The Los Angeles Dodgers brought home a win for their new owners Monday night, trumping rival San Francisco Giants 9-1.
For the Los Angeles Dodgers and their fans, a season's first series against the San Francisco Giants is routine: intense games based on a rivalry dating back to 1890.
But it's 2012, and for the Dodgers, the season's first game versus the Giants was anything but routine, as the team's new owners embarked on their first home game, marking the end of one era and the beginning of something new.
Guggenheim Baseball Management's first order of business: dropping the price of parking from $15 to $10.
As part of the purchase, the new owners will pay former owner Frank McCourt $14 million each year to lease half of the parking lots surrounding the stadium. Face of the ownership group, Magic Johnson, said at a news conference on last Wednesday that the new owners are focused on winning.
The Changeup: The Frank McCourt Era, Timeline of Events
"Frank's not here anymore. We should be clapping for just that," Johnson said at the news conference introducing the new owners. "We're going to pour money into the team and the fan experience. We're here to win."
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
And winning is exactly what the Dodgers have been doing.
The Boys in Blue enter the three-game series atop their division with an 18-10 record, four games ahead of the Giants.
That's partly because of the bat of early MVP-favorite Matt Kemp, who is hitting .388 with 12 home runs, and the arm of Chris Capuano, who is 4-0 in with a 2.21 ERA in six starts.
In addition to winning, Guggenheim Management has announced that it is looking at every way to make the fan experience at Chavez Ravine better, and has even released a new website dedicated to the "Next 50 Years" at Dodger Stadium.
The group announced a new resource -- fanbox@ladodgers.com -- for fans to share what they consider replaceable or irreplaceable about Dodger Stadium, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
"The Dodgers have been here, what, 54 years? The Bank of England is 300 years old. That's tradition. The monarchy? That's tradition," said one new owner, Peter Guber. "The tradition we have to have is to entertain and engage fans in a meaningful, purposeful way in the 21st century."
Ted Lilly (3-0) is scheduled to make the start for the Dodgers versus former USC Trojan Barry Zito (1-0).
The game was scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m.
Follow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment: iPhone/iPad App | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | RSS | Text Alerts | Email Alerts
