April 8 is a memorable date in Los Angeles Dodgers history for multiple reasons, including in 1994 when Chan Ho Park became the first Korean to play in the Major Leagues, making his debut at Dodger Stadium.
The 21-year-old pitched an inning of work, giving up two runs on one hit while striking out two and walking two in a 6-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Park only appeared in two games for the Dodgers during the 1994 season as he spent most of the year in the Minors. However, he went on to have a 17-year Major League career before playing in Japan for two more seasons and then retiring from baseball in 2012.
Park played nine seasons across two stints with the Dodgers, with his best MLB season coming in 2001. In 36 games (35 starts) for L.A. that year, he went 15-11 with a 3.50 ERA, 3.89 FIP and 1.17 WHIP with 218 strikeouts and 91 walks in 234 innings.
In 476 career MLB games (287 starts), Park had 124 wins and a respectable 4.36 ERA with 84 of those wins and an even better 3.77 ERA coming in a Dodger uniform.
Adrián González sets home run record with Dodgers
April 8, 2015, Adrián González became the first Major League player to hit five home runs in the first three games of the season. He did so in a series against his former team, the San Diego Padres, at Dodger Stadium.
After homering once in each of the first two games of the season, González exploded for three home runs in the third contest, a 7-4 win on April 8.
He joined Carl Furillo (1955) and Jimmy Wynn (1974) as the only players in Dodgers franchise history to have homered in the first three games of a season.
Gonzalez finished that 2015 season hitting .275/.350/.480 with 28 home runs and 90 RBI in 156 games, being named an All-Star for the only time in his five full seasons with the Dodgers.
After being traded to L.A. in a blockbuster deal with the Boston Red Sox in 2012, Gonzalez played 156 games or more in his first four full seasons with the team and was a big part of them winning the National League West in all of those years.
He finished his 15-year Major League career by playing 51 games for the New York Mets in 2018 after the Dodgers traded him away in a salary-motivated deal with the Atlanta Braves. That largely occurred due to the 2017 season Cody Bellinger had when took over everyday first base duties.
Bellinger’s career arc unfortunately declined after 2018, and he wound up being non-tendered.
Vin Scully calls Hank Aaron’s 715th home run
On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron Passed Babe Ruth as the all-time home run leader in MLB history. Aaron’s 715th career home run came against Dodgers pitcher Al Downing and is one of many moments legendary broadcaster Vin Scully is recognized for.
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