Ron Cey Inducted into Legends of Dodger Baseball This July 18

Eric Stephen, managing editor at True Blue LA, has been covering the Dodgers since 2009 and co-hosts the Three-Inning Save podcast. He is active on Bluesky at @ericstephen.bsky.social.

Ron Cey, a key figure for the Dodgers over many years, will be honored on Friday, July 18, when he is inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball. This recognition comes after years of strained relations, signaling a reconciliation between the team and one of its former greats.

The induction ceremony will take place before a game against the Brewers, marking the start of alumni weekend at Dodger Stadium. Fans will also receive a Cey bobblehead that evening.

During a November 2023 interview, Cey discussed his biography, Penguin Power: Dodger Blue, Hollywood Lights, and My One-in-a-Million Big League Journey, co-written with Dodgers beat reporter Ken Gurnick. Cey mentioned that at that time, he had no ongoing relationship with the team.

However, things had improved by the following season. Cey participated in alumni weekend in August, where his former teammate Dusty Baker was inducted into the Legends of Dodgers Baseball. During the event, Cey, Baker, Reggie Smith, and Steve Garvey recreated a famous photo from 47 years earlier, when they became the first quartet of major league teammates to each hit 30 home runs in a season.

Cey, a six-time All-Star, spent the first 12 seasons of his 17-year major league career with the Dodgers. He ranks fifth in franchise history in home runs (228), walks (765), sixth in rWAR (47.7), and tenth in RBI.

In the 2023 interview, Cey reflected on his career, saying, “I didn’t think I needed to be in front of the camera to justify getting an interview. I thought my play would speak for itself, and I was wrong. I naively believed that if I did my job, it would be enough. I realize now I could have been more vocal and taken better advantage of opportunities.”

At 77 years old in February, Cey will be the ninth player inducted into the Legends of Dodger Baseball. Don Newcombe, Steve Garvey, and Fernando Valenzuela were inducted in 2019, with Valenzuela later having his number 34 retired in 2023. Maury Wills and Kirk Gibson were honored in 2022, followed by Manny Mota and Orel Hershiser in 2023, with Baker receiving his induction last season.