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{{short description|American baseball player and manager (1911–1984)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Walter Alston
|image=Walter Alston Dodgers.jpg
|caption=Alston in 1976
|position=[[First baseman]] / [[Manager (baseball)|Manager]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date|1911|12|1}}
|birth_place=[[Ross, Ohio|Venice, Ohio]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1984|10|1|1911|12|1}}
|death_place=[[Oxford, Ohio]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 27
|debutyear=1936
|debutteam=St. Louis Cardinals
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=September 27
|finalyear=1936
|finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=Games managed
|stat1value=3,658
|stat2label=Managerial record
|stat2value=2,040–1,613
|stat3label=Winning %
|stat3value={{Winning percentage|2040|1613}}
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1936}})
'''As manager'''
* [[Los Angeles Dodgers|Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers]] ({{mlby|1954}}–{{mlby|1976}})
|highlights=
* 4× [[World Series]] champion ([[1955 World Series|1955]], [[1959 World Series|1959]], [[1963 World Series|1963]], [[1965 World Series|1965]])
*[[Los Angeles Dodgers#Retired numbers|Los Angeles Dodgers No. 24]] retired
|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
|hoftype = National
|hofdate=[[1983 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting|1983]]
|hofvote=Veterans Committee
}}
'''Walter Emmons Alston''' (December 1, 1911 – October 1, 1984), nicknamed "'''Smokey'''", was an American [[Manager (baseball)|baseball manager]] in [[Major League Baseball]] who managed the [[Los Angeles Dodgers|Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers]] from [[1954 Brooklyn Dodgers season|1954]] through [[1976 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1976]], signing 23 one-year contracts with the {{nowrap|team.<ref name=CSM>{{cite news|last1=Elderkin|first1=Phil|title=Walter Alston's 'one-year contract' added up to seven pennants|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1984/1005/100504.html|access-date=May 20, 2015|work=[[Christian Science Monitor]]|date=October 5, 1984}}</ref>}} Regarded as one of the greatest managers in baseball history, Alston was known for his calm, reticent demeanor, for which he was sometimes referred to as "'''the Quiet Man'''."

Born and raised in rural [[Ohio]], Alston [[Letterman (sports)|lettered]] in baseball and basketball at [[Miami University]] in [[Oxford, Ohio|Oxford]]. A journeyman whose MLB playing career consisted of only one game–two [[inning (baseball)|innings played]] and one at-bat with the [[1936 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] in 1936–Alston spent 19 years in the [[minor league baseball|minor leagues]] as a player, [[player-manager (baseball)|player-manager]] and non-playing manager. His service included a stint as manager of the 1946 [[Nashua Dodgers]], the first U.S.-based integrated professional team in modern baseball. After six successful seasons as manager of Brooklyn's [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A]] teams, the [[St. Paul Saints (1901–60)|St. Paul Saints]] and [[Montreal Royals]], Alston was promoted to manage the Dodgers in 1954.

As a major league manager, Alston led Dodger teams to seven [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (NL) pennants and four World Series titles, including the only [[1955 Brooklyn Dodgers season|championship title]] won while the club was still in [[Brooklyn Dodgers|Brooklyn]]. After 23 seasons, Alston retired with over 2,000 career wins and had been selected as Manager of the Year six times. He also managed NL [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] teams to seven victories. Alston's number 24 was [[Los Angeles Dodgers#Retired numbers|retired]] by the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] in 1977. In 1983, he was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] but was unable to attend his induction ceremony after suffering a heart attack that year and being hospitalized for a month. He never fully recovered and died in [[Oxford, Ohio]], on {{nowrap|October 1, 1984.<ref name=ada72>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p9YVAAAAIBAJ&pg=5871%2C344361 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |title=Alston dies at age 72 |date=October 2, 1984 |page=2, part 2 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>}}

==Early life==
Walter Emmons Alston was born on December 1, 1911, in [[Venice, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=alstowa01| title= Walter Alston Stats| work= Baseball Almanac |access-date= November 6, 2012}}</ref> Alston spent much of his childhood on a farm in [[Morning Sun, Ohio|Morning Sun]]; when he was a teenager, the family moved to [[Darrtown, Ohio|Darrtown]].<ref name=SABR>{{cite web|last=Johnson|first=Bill|title=SABR Baseball Biography Project: Walter Alston|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/cfc65169|publisher=[[Society for American Baseball Research]]|access-date=August 4, 2013}}</ref>

