{"id":152022,"date":"2026-02-12T13:50:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T13:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022"},"modified":"2026-02-12T13:50:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T13:50:19","slug":"hot-the-bulldog-returns-orel-hershiser-returns-to-dodgers-as-special-advisor-a-homecoming-that-moves-all-of-la","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022","title":{"rendered":"HOT: \u201cThe Bulldog\u201d Returns \u2014 Orel Hershiser Returns to Dodgers as Special Advisor, a Homecoming That Moves All of LA."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 The Dodgers\u2019 leadership just got a big boost. Legendary pitcher Orel Hershiser, who defined the team\u2019s golden era of dominance and discipline on the pitching mound, is officially returning to the team as a special advisor \u2014 while also continuing his role as a beloved analyst on SportsNet LA.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Dodgers fans, this is more than just a reunion. It\u2019s a return to form after decades \u2014 a bridge between past glory and the team\u2019s pursuit of championships in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce a Dodger, always a Dodger,\u201d Hershiser told local reporters. \u201cThis team has shaped my life, and I\u2019m ready to give back \u2014 in whatever way they need me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dodgers<\/p>\n

Nicknamed \u201cThe Bulldog\u201d by manager Tommy Lasorda for his relentless tenacity, Hershiser remains one of the most revered figures in Dodgers history. From his record-breaking 59 consecutive scoreless innings in 1988 to his World Series MVP performance that same year, Hershiser\u2019s career represents everything Los Angeles baseball stands for\u2014resilience, heart, and history.<\/p>\n

Now, at age 66, he\u2019s back not to pitch, but to advise. Sources close to the team confirm that Hershiser\u2019s advisory role will involve working closely with pitchers and the analytics department, providing both technical insight and leadership perspective.<\/p>\n

Insiders describe the move as part of President Andrew Friedman\u2019s broader effort to bolster Dodgers\u2019 mental performance and player development programs. \u201cHershiser\u2019s influence on the young players will be huge,\u201d said a team executive. \u201cNo one understands the mental toughness of pitching under pressure like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even while working as a television analyst, Hershiser remained deeply involved with the game. On air, he was known for his ability to analyze mechanics, predict pitch sequences, and immerse viewers in a pitcher\u2019s worldview.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching Orel analyze a game is like taking a master class in baseball psychology,\u201d said his broadcast partner, Joe Davis. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t just see pitches\u2014he sees patterns, emotions, and strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, that same excellence will be directed to the next generation of Dodgers pitchers. Rising stars like Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone are expected to benefit directly from Hershiser\u2019s mentorship\u2014both in terms of technique and the pressure of playing under the bright lights of Dodger Stadium.<\/p>\n

\"Orel<\/p>\n

Hershiser, who has always described the Dodgers as \u201cfamily,\u201d said the role isn\u2019t about nostalgia\u2014it\u2019s about impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cBaseball has given me everything,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cIf I can help a young pitcher find confidence, or remind a veteran what it means to wear this jersey\u2014that\u2019s more valuable than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Team officials have hinted that Hershiser\u2019s presence will extend beyond the clubhouse. He\u2019s expected to assist with organizational culture initiatives, mentor coaches, and even work with lower-league affiliates\u2014continuing the player-to-coach tradition that has long defined the Dodgers.<\/p>\n

The news sparked a wave of nostalgia across Los Angeles. Within minutes of the announcement, hashtags like #BulldogReturns and #OnceADodgerAlwaysADodger were trending on social media.\"El<\/p>\n

One fan wrote, \u201cIt feels like 1988 all over again. If anyone can ignite that fire in this new generation, it\u2019s Orel Hershiser.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another added, \u201cHe\u2019s the reason I fell in love with Dodgers baseball. To see him back in uniform\u2014it\u2019s chilling.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Hershiser, who spent nearly two decades with the team as a player, coach, and broadcaster, it was a poetic moment of fulfillment. From his iconic look on the pitcher\u2019s mound to his thoughtful presence in the dugout, his journey reflects what the Dodgers have always been about\u2014excellence built on respect, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of greatness.<\/p>\n

And as Los Angeles continues its championship hunt, the timing couldn\u2019t be more perfect.<\/p>\n

Orel Hershiser is back \u2014 not to pitch, but to shape champions.<\/p>\n

And for Dodgers fans, it feels like destiny is rewriting itself\u2026 in blue and white.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2014 The Dodgers\u2019 leadership just got a big boost. Legendary pitcher Orel Hershiser, who defined the team\u2019s golden era of dominance and discipline on the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":152023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nHOT: \u201cThe Bulldog\u201d Returns \u2014 Orel Hershiser Returns to Dodgers as Special Advisor, a Homecoming That Moves All of LA. - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HOT: \u201cThe Bulldog\u201d Returns \u2014 Orel Hershiser Returns to Dodgers as Special Advisor, a Homecoming That Moves All of LA. - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LOS ANGELES \u2014 The Dodgers\u2019 leadership just got a big boost. Legendary pitcher Orel Hershiser, who defined the team\u2019s golden era of dominance and discipline on the...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-12T13:50:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-9.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"KING\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"KING\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022\",\"name\":\"HOT: \u201cThe Bulldog\u201d Returns \u2014 Orel Hershiser Returns to Dodgers as Special Advisor, a Homecoming That Moves All of LA. - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-9.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-12T13:50:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-12T13:50:19+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c39bbfd04943c9a6066d47398d20dc83\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-9.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-9.jpg\",\"width\":768,\"height\":768},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"HOT: \u201cThe Bulldog\u201d Returns \u2014 Orel Hershiser Returns to Dodgers as Special Advisor, a Homecoming That Moves All of LA.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c39bbfd04943c9a6066d47398d20dc83\",\"name\":\"KING\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9d48a8db62ae2a08ff5a16c43ac5bf806c0ea86d3af70f223f379b8ea2c9245c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9d48a8db62ae2a08ff5a16c43ac5bf806c0ea86d3af70f223f379b8ea2c9245c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"KING\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"HOT: \u201cThe Bulldog\u201d Returns \u2014 Orel Hershiser Returns to Dodgers as Special Advisor, a Homecoming That Moves All of LA. - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"HOT: \u201cThe Bulldog\u201d Returns \u2014 Orel Hershiser Returns to Dodgers as Special Advisor, a Homecoming That Moves All of LA. - NEWS USA","og_description":"LOS ANGELES \u2014 The Dodgers\u2019 leadership just got a big boost. Legendary pitcher Orel Hershiser, who defined the team\u2019s golden era of dominance and discipline on the...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2026-02-12T13:50:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":768,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-9.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"KING","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"KING","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022","name":"HOT: \u201cThe Bulldog\u201d Returns \u2014 Orel Hershiser Returns to Dodgers as Special Advisor, a Homecoming That Moves All of LA. - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-9.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-12T13:50:19+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-12T13:50:19+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c39bbfd04943c9a6066d47398d20dc83"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-9.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/avtdogge-9.jpg","width":768,"height":768},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=152022#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"HOT: \u201cThe Bulldog\u201d Returns \u2014 Orel Hershiser Returns to Dodgers as Special Advisor, a Homecoming That Moves All of LA."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c39bbfd04943c9a6066d47398d20dc83","name":"KING","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9d48a8db62ae2a08ff5a16c43ac5bf806c0ea86d3af70f223f379b8ea2c9245c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9d48a8db62ae2a08ff5a16c43ac5bf806c0ea86d3af70f223f379b8ea2c9245c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"KING"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com"],"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=152022"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152024,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152022\/revisions\/152024"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/152023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=152022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=152022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=152022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}