield, 43 (2000)
Duke Snider, 43 (1956)

Runs scored
Babe Herman, 143 (1930)
Ohtani, 134 (2024)
Pee Wee Reese, 132 (1949)
Duke Snider, 132 (1953)
Freddie Freeman, 131 (2023)
Maury Wills, 130 (1962)

RBIs
Tommy Davis, 153 (1962)
Roy Campanella, 142 (1953)
Duke Snider, 136 (1955)
Ohtani, 130 (2024)
Jack Fournier, 130 (1925)
Babe Herman, 130 (1930)
Gil Hodges, 130 (1954)

Slugging %
Babe Herman, .678 (1930)
Gil Hodges, .647 (1954)
Ohtani, .646, (2024)
Gary Sheffield, .643 (2000)
Mike Piazza, .638 (1997)

OPS+
Ohtani, 190 (2024)
Mike Piazza, 185 (1997)
Pedro Guerrero, 182 (1985)
Harry Lumley, 179 (1906)
Gary Sheffield, 176 (2000)

Total bases
Babe Herman, 416 (1930)
Ohtani, 411 (2024)
Duke Snider, 378 (1954)
Adrian Beltré, 376 (2004)
Shawn Green, 370 (2001)
Duke Snider, 370 (1953)

—Ohtani’s 411 total bases are the most by any player since 2001, when Barry Bonds also had 411. Only 30 times has a player had 400 or more total bases since 1901. The record is 457 by Babe Ruth in 1921.

—Looking at the Ohtani list above, the name Babe Herman really jumps out at you. A great hitter, he is mostly forgotten now. His greatest season came 94 years ago. Will Ohtani be forgotten in 2118?

—The Dodgers used 22 position players. They are, in order of plate appearances:

Shohei Ohtani
Teoscar Hernández
Freddie Freeman
Will Smith
Mookie Betts
Gavin Lux
Andy Pages
Kiké Hernández
Miguel Rojas
Max Muncy
Chris Taylor
Jason Heyward
Austin Barnes
James Outman
Tommy Edman
Cavan Biggio
Miguel Vargas
Kevin Kiermaier
Nick Ahmed
Hunter Feduccia
Amed Rosario
Taylor Trammell

—The Dodgers stole 136 bases this season, their most since 2014, when they stole 138. They’ve stolen 130 or more bases only three times since 2000 (the other was in 2007, when they stole 137). Their all-time record is 273 in 1903. But it was a different game back then. If you want a more modern-era team record, it’s 198 in 1962.

—The Dodgers scored 842 runs, 10th-best all-time and short of last season’s 906. The Dodgers record is 955 in 1953.

—They hit 233 homers, fifth on their all-time list. Their record is 279 in 2019. Last season they hit 249.

—It was a great Dodgers debut season for Teoscar Hernández. Most home runs by a Dodger left fielder (played at least 50% of games in left field):

Gary Sheffield, 43 (2000)
Joc Pederson, 36 (2019)
Gary Sheffield, 36 (2001)
Gary Sheffield, 34 (1999)
Pedro Guerrero, 33 (1985)
Teoscar Hernández, 33 (2024)

—Before the All-Star break, the Dodgers were 22nd in the majors in batting average with runners in scoring position at .250. After the break, they hit .292, the best in the majors.

—As bad as the pitching seems, their team ERA of 3.92 is better than last season’s 4.06. In 2022, the team ERA was 2.80.

—This is the fifth time the Dodgers have had only one complete game (the others: 2006, 2009, 2021, 2022). They had no complete games in three seasons (2018, 2020, 2023).

—Dodgers pitchers gave up 198 home runs this season, two shy of the record 200 given up last season.

Dodgers hitters ranked by OPS+ (a league average hitter has an OPS+ of 100. If a hitter is at 110, he is 10% better than the league average).

Shohei Ohtani, 190
Mookie Betts, 145
Freddie Freeman, 143
Max Muncy, 141
Teoscar Hernández, 137
Will Smith, 116
Miguel Rojas, 113
Miguel Vargas, 108
Andy Pages, 102
Gavin Lux, 101
Tommy Edman, 101
Jason Heyward, 93
Kiké Hernández, 85
Austin Barnes, 85
Cavan Biggio, 82
Chris Taylor, 73
Kevin Kiermaier, 60
Nick Ahmed, 53
James Outman, 50

OPS+ for guys with fewer than 20 plate appearances
Hunter Feduccia, 123
Amed Rosario, 100
Taylor Trammell, -100

—Dave Roberts continues to move up the manager rankings for the franchise.

Most wins by a Dodger manager:

Walter Alston, 2,040
Tommy Lasorda, 1,599
Wilbert Robinson, 1,375
Dave Roberts, 851
Leo Durocher, 738
Ned Hanlon, 511

All the above managers are in the Hall of Fame, except Roberts of course.