Alston attended Milford Township High School in Darrtown,<ref name=BR>{{cite web|url= http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/cfc65169|title= Walter Alston|publisher= Society for American Baseball Research|access-date =August 8, 2014}}</ref> and received the nickname "Smokey" as a high school pitcher, owing to the speed of his fastball.<ref name=Almanac>{{cite web|title=Walter Alston Biography|url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/walter_alston_biography.shtml|work=[[Baseball Almanac]]|access-date=August 5, 2013}}</ref>

He graduated from high school in 1929 and married longtime girlfriend Lela Vaughn Alexander the next year.<ref name=Rogers>{{cite news|last1=Rogers|first1=Thomas|title=Walter Alston is dead at 72; Dodgers' manager 23 years|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/02/obituaries/walter-alston-is-dead-at-72-dodgers-manager-23-years.html|access-date=August 8, 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 2, 1984}}</ref>

In 1935, Alston graduated with a degree in industrial arts and physical education from [[Miami University]] in [[Oxford, Ohio]]. He said that finances were a challenge in college and that he had paid his way through school by playing [[Pool (cue sports)|pool]].<ref name=Rogers/> He [[letterman (sports)|lettered]] three years in both [[Miami RedHawks men's basketball|basketball]] and [[Miami RedHawks baseball|baseball]].<ref name=Gladstone>{{cite news|last1=Gladstone|first1=Ken|title=Rich tradition|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19731212&id=dXhPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6767,2984550|access-date=January 7, 2015|work=[[Ocala Star-Banner]]|date=December 12, 1973}}</ref>

==Playing career==
Alston played [[Minor League Baseball|minor league baseball]] as an infielder for the [[Greenwood Chiefs]] and [[Huntington Red Birds]] in 1935 and 1936, respectively. For the 1936 Huntington team, he hit 35 [[home run]]s in 120 games.<ref name=Minors/> Alston's only major league game was with the [[1936 St. Louis Cardinals season|St. Louis Cardinals]] on September 27, 1936, substituting for [[Johnny Mize]] at first base. He later described his major league playing career to a reporter by saying, "Well, I came up to bat for the Cards back in '36, and [[Lon Warneke]] struck me out. That's it." He also committed one error in two fielding chances at first base.<ref name=Fielding>{{cite web|title=Walter Alston: Fielding|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/alstowa01-field.shtml|work=Baseball-Reference.com|access-date=August 4, 2013}}</ref>

Alston returned to the minor leagues after his brief MLB appearance. He split the 1937 season between the [[Houston Buffaloes]] and [[Rochester Red Wings]], hitting for a combined .229 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]]. Alston played for the [[Portsmouth Red Birds]] in 1938, finishing the season with a .311 average and 28 home runs as Portsmouth won its only [[Middle Atlantic League]] championship.<ref name=Minors/><ref name="PDT">{{cite web |last1=Graf |first1=Norma |date=July 25, 2013 |title=Baseball found a home here in the 1930s |url=http://portsmouth-dailytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090518/news/305189995 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518082930/http://portsmouth-dailytimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090518/news/305189995 |archive-date=May 18, 2015 |access-date=May 11, 2015 |work=[[Portsmouth Daily Times]] }}</ref> He returned to Portsmouth in 1940, hit 28 home runs and was a player-manager for part of the season. He was a player-manager for the next two seasons with the [[Springfield (OH) Cardinals|Springfield Cardinals]] and even appeared in seven games as a pitcher in 1942. He returned to Rochester as a first baseman and third baseman in 1943 then moved to the [[Trenton Packers]], where he was a player-manager in 1944 and 1945.<ref name=Minors/> Alston had been offered the job in Trenton, a minor league farm club of the [[Brooklyn Dodgers]], by [[Branch Rickey]], the executive who had signed him as a player with St. Louis.<ref name=Bums/>

