Los Angeles Dodgers




LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers announced today that they have surpassed the three-million mark in ticket sales for the 2008 season, marking the 13th consecutive season in which they have reached that total and a Major League record 23rd time overall.

During the 2007 season, the Dodgers attracted a record 3,857,036 fans, the highest total in the National League and the second-best mark in the Major Leagues. The attendance total was the fifth-highest in National League history behind only the Colorado Rockies (1993, 1996, and 1997) and the Atlanta Braves (1993).

In 37 home dates thus far in 2008, the Dodgers have drawn 1,667,629 fans, an average 45,071 fans per game. Not included in this total is the team's exhibition contest on March 29 which drew a Guinness World Record 115,300 fans to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in a game that benefited ThinkCure, the team's official charity. Guinness has also certified the Dodgers as having the "Highest Cumulative Attendance for a Baseball Franchise." Since 1901, when Major League Baseball began tracking official attendance, the Dodgers have played before more fans than any other franchise in the sport's history with a cumulative attendance in excess of 177 million.

In order to ensure the continued vitality of Dodger Stadium, the organization recently announced a multi-faceted stadium improvement plan that will bring modern amenities to Dodger fans while preserving the tradition of the historic venue, which first opened in 1962. The improvements are designed to protect Dodger Stadium's place as the home of Los Angeles baseball for the next 50 years.

Fans have several options for purchasing tickets to Dodger home games this season. They can purchase tickets online at dodgers.com, call 1-866-DODGERS, visit the Dodger Stadium Advance Ticket windows or any Ticketmaster retail outlet.

—Los Angeles Dodgers prized prospect Clayton Kershaw got his feet wet. Now the promising lefthander is headed back to the minors.

The Dodgers optioned Kershaw to Class AA Jacksonville of the Southern League on Wednesday in order to activate righthander Hiroki Kuroda from the 15-day disabled list.

The seventh overall pick in 2006, Kershaw went 0-2 with a 4.42 ERA in eight starts after having his contract purchased from Jacksonville on May 25. The 20-year-old started against Houston on Tuesday, allowing three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings but did not figure in the decision of a 7-6 victory.

Kuroda, 33, had been sidelined since June 13 with right shoulder tendinitis. The Japanese righthander, who signed with the Dodgers as a free agent in December 2007, is 3-6 with a 4.04 ERA in 14 starts. Andruw sucks.