Legendary pitcher and award-winning sports broadcaster Orel Hershiser received his star on the blue carpet in August on the Walk of Fame. (photo by Edwin Folven)

From high atop the pitcher’s mound to a seat behind the microphone in the broadcast booth, the Dodgers’ Orel Hershiser is an L.A. legend, one of the most familiar faces in local professional sports over the past four decades.

Nicknamed the “Bulldog” by late Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda, Hershiser played with the team from 1983-94 and notably helped lead the Boys in Blue to a World Series championship in 1988. After retiring as a player in 2000, Hershiser worked as an analyst for ESPN and returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 as a broadcaster and game analyst, currently paired with play-by-play announcer Joe Davis on SportsNet LA. On Aug. 13, 2026, the 1988 Cy Young award winner and World Series MVP added a new recognition to his long list of accomplishments – the 2,853rd star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“It’s humbling. I’m grateful to be recognized in Hollywood,” Hershiser said after his star was unveiled. “It felt like a family reunion.”

The 1988 World Series ace was surrounded by current and former Dodgers at the ceremony in Hollywood, which was an all-star affair. Manager Dave Roberts, recently retired pitcher Clayton Kershaw and infielder Miguel Rojas joined Hershiser, who said receiving a star offers a special way to connect to baseball fans. He proudly stated that it also gives him a unique distinction in Hollywood.

“When you come to Dodger Stadium and people recognize you, you are one of many because so many Dodger greats have gone through there,” Hershiser said. “But when you come to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, there are only three Major Leaguers that have a star. One is Chuck Connors – the ‘Rifleman’ – and the other is John Beradino – Dr. Hardy from ’General Hospital.’ I sometimes forget his name but I’m not going to forget his character because my mom and I watched ‘General Hospital’ every day when she’d get a break with the kids. The three of us are now the only people that played in the Major Leagues that also have Hollywood stars.”

The location of Hershiser’s star at 6755 Hollywood Blvd. recognizes one of his greatest achievements on the mound, which came during the Dodgers’ World Championship season in 1988. It commemorates the 67 scoreless innings Hershiser pitched during the 1988 baseball season, as well as 55, the number on his uniform. He finished the 1988 regular season with 59 consecutive scoreless innings pitched, breaking a record held by Dodger pitcher Don Drysdale. Hershiser went on to pitch an additional eight scoreless innings in the postseason, totaling 67, a record he still holds today. Award-winning sports broadcaster Bob Costas, who served as emcee at the Hollywood star ceremony, said Hershiser’s accomplishments during the 1988 season were legendary.

“He won more than 200 games, but obviously the centerpiece of his extraordinary career is 1988,” Costas said. “Twenty-three wins, eight of them shut outs, and then in the League Championship Series, he wins the clinching Game Seven against the heavily favored Mets. In the World Series, after Kirk Gibson’s miracle home run in Game One, he pitches another complete game victory against the heavily favored Oakland A’s. The Dodgers take a two-nothing lead to Oakland for the middle three games. The A’s manage to win Game Three, the Dodgers win Game Four and then it’s Hershiser again in Game Five, another complete game victory. That’s the clincher. If you submitted the script for that season and that World Series with Gibson and all the rest to a Hollywood producer, they would reject it as too unbelievable. But it happened.”

Hershiser remains modest about his achievements, crediting his success to fellow players and the team itself. It’s part of the Dodgers culture, which Roberts described as always putting others and the team before yourself.

“The interesting thing, and I’ll give you a peek behind the curtain, when we have these big wins, my phone is blowing up. But when we have these tough losses, my phone is dead silent,” Roberts said. “When things are going well, when the wind is at our backs, I don’t hear from Orel. But when the wind is in my face and the organization’s face, one of the few people that texts me, outside of family, is Orel Hershiser and he says, ‘Doc, it’s going to be OK.’”

While Hershiser’s accomplishments on the field are part of Major League Baseball history, he has also distinguished himself in the broadcast booth. The Emmy Award-winning sports analyst joined ESPN from 2006-13, and began his current role as commentator and analyst on SportsNet LA in 2014. Costas said Hershiser helped ease the transition when legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully stepped away in 2016, providing a familiar face that fans already knew and respected.

Ever-humble, the Bulldog said his accomplishments on the field and in his sports broadcasting career have only been possible because of the people around him and the support of the Dodgers.

“To succeed with a ball and to succeed with a microphone, it depends on a team. It’s a team sport,” Hershiser said, his voice full of emotion. “If I could put one more word on that star, it would go above my name and would it be the word, Dodger.”