
Sixty years ago this week, the 1963 Dodgers split their eight games at home to fall out of first place in the tightly-packed National League.
The offense was led by a few injury-plagued players hitting their stride, and the pitching staff got a shot in the arm from a new face.
Batter of the week
After missing 11 games with a toe injury, Maury Wills came back like a house afire the previous week, then was even better once the Dodgers returned home. Wills had five multi-hit games, extended his hitting streak to 13 games, and during the week had 18 hits in 33 at-bats.
When he returned from injury, Wills was hitting .252 on the season. Two weeks later, he’s hitting .337.
Honorable mention goes to Tommy Davis, who had five multi-hit games of his own, hitting .387 with a .910 OPS. Davis is hitting .339 on the season, first in the National League in batting average, with Wills second.
Pitcher of the week
The Dodgers called up 22-year-old left-hander Nick Willhite from Triple-A Spokane on Wednesday, and he debuted in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader by blanking the Cubs at Dodger Stadium, allowing only five hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Willhite was the fourth Dodgers pitcher with a shutout in his major league debut.
Willhite was the second Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher to start and win his major league debut, a list that grew to 13 pitchers in 2023 on May 23 when Bobby Miller beat the Braves.

Week 10 results
4-4 record
25 runs scored (3.13 per game)
24 runs allowed (3.00 per game)
.519 pythagorean win percentage
Year to date
36-27-1 record
256 runs scored (4.00 per game)
226 runs allowed (3.53 per game)
.557 pythagorean win percentage (35-28)
Miscellany
Roster move: To make room for Willhite, the Dodgers optioned Pete Richert to Spokane. The second-year left-hander had a 6.84 ERA in a swingman role, allowing 20 runs on 31 hits and 12 walks in 25 innings, with 17 strikeouts, in four starts and five relief appearances.
Home cooking: Sandy Koufax stymied the Colt .45s on Thursday at home, striking out 10, pitching his fifth shutout in 14 starts this season. Four of those shutouts have come at Dodger Stadium, where in six starts this season the left-hander has allowed two runs in 54⅔ innings, a 0.33 ERA with 50 strikeouts.
Game results
- Monday, June 10: Giants 7, Dodgers 3
- Tuesday, June 11: Giants 3, Dodgers 0
- Wednesday, June 12: Dodgers 9, Colt .45s 1
- Thursday, June 13: Dodgers 3, Colt .45s 0
- Friday, June 14: Cubs 4, Dodgers 1
- Saturday, June 15: Dodgers 4, Cubs 1
- Sunday, June 16: Game 1 — Cubs 8, Dodgers 3
- Sunday, June 16: Game 2 — Dodgers 2, Cubs 0
Previous 1963 reviews: Snider to Mets | Nate Oliver | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9
The week ahead
The Dodgers are back on the road this week, running the Bob Nieman gauntlet through San Francisco and St. Louis. The Dodgers begin the week in third place in the National League, but just one game back of the Giants, with the Cardinals in between them both only a half-game out.