Dodgers Can't Beat Candelaria, So He Joins Them as a Reliever

Dodgers Can’t Beat Candelaria, So He Joins Them as a Reliever

By BILL PLASCHKE

Feb. 12, 1991 12 AM PT

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The Dodgers hope they moved closer to solving their left-handed relief problem Monday when veteran John Candelaria, who pitched a no-hitter against them 15 years ago, accepted an invitation to spring training.

Candelaria, 37, must make the team before receiving a contract. He impressed the Dodgers in a recent tryout, and he comes recommended by Manager Tom Lasorda. But Candelaria is coming off an inconsistent season.

He began 1990 by going 7-3 with a 3.39 earned-run average in 34 games for Minnesota. After being traded to Toronto in time for its pennant stretch, he went 0-3 with a 5.48 ERA in 13 games. In 21 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays, he allowed 32 hits.

“There are several knowns about John,” said Fred Claire, Dodger vice president. “He throws strikes. He has a lot of experience. And he has always had a good record when it comes to getting out left-handed hitters.”

Candelaria pitched a no-hitter against the Dodgers on Aug. 9, 1976 in Pittsburgh. Overall he is 174-113 with a 3.29 ERA and 21 saves.

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Bill Plaschke

Bill Plaschke, an L.A. Times sports columnist since 1996, is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame and California Sports Hall of Fame. He has been named national Sports Columnist of the Year nine times by the Associated Press, and twice by the Society of Professional Journalists and National Headliner Awards. He is the author of six books, including a collection of his columns entitled “Plaschke: Good Sports, Spoilsports, Foul Balls and Oddballs.” Plaschke is also a panelist on the popular ESPN daily talk show, “Around the Horn.” He is in the national Big Brothers/Big Sisters Alumni Hall of Fame and has been named Man of the Year by the Los Angeles Big Brothers/Big Sisters as well as receiving a Pursuit of Justice Award from the California Women’s Law Center. Plaschke has appeared in a movie (“Ali”), a dramatic HBO series (“Luck”) and, in a crowning cultural moment he still does not quite understand, his name can be found in a rap song “Females Welcome” by Asher Roth.

Dodgers Can’t Beat Candelaria, So He Joins Them as a Reliever

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