Dodgers honor legendary broadcaster Vin Scully with tribute before Mets game

The Los Angeles Dodgers honored the late Vin Scully on Tuesday, 73 years to the day of his first regular-season broadcast. 

Scully, who called Dodgers games for 67 years, passed away in August at the age of 94.

The Dodgers played a tribute video for the broadcast legend, gave away Vin Scully jerseys to the first 40,000 fans in attendance, and members of Scully’s family threw out the first pitch. 

VIN SCULLY’S LEGACY IS BIGGER THAN BASEBALL

“He is ‘the’ guy. You can have a conversation about who is the second-best, but there’s no dispute and no discussion about who was the best ever, all things considered,” baseball announcer Bob Costas told Sports Central LA on Tuesday.

“He was the best, and he also had the best platform. The best stage,” he continued. 

Scully’s first broadcast was on April 18, 1950, when the Brooklyn Dodgers faced the Philadelphia Phillies at Shibe Park. 

“Don Newcombe was going to be our pitcher,” Scully said at a news conference the day before his final broadcast at Dodger Stadium, according to Fox 11. 

“Red Barber assigned me to do the fourth inning. They didn’t trust me more than one inning. I understand that.

“My first game, Newcombe didn’t make it to the fourth inning. That’s all I really remember, plus the fact I was terrified.”

The Dodgers honored Scully in the best way possible, blanking the New York Mets for a 5-0 win Tuesday night. 

Starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw earned his 200th career win, going seven innings while allowing no runs on just three hits and striking out nine. 

“The goal is to win and that’s why tonight is really cool, because it’s a team stat, a win,” Kershaw said. “For me, to be able to do that 200 times is just a product of being on great teams. That’s why I really like tonight.”

Kershaw is now 11-0 with a 2.03 ERA in 17 career regular season starts against the Mets. 

“It took a lot of hard work and for us to be a part of it and watch it happen in real time is really special,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Certainly it’s individual in a sense that it is 200 wins, which very few have ever achieved or will ever achieve. But he said it’s a compilation of good teams he has been a part of and that just shows his humility.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report