Postseason roster

The big question is whether Freddie Freeman and Miguel Rojas will be healthy for the NLDS. Freeman has a sprained ankle, and Rojas has a strained adductor. You may be wondering “What is an adductor?” Well, I quickly learned that it’s not the guy who takes your ticket on the train. Here’s what WebMD has to say about the adductor:

“Five muscles make up your adductors: the obturator externus, gracilis, adductor longus, adductor brevis, and adductor magnus. These are located on the inside of your thigh, spanning from your femur (or thigh bone) up to your pelvis.

“This group assists you in bringing your thighs in toward each other, a movement called adduction. Adductors also help with balance, align your legs and hips, and allow your legs and hips to rotate.”

All of that seems pretty important for a shortstop. Dave Roberts seems to think that Freeman and Rojas will be ready to go, but we’ve heard that before. I’ve brought this up before, but remember when Max Muncy got hurt on the final day of the 2021 season and they kept saying he would be ready for the next round, all along knowing he wouldn’t?

Other roster questions include: Who gets the final position player spot, Andy Pages or Kevin Kiermaier (odds are it’s Pages) and who will get the last spot in the bullpen? The rotation will be Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Landon Knack and Walker Buehler. It’s possible they could use an opener when Knack pitches (Game 3 or 4) and bring him in to start the second inning, as they did on Sunday.

We’ll know more when we know whom the opponent will be.

The wild-card schedule

National League
No. 6 N.Y. Mets at No. 3 Milwaukee
Winner plays Philadelphia

Tuesday at Milwaukee, 2:30 p.m., ESPN
Wed. at Milwaukee, 4:30 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m., ESPN2

No. 5 Atlanta at No. 4 San Diego
Winner plays the Dodgers

Tuesday at San Diego, 5:30 p..m., ESPN
Wed. at San Diego, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday at San Diego, 4 p.m., ESPN

American League

No. 6 Detroit at No. 3 Houston
Winner plays Cleveland

Tuesday at Houston, 11:30 a.m., ABC
Wed. at Houston, 11:30 a.m., ABC
*Thursday at Houston, 11:30 a.m., ABC

No. 5 Kansas City at No. 4 Baltimore
Winner plays the N.Y. Yankees

Tuesday at Baltimore, 1 p.m., ESPN2
Wed. at Baltimore, 1:30 p.m., ESPN
*Thursday at Baltimore, 1 p.m., ESPN

All times Pacific
*- if necessary

Note: Thursday’s game times are subject to change if other series end early.

Dodgers’ NLDS schedule

Game 1: at Dodgers, Saturday
Game 2: at Dodgers, Sunday
Game 3: at opponent, Tuesday, Oct. 8
*Game 4: at opponent, Wednesday, Oct. 9
*Game 5: at Dodgers, Friday, Oct. 11

Game times will be announced later. All games will be on Fox or FS1.

*-if necessary

Result: Who would you like the Dodgers to play in the NLDS?

After 13,059 votes:

New York Mets, 36.9%
Milwaukee Brewers, 34.3%
Arizona Diamondbacks, 15.4%
Atlanta Braves, 9%
San Diego Padres. 4.4%

We know now, of course, that the Dodgers will face either Atlanta or San Diego in the NLDS; let’s revote. Which team would you like the Dodgers to face in the NLDS?

Click here to vote.

Result: Should Shohei Ohtani pitch in the postseason?

After 14,179 votes:

No, 66.2%
Yes, 33.8%

The chances of Ohtani pitching grew very remote when the person who operated on his elbow, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, told The Times, “It’s not really a good idea for anyone coming back from elbow or shoulder surgery to make their return to competition in the postseason. There are no minor league games to get rehab starts for return to competition this time of year, so their first competition would be in postseason high-stress conditions.

“Not a good idea for the player or the team.”

That seems to settle that.

Pete Rose dies

Baseball’s all-time hits leader, Pete Rose, 83, died Monday in Las Vegas. Rose was my dad’s favorite non-Dodger and he was bitterly disappointed at Rose’s fall after he gambled and bet on baseball. He was convinced that if Rose had just come clean and shown the least little bit of contrition for what he did, that he would be in the Hall of Fame now. You can read our story on Rose’s death here.

But I am curious as to what you think. Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame?

Click here to vote.

A different kind of bracket

Three years ago, this newsletter mentioned Makenna Martin, a then-college student who was holding an online bracket (much like the NCAA bracket) where people could fill out their choices for the best-looking Dodger. She added a charitable aspect to it, raising money for a charity for women who are the victim of domestic violence.

Martin, now a college graduate, has continued the bracket, and this year is using it to raise money for “Peace Over Violence,” another charity that helps victims of domestic abuse. You do not have to donate to take part in the bracket challenge. Some people affiliated with the Dodgers, including announcer Stephen Nelson, have donated and filled out a bracket. So far, more than $6,000 of a goal of $10,000 has been raised. Whether you donate or not, it’s a lot of fun to do. There’s also a raffle to raise funds, with a lot of Dodgers prizes to win, including a book by a certain newsletter author. A tip of the cap to Martin and to all young people who try to make the world just a little bit better.

You can go here to take part.