Dodgers Honor Baseball Legends with Retired Numbers Ceremony

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — On June 4, 1972, the Los Angeles Dodgers held a pregame ceremony at Dodger Stadium to retire the jersey numbers of three baseball legends: Roy Campanella, Sandy Koufax, and Jackie Robinson.

Jackie Robinson, whose iconic No. 42 is retired throughout Major League Baseball, famously broke the color barrier on April 15, 1947. This date is now honored as Jackie Robinson Day, when all MLB players and coaches wear his number. Robinson achieved a batting average of .311 over his 10-year career with the Brooklyn Dodgers, hitting 273 doubles, 54 triples, 137 home runs, and driving in 734 runs. He was named Rookie of the Year and won a World Series title in 1955.

Sandy Koufax began his career with the Dodgers in Brooklyn and concluded it after the team moved to Los Angeles. Across 12 seasons, Koufax boasted a record of 165-87 with a 2.76 ERA. He won three Cy Young Awards, was named an All-Star seven times, and earned five ERA titles. Koufax was the 1963 National League MVP and secured four World Series championships, including a perfect game and four no-hitters.

Roy Campanella spent his entire 10-year career with the Dodgers as a catcher. Following a car accident before the team’s relocation to Los Angeles in 1958, Campanella became paralyzed from the neck down, ending his playing career. He was an eight-time All-Star and a three-time MVP, contributing to Brooklyn’s first World Series title in 1955. Campanella was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969, and the Dodgers established the Roy Campanella Award to honor players who display similar leadership qualities.

In a significant moment during team history, on June 4, 1957, Walter O’Malley informed New York Mayor Robert Wagner of his commitment to relocating the Dodgers to Los Angeles, alongside New York Giants president Horace Stoneham, who was also moving to the West Coast.

June 4 also marks memorable pitching performances in Dodgers history. Koufax threw his third no-hitter on this date in 1964 while playing on the road. Additionally, in 1968, Don Sutton completed a sixth consecutive shutout that extended his scoreless innings streak to 58.2 innings. In 1990, Ramon Martinez matched Koufax’s franchise record with 18 strikeouts in a game against the Atlanta Braves.