The Story of Los Angeles Dodgers

The Story of Los Angeles Dodgers — page 5
6 D o d g e r s TEAM OF MANY NAMES n 1781 Spanish settlers led by a regional governor named Felipe de Neve founded the city of Los Angeles along America’s western coast In the early 19th century Los Angeles came under Mexican rule In 1848 the United States acquired possession of the city following the Mexican American War With a location that featured generous amounts of sun sea and sand it’s no wonder that L A was so highly sought after Los Angeles came by its Major League Baseball team due to a shift in ownership as well In 1950 New York real estate businessman Walter O’Malley bought the Brooklyn Dodgers franchise of the National League NL and after the 1957 season he moved the team across the country from New York to California Los Angelenos immediately took to the first professional sports team in the city’s history and for good reason the team arrived with a history rich in stars and success The team also featured a long history of name changes In the 1850s a ballclub named the Brooklyn Atlantics arose and began playing some of the first organized baseball games in New York First baseman Joe Start I