After his two seasons with Trenton, Alston served as a player-manager for the first integrated U.S. baseball team based in the twentieth century, the [[Nashua Dodgers]] of the Class-B [[New England League]]. Alston managed black Dodgers prospects [[Don Newcombe]] and [[Roy Campanella]], leading Nashua to a New England League title in 1946.<ref name=Bums>{{cite book|last=Golenbock|first=Peter|title=Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers|date=2010|publisher=Courier Dover Publications|isbn=978-0486477350|page=196|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wz0UPMaCYPgC&pg=PT220}}</ref> Alston later said that he did not give much consideration to racial issues and that he had simply thought about how much they would benefit the team.<ref name=Tygiel>{{cite book|last=Tygiel|first=Jules|title=Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy|date=1997|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0195106202|page=148|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PuFa6Z4p4JAC&pg=PA148}}</ref>

Alston led the [[Pueblo Dodgers]] to the [[Western League (1900–1958)|Western League]] title the next season. He appeared as a player in two games, which were his final professional playing appearances.<ref name=SABR/> For his 13-season minor league playing career, Alston hit .295 with 176 home runs. However, he hit only .239 in 535 [[at bat]]s in Class AA, which was the highest minor league classification through 1945.<ref name=Minors>{{cite web|title=Walter Alston Minor League Statistics & History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=alston001wal|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=April 6, 2014}}</ref><ref>Dickson, Paul (2011). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ceeU7xSLw5kC&pg=PA191&lpg=PA191 ''The Dickson Baseball Dictionary'']. W. W. Norton & Company. {{ISBN|0393073491}}.</ref>

==Managerial career==
===Minor leagues===
In 1948, Alston managed the [[St. Paul Saints (1901–60)|St. Paul Saints]], a Dodgers Class AAA affiliate, to an 86–68 [[win–loss record]]. The team finished in third place, 14 games behind an [[Indianapolis Indians]] team managed by [[Al López]].<ref name=AA48>{{cite web|title=1948 American Association|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/league.cgi?id=6490d436|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref> That year, Alston managed Campanella again, where Campanella integrated the [[American Association (20th century)|American Association]]. The media was critical of Alston for playing Campanella; they said that the catcher was simply there to integrate the league. Campanella hit 13 home runs in 35 games and fans were dismayed when he was called up to the Dodgers.<ref name="Tygiel1997">{{cite book|last=Tygiel|first=Jules|title=Baseball's Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and His Legacy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PuFa6Z4p4JAC&pg=PA241|access-date=May 14, 2015|date=January 1997|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-510620-6|page=241}}</ref> The 1949 Saints finished with a 93-60 record and four of its players collected more than 90 [[run batted in|runs batted in]] (RBI).<ref name=Saints49>{{cite web|title=1949 St. Paul Saints|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/team.cgi?id=29b8bafa|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref> The team finished in first place, half a game in front of Indianapolis.<ref name=AA49>{{cite web|title=1949 American Association|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/league.cgi?id=7e94de44|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref> During the baseball off-season, Alston worked as a teacher in Darrtown.<ref name=PPG/>

From 1950 to 1953, Alston managed another Dodgers AAA affiliate, the [[Montreal Royals]] of the [[International League]]. The team won between 86 and 95 games during each season of Alston's tenure.<ref name=BRMinors>{{cite web|title=Walter Alston Minor League Statistics & History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=alston001wal|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref> The 1951 and 1952 Montreal Royals won International League pennants.<ref name=IL51>{{cite web|title=1951 International League|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/league.cgi?id=edaea83d|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref><ref name=IL52>{{cite web|title=1952 International League|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/league.cgi?id=32f5a80b|website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref> In 1951 and 1953, Montreal won the [[Governors' Cup]] playoff tournament. Alston was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame many years later in 2010.<ref name=MiLB>{{cite web|title=Hall of Fame Inductee – 2010: Walter Alston|url=http://www.milb.com/documents/2010/01/26/7967930/1/Alston.pdf|publisher=[[Minor League Baseball]]|access-date=November 1, 2014}}</ref>

