Legendary Pitcher Never Forgot Roots

It didn’t take long for the sporting world to discover the talent of Don Drysdale, one of the most successful and famous athletes born in the San Fernando Valley.

Less than two years after graduating from Van Nuys High in 1954, Drysdale was pitching in the major leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers, who moved to Los Angeles in 1958.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound right-hander, who was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1984, was born and raised in Van Nuys and lived in Van Nuys and Hidden Hills during his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A tireless workhorse with a penchant for throwing the brushback pitch, Drysdale never forgot his Valley roots.

He always kept in touch with his former schoolmates and sports buddies, helped establish the Van Nuys Athletic Club and was a partner in a Van Nuys restaurant, Don Drysdale’s Dugout, from 1962 to 1982.

He and Dodger teammate Sandy Koufax, the most formidable one-two pitching punch of the 1950s and ‘60s, were the first major-league pitchers to earn six-figure salaries, settling for more than $100,000 each after holding out and missing spring training in 1966.

Drysdale won the Cy Young Award in 1962 and established a major-league record in 1968 with 58 consecutive scoreless innings, a record that stood for 20 years.

Drysdale retired from baseball in 1969 after being selected for 10 All-Star teams and pitching in five World Series, leaving with a lifetime record of 209-166 and a 2.95 earned-run average.

He went on to become a sports broadcaster, including stints with the Angels and Dodgers.

Drysdale died of a heart attack July 3, 1993, in a Montreal hotel room 20 days before his 57th birthday.