Orel Hershiser threw 59 consecutive scoreless innings in 1988.

By Mark Langill

Today the Dodgers celebrate the record-setting career of pitcher Orel Hershiser with a promotional coin giveaway commemorating his 59 consecutive scoreless innings in 1988.

But Hershiser was considered a penny stock as a 24-year-old Minor Leaguer in December 1982 when Los Angeles traded him to the Texas Rangers.

The Dodgers coveted veteran catcher Jim Sundberg, who at age 31 was in the prime of his career and coming off a solid 1982 season in which he batted .251 in 139 games with 10 home runs and 47 RBI.

Hershiser, a Bowling Green product selected by the Dodgers in the 17th round in the 1979 amateur draft, went 9–6 with a 3.71 ERA in 47 games (seven starts) during his first season at the Triple-A level. Known primarily as a relief pitcher, Hershiser wasn’t a September roster call-up for the 1982 N.L. West race in which L.A. eventually lost to San Francisco by one game on Joe Morgan’s home run on the final day of the season.

Hershiser’s Dodger career appeared over before it even started when general manager Al Campanis packaged him with pitchers Burt Hooton and Dave Stewart and outfielder Mark Bradley to the Rangers. The deal was contingent on the Dodgers settling Sundberg’s contract. He was due a $250,000 buyout for a no-trade clause. He also had the right to demand a trade after the 1983 season because he was traded during a multi-year contract. The Dodgers wanted to rewrite the contract language to eliminate the bonus and the trade option. The deal collapsed when both sides could not reach an agreement.

Before the trade, the Rangers projected Hooton and Stewart into their starting rotation for 1983. Both pitchers eventually played for Texas. Stewart was traded in August 1983 in a deal for pitcher Rick Honeycutt, who’s now the Dodgers’ pitching coach. After a 10-year career with the Dodgers from 1975–84, Hooton signed with Texas as a free agent. In his final MLB season, Hooton went 5–8 with a 5.23 ERA in 29 games in 1985.

Hershiser made his MLB debut in September 1983 before going on to win 204 games during an 18-year career.

Although best known for his Cy Young Award season in 1988 — which included MVP honors in both the NLCS and World Series — Hershiser also posted one of the most underrated seasons in Dodger history in 1985. During his first campaign as a full-time starter, Hershiser went 19–3 with a 2.03 ERA and five shutouts. He didn’t lose a game after July 7 and set a franchise record for the best record in a season at Dodger Stadium — 11–0 with a 1.08 ERA. Hershiser finished third in the Cy Young Award balloting behind Dwight Gooden (Mets) and John Tudor (Cardinals).

Nearly two decades after the trade that never was, Hershiser joined the Rangers as the team’s pitching coach from 2002 to 2005.