Blast From the Past: Jim Davenport Dodger Destroyer 1958

I recall a postgame interview on KSFO sometime back the late '60's with Jim Davenport.  I always thought that was a classy name for a ballplayer and was a bit of a curiosity to me because my grandmother always called the sofa in the living room the "davenport."  He and I also shared a first name.  Anyway, in this postgame interview Lon mentioned that Jim had a history of playing well against the Dodgers.  Jim kind of laughed and said he might not have had a big league career at all were it not for hitting very well agains the Dodgers in his rookie season.  Boy, did he ever!

Jim Davenport was an infielder for the Giants for 13 seasons from his rookie season in 1958 through 1970, mostly playing 3B but also some SS and 2B.  His first major league AB was also the first AB for any San Francisco Giant, leading off the bottom of the first inning against the Dodgers in Seals Stadium.  He struck out, but ended up with 2 hits in 4 AB's plus a Sac Fly for the game as the Giants won 8-0.  Game 2 of that series, he went 1 for 4.  Game 3 he went 4 for 5 with a double.  The teams moved south for the second half of a home-and-home series and he went 3 for 5 with a double.  Game 2 he went 2 for 4 with a double and a BB. Game 3, 1 for 4, BB.  All told in those first 6 games in San Francisco Giants history, his composite line was 13 for 26, 3 2B, 2 BB, SF.

"Davvy" didn't do much more at the plate until May 9 when the Giants met the Dodgers again to start another home-and-homer with 2 games in each city.  Game 1, he went 3 for 5, 3B in an 11-3 Giants win.  Game 2, he went 1 for 4.  Game 3 in LA 2 for 4, 2 BB.  Game 4, 2 for 5, 2 BB.  The Two teams would not meet again until August 8 in LA.  Game 1, 1 for 4.  Game 2, 3 for 4, HR.  Then in the series finale, a stupendous 5 for 6, 2B, 2 HR!

The Giants and Dodgers would later hook up for 9 consecutive games including 2 doubleheaders starting August 29 in Seals Stadium.  Davvy went 1 for 4 in Game 1.  2 for 4, 2 HR, BB in Game 2.  1 for 2, BB, HBP in Game 3(2'nd game of a DH.  Hmm....wonder why the HBP?).  2 for 4 in Game 4.  1 for 5 in Game 5.  In Game 6(game 2 of another DH), he went 0 for 7 in 16 innings.  It was the first time he went hitless against the Dodgers.  After two more 0 for 4's, he went 2 for 6 in the final meeting between the Giants and Dodgers in 1958.  Overall, his split line against the Dodgers was .406/.463/.635, 5 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 10 BB, HBP, SF in 108 PA.  He hit just .213 against the rest of the league.  So, how did he do against the Dodgers the rest of his career?  As you might expect, being good sabermetricians and all, he regressed to the mean hitting just .232 for a career BA against the Dodgers of .260 just .002 above his overall career BA.

Jim Davenport was a Dodger killer as a rookie in 1958.  Were it not for that magical run, his career might have ended after his rookie season.  Instead, he parlayed it into a 13 year MLB career with more coaching and managing after he retired.