===Brooklyn Dodgers===
Alston was named manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers for the [[1954 Brooklyn Dodgers season|1954 season]].<ref name=SABR/> His predecessor, [[Chuck Dressen]], had moved on from the Dodgers after the team's leadership refused to sign him to a two-year or three-year contract.<ref name=Dressen>{{cite news|title=Dressen quits Dodgers in contract wrangle|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z51SAAAAIBAJ&pg=4595,4337139|access-date=November 1, 2014|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|date=October 15, 1953}}</ref> Dressen had won two pennants in three years and nearly won a third.<ref name=West>{{cite book|last1=Sullivan|first1=Neil|title=The Dodgers Move West|date=1987|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0195363159|page=58|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nIZUrHVkEgQC&pg=PA66|access-date=November 1, 2014}}</ref>

Dodgers executive [[Buzzie Bavasi]] fought for Alston to be hired in Brooklyn. Bringing Alston to Brooklyn has been described as Bavasi's biggest contribution to the team's history. Alston was an unknown at the major league level and the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' reported his hiring with the headline "Walter Who?"<ref name=Snider>{{cite book|last1=Snider|first1=Duke|last2=Pepe|first2=Phil|title=Few and Chosen Dodgers: Defining Dodgers Greatness Across the Eras|date=2006|publisher=Triumph Books|isbn=1572438053|pages=181–183|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2dRmAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA181|access-date=November 1, 2014}}</ref>

Becoming immediately known for his quiet nature, Alston was sometimes referred to as "The Quiet Man".<ref name=McNeil>{{cite book|last=McNeil|first=William|title=The Dodgers Encyclopedia|year=2000|publisher=Sports Publishing, LLC|isbn=1582613168|page=125|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aKQ3CQYbYXkC&q=walter+alston%3A+the+quiet+man&pg=PA125}}</ref> Alston's personality contrasted with that of Dressen, who was much more outspoken. Sportswriters had difficulty writing about Alston at first because he did not say much. He also seemed more conservative in his decisions on the field, which drew criticism from his players even though he had managed many of them in the minor leagues. [[Don Zimmer]] said that he had learned more from Dressen and that Dressen knew more about baseball than Alston. [[Jackie Robinson]] did not like Alston at first either, according to Robinson's wife.<ref name=Gil>{{cite book|last1=Clavin|first1=Tom|last2=Peary|first2=Danny|title=Gil Hodges: The Brooklyn Bums, the Miracle Mets, and the Extraordinary Life of a Baseball Legend|date=2012|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-1101593059|page=112|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IoEftje_yZYC&pg=PT112|access-date=November 1, 2014}}</ref>

Alston commented on his approach, saying, "I never criticized a player for a mistake on the spot. Whenever I got steamed up about something, I always wanted to sleep on it and face the situation with a clear head."<ref name=PPG>{{cite news|title=Walter Alston Dies, Ex-Dodgers Manager|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aNlRAAAAIBAJ&pg=7007,252057&dq=walter+alston&hl=en|access-date=August 5, 2013|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|date=October 2, 1984}}</ref> Sportswriter [[Jim Murray (sportswriter)|Jim Murray]] said that Alston was "the only guy in the game who could look [[Billy Graham]] right in the face without blushing and who would order corn on the cob in a [[Paris]] restaurant."<ref name=Wakeup>{{cite news|title=Wakeup Call|url=https://www.mcall.com/2006/03/11/wakeup-call-744/|access-date=April 19, 2014|newspaper=[[The Morning Call]]|date=March 11, 2006}}</ref> The 1954 Dodgers finished second in the NL as both [[Gil Hodges]] and [[Duke Snider]] hit at least 40 home runs and registered 130 [[run batted in|runs batted in]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BRO/1954.shtml "1954 Brooklyn Dodgers"]. [[Baseball-Reference.com]]. Retrieved April 19, 2014.</ref>

[[File:Walter Alston and Mayo Smith at Roosevelt Stadium.jpg|thumb|left|Alston (left) with Phillies manager [[Mayo Smith]] in 1957]]

