Los Angeles Dodgers (Images of Baseball Series) »

In this photographic journey, official team historian and former baseball reporter Mark Langill details the surprising confluence of circumstances that make the Los Angeles Dodgers so extraordinary. The team's historic move from the East Coast signaled a major westward expansion of the major leagues. In 1978, the team made history by being the first to draw more than 3 million fans in one season. Thanks to unprecedented community support and the amazing abilities of its players, the Dodgers have remained one of sport's most storied franchises and an endless source of pride for the city of Los Angeles..."

Sandy Koufax. Don Drysdale. Maury Wills. Steve Garvey. Don Sutton. Fernando Valenzuela. Tommy Lasorda. Shawn Green. Eric Gagne. Since 1958, names like these have made the Los Angeles Dodgers into one of baseball's most successful and envied teams. Over the years, the team has won an astonishing nine National League championships and five World Series.Some familiar faces from their Brooklyn roots, including Gil Hodges and Duke Snider, led the Dodgers to their first championship at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1959; and a sparkling new Dodger Stadium featured the 1960s-era stars of Drysdale, Koufax, and Wills. The 1970s brought a record-setting infield and a Big Blue Wrecking Crew, led by manager Lasorda who claimed to "bleed Dodger blue." The 1980s placed the spotlight on "Fernandomania" and Kirk Gibson's World Series home run, which was later voted "the Greatest Moment in Southern California sports history." The team also heralded a new era of international players into the ranks of the major leagues, thanks to Valenzuela and later to Hideo Nomo, who made a successful transition from Japan to the Dodgers in 1995.