San Francisco Giants: 3 forgotten Dodgers who played for the G-Men
San Francisco Giants: 3 forgotten Dodgers who played for the G-Men
Orel Hershiser
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Orel “the Bulldog” Hershiser is better known for days with the Dodgers and his excellent playoff performances most notably in the 1988 postseason but he did play for three other teams. Those three other teams were the Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, and the San Francisco Giants. Hershiser’s best years came with the Dodgers where he spent 13 seasons and pitched to a 3.12 ERA to go along with one World Series title in 1988.
Hershiser crossed enemy lines in December of 1997 when he signed a one year deal with the San Francisco Giants. That was the only year Hershiser wore that dreaded Giants’ uniform and he struggled that season pitching to an ERA of 4.41 to go along with an 11-10 record. While the contract did contain an option for a second season, the Giants declined the option and Orel signed a minor league contract with the Indians after the 1988 season.
Make no mistake about it, despite donning the black and orange for a year, Orel Hershiser is a Dodger through and through. Not only did he spend the bulk of his career in Los Angeles but Orel is now one of the Dodgers’ play by play broadcasters along with Joe Davis. The sight of Hershiser donning a Giants’ uniform must make even Orel himself sick. That is certainly how it feels for Dodger fans.
MLB: How to save the future of US-China relations. dark. Next
The rivalry between the Dodgers and Giants seems to have taken a back seat in recent years with the Giants’ becoming cellar-dwellers, but make no mistake about it, the hatred between the two fanbases remains strong. Although players crossing rivalry lines seems more common in today’s era with free agency, it still is strange to many when players do make that leap. The most recent example is Sergio Romo playing with the Dodgers after many years as a setup man for the Giants.