Brooklyn got off to a strong start in [[1955 Brooklyn Dodgers season|1955]], but an [[Associated Press]] article noted that Alston was reticent in response to questions and that he did not seem like a manager who had won ten consecutive {{nowrap|games.<ref name=Ocala>{{cite news|title=Bums' Walt Alston is Still the Quiet Man |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3MowAAAAIBAJ&pg=6244%2C561668 |newspaper=Ocala Star-Banner |location=Florida |agency=Associated Press |date=April 22, 1955|page=8}}</ref>}} The Brooklyn Dodgers won the NL pennant and their only [[1955 World Series|World Series]] championship. They clinched the pennant on {{nowrap|September 8,<ref name=newchws>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0bEpAAAAIBAJ&pg=1002%2C3084844 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=New champs think of World Series |date=September 9, 1955 |page=13}}</ref>}} earlier than any team had in NL history; at {{winning percentage|92|46|record=y}}, the Dodgers were 17 games ahead of second place [[1955 Milwaukee Braves season|Milwaukee]] with 16 {{nowrap|remaining.<ref name=jltbrvs>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZakkAAAAIBAJ&pg=7183%2C5452350 |work=Milwaukee Sentinel |last=Thisted |first=Red |title=Bums jolt Braves - wrap up flag |date=September 9, 1955 |page=3, part 2 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=TuscaloosaAug5>{{cite news|title=Brooklyn sets pennant mark; AL flag battle still rages|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6ukhAAAAIBAJ&pg=5512%2C986024 |newspaper=Tuscaloosa News|location=Alabama|last=Wilks |first=Ed |agency=Associated Press |date=September 9, 1955|page=8}}</ref>}} In the World Series, [[Johnny Podres]], started two games (third and seventh); he had a mediocre {{nowrap|9–10}} regular season record, but won both postseason starts.<ref name="Miller2006">{{cite book|last=Miller|first=Stuart|title=The 100 Greatest Days in New York Sports|url=https://archive.org/details/100greatestdaysi0000mill|url-access=registration|access-date=March 21, 2015|year=2006|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=0-618-57480-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/100greatestdaysi0000mill/page/35 35]}}</ref> The pitcher had struggled with arm problems for much of the season.<ref name="Oliphant2007">{{cite book|last=Oliphant|first=Thomas|title=Praying for Gil Hodges: A Memoir of the 1955 World Series and One Family's Love of the Brooklyn Dodgers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TbtHwEDMv6kC&pg=PA70|access-date=March 21, 2015|date=April 1, 2007|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-1-4299-0748-4|page=69}}</ref>

[[Sandy Koufax]] emerged as a pitcher for the Dodgers during that championship season.<ref name=BRKoufax>{{cite web|title=Sandy Koufax Statistics and History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/koufasa01.shtml|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=March 14, 2015}}</ref> Alston was criticized by [[Jackie Robinson]], [[Roy Campanella]], and others over his sparse use of Koufax in his early career. During Koufax's second MLB start, he pitched a shutout, giving up two hits and striking out 14 batters. However, that success did not prompt a lot of opportunities for Koufax. The pitcher appeared in only 12 games that season, mostly in relief, and would continue to be used sparingly and inconsistently by Alston over the next few seasons.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kashatus |first1=William C. |title=Jackie and Campy: The Untold Story of Their Rocky Relationship and the Breaking of Baseball's Color Line |date=2014 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-0803246331 |pages=164–165 |url=https://archive.org/details/jackiecampyuntol0000kash/page/164/mode/2up}}</ref> Years later, Koufax's teammate [[Don Drysdale]] told sportswriter [[Roger Kahn]] that he suspected that "latent antisemitism" on Alston's part likely played a role in the way Koufax, who was Jewish, was used as a young pitcher.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kahn |first1=Roger |title=Opinions and 'Fax |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-15-sp-56303-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=July 15, 1999}}</ref>

The [[1956 Brooklyn Dodgers season|1956]] team repeated as NL champions;<ref name=BRLAD/> the team was bolstered by the play of [[Duke Snider]], who hit a league-leading 43 home runs and also led the league in [[Base on balls|walks]].<ref name=VIDN>{{cite news|title=Snider proclaimed 1956 slugging champion|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=757&dat=19561224&id=QxROAAAAIBAJ&pg=6248,3385516|access-date=January 7, 2015|work=[[The Virgin Islands Daily News]]|date=December 24, 1956}}</ref> Despite winning the first two games of the [[1956 World Series|World Series]], the Dodgers lost in seven games to the [[1956 New York Yankees season|Yankees]]. The Dodgers fell to third place {{nowrap|(84–70)}} in [[1957 Brooklyn Dodgers season|1957]],<ref name=BRLAD/> the final season in Brooklyn.

