Dodgers World Series architect Fred Claire dies on 91st birthday

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ franchise and fan base woke to sad news on Tuesday.Former General Manager Fred Claire died on Monday, on what was his 91st birthday.Claire served in numerous roles in the Dodgers’ front office for nearly 30 years, including serving as the team’s general manager from 1987 to 1998.Claire is best-known for being the man who put the Dodgers’ 1988 World Series roster together.

He acquired outfielders Kirk Gibson and Mike Davis, shortstop Alfredo Griffin, plus several impact pitchers like Jay Howell and Jesse Orosco after Los Angeles’ 1987 campaign to set them up for their first World Series win in seven seasons the next year.The most notable of those acquisitions was Gibson, whose legendary walk-off home run in Game 1 of that World Series is still one of the most iconic moments not just for the Dodgers’ franchise, but in all of baseball history.The Dodgers have a great opportunity to honor Claire’s memory on Tuesday, as they face the Atlanta Braves in a pivotal Game 3 of their best-of-five NLDS series this evening.

If the series comes back to Dodger Stadium for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday, fans can likely expect the Dodgers to pay tribute to Claire in some way....