===Early years in Los Angeles===
[[File:Wally Moon and Sandy Koufax with Walter Alston.jpg|thumb|right|Alston with outfielder [[Wally Moon]] and pitcher [[Sandy Koufax]], before Game 1 of the [[1959 World Series]]]]
The team finished 21 games back in seventh place ({{winning percentage|71|83|record=y}}) in [[1958 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1958]], the club's first season in Los Angeles.<ref name=BRLAD>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LAD/ Los Angeles Dodgers Team History & Encyclopedia]. [[Baseball-Reference.com]]. Retrieved April 19, 2014.</ref> Criticism of Alston had begun to mount during that season, but he led the Dodgers to a world championship in 1959.<ref name=Commander>{{cite news|last1=Springer|first1=Steve|title=Command(er) performances|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-alstonlasorda29mar29-story.html|access-date=November 1, 2014|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=March 29, 2008}}</ref> Six players on the [[1959 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1959 team]] finished with double-digit totals in home runs, while 22-year-old Drysdale led the team's pitchers with 17 wins.<ref name=LA1959>{{cite web|title=1959 Los Angeles Dodgers|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/LAD/1959.shtml|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=7 January 2015}}</ref> Several Los Angeles players, including [[Wally Moon]], characterized Alston as indecisive in the late 1950s and 1960s. However, Moon later came to describe Alston as a good manager who had gotten "good mileage" out of his players.<ref>Mann, Jack. [https://archive.today/20140419223119/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1077784/3/index.htm "Dodgers Down-and Up."] ''[[Sports Illustrated]]''. October 18, 1965.</ref>

Managing the NL All-Star Team in [[1960 Major League Baseball All-Star Game (first game)|1960]], Alston attracted some controversy when he left [[1960 Milwaukee Braves season|Milwaukee Braves]] pitchers [[Warren Spahn]] and [[Lew Burdette]] off the <!--All-Star-->roster. An [[Associated Press]] report said the omission may have been a snub directed at Dressen, who was the manager in Milwaukee.<ref name=Snubs>{{cite news|title=Walt Alston Snubs Ace Brave Hurlers|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wmIzAAAAIBAJ&pg=4167,2233695|access-date=October 31, 2013|newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]]|date=July 7, 1960}}</ref> The [[1960 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1960 Dodgers]] finished in fourth place. The [[1961 Los Angeles Dodgers season|following year]], the team finished in second place after veteran [[Duke Snider]] missed one month with a broken arm.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1961 Dodger Team History |url=https://www.walteromalley.com/dodger-history/team-histories/1961/ |access-date=2025-08-26 |website=Walter O’Malley : Official Website}}</ref><ref name="Richman">{{Cite web |date=2021-03-23 |title=Larry Jackson, Duke Snider and a fractured season |url=https://retrosimba.com/2021/03/23/larry-jackson-duke-snider-and-a-fractured-season/ |access-date=2025-08-26 |website=RetroSimba |language=en}}</ref> The Dodgers lost the lead in the [[1962 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1962]] NL pennant race and rumors surfaced that Alston and coach [[Leo Durocher]] might be fired, but the team retained both for [[1963 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1963]].<ref name=DispatchOct18>{{cite news|title=Walt Alston, Given Approval, Does the Same for Durocher|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tE4cAAAAIBAJ&pg=5933,5553708&dq=walter+alston&hl=en|access-date=August 4, 2013|newspaper=The Dispatch|date=October 18, 1962}}</ref>

The Dodgers swept the World Series in [[1963 World Series|1963]], the first time that the [[1963 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] had lost a World Series in four games. Alston's pitchers excelled, with Koufax striking out 23 batters over two games winning the [[World Series Most Valuable Player Award|World Series MVP Award]]. Over the four games, Alston employed only four pitchers: three starters and one reliever.<ref name=Broom>{{cite news|last1=Hoffman|first1=Benjamin|title=Beware the broom: A history of sweeps of the Yankees|url=http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/beware-the-broom-yankees-on-verge-of-being-swept-away/?_r=0|access-date=February 7, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 17, 2012}}</ref> The [[1964 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1964]] team was {{nowrap|80–82,}} its first losing season since 1958.<ref name=BR/> Alston used the team's 1964 performance to motivate them moving forward. In spring training before the [[1965 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1965]] season, he said that he would not let his team forget the difficulties they had in the previous season.<ref name=Beaver>{{cite news|title=Alston won't let team forget 1964|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2002&dat=19650309&id=wf4uAAAAIBAJ&pg=4356,1649692|access-date=February 11, 2015|work=[[Beaver County Times]]|agency=[[United Press International]]|date=March 9, 1965}}</ref>

The Dodgers returned to the World Series in [[1965 World Series|1965]] against [[1965 Minnesota Twins season|Minnesota]]. Alston could not start his number one pitcher, Koufax, in the opening game on October 6 because Koufax was observing [[Yom Kippur]]. Instead, Alston turned to Drysdale, who struggled and surrendered seven runs in just {{frac|2|2|3}} innings. When Alston came to the mound to remove him in the bottom of the third, Drysdale quipped, "I bet right now you wish I was Jewish, too."<ref name=Merron>{{cite web|last1=Merron|first1=Jeff|title=Green, Koufax and Greenberg -- same dilemma, different decisions|url=https://www.espn.com/classic/s/merron_on_green.html|publisher=[[ESPN]]|access-date=February 11, 2015|date=September 26, 2001}}</ref> The team recovered from losing that first game and they won the World Series in seven games.<ref name=BR/> Koufax appeared in three games during the series, registering two shutouts.<ref name=Merron/>

Alston's Dodgers teams of the 1960s benefited from the strong pitching by Drysdale and Koufax. In [[1966 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1966]], both players held out of spring training and demanded three-year contracts each worth $500,000 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=500000|start_year=1966|r=-4|fmt=eq}}), which was more money than anyone was making in baseball at the time. The players were eventually signed for lesser amounts. Drysdale struggled that year, but Koufax won 27 games. The Dodgers returned to the [[1966 World Series|World Series]], but were swept by the [[1966 Baltimore Orioles season|Baltimore Orioles]]. Koufax retired after the season on the advice of doctors who examined his sore arm.<ref name="D'Antonio2009">{{cite book|last=D'Antonio|first=Michael|title=Forever Blue: The True Story of Walter O'Malley, Baseball's Most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles|url=https://archive.org/details/foreverbluetrues0000dant|url-access=registration|access-date=February 7, 2015|year=2009|publisher=Riverhead Books|isbn=978-1-59448-856-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/foreverbluetrues0000dant/page/301 301]–302}}</ref> Drysdale retired three years later.<ref name=DrysBR>{{cite web|title=Don Drysdale|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/drysddo01.shtml|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=February 7, 2015}}</ref> Both men had pitched their entire major league careers for Alston.<ref name=Koufax>{{cite web|last1=Langill|first1=Mark|title=Koufax, Drysdale were a dynamic duo|url=http://m.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article/3413181/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103032850/http://m.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article/3413181/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 3, 2014|website=[[MLB.com]]|access-date=November 1, 2014|date=September 3, 2008}}</ref>

===Final years as manager===
[[File:Walter Alston waves to fans.jpg|thumb|Alston waves to appreciative fans at Dodgers Stadium a week after his retirement]]
Alston guided his teams to at least 85 wins per season in his last eight years at the helm,<ref name=BR/> with six runner-up finishes in the NL West division during that span.<ref name=BRLAD/> The team came very close to a division title in [[1971 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1971]]; after falling 11 games out of first place, the team performed well late in the season and finished one game behind the [[1971 San Francisco Giants season|San Francisco Giants]]. Beginning in [[1973 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1973]], Alston's team featured an infield of [[Steve Garvey]], [[Davey Lopes]], [[Bill Russell (shortstop)|Bill Russell]], and [[Ron Cey]]. The group played together for eight years, remaining together long after the end of Alston's tenure.<ref name=Klein>{{cite news|last1=Klein|first1=Gary|title=Dodgers' infield of the 1970s had a lasting impact|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-xpm-2013-jun-23-la-sp-dodgers-infield-20130623-story.html|access-date=November 1, 2014|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 23, 2013}}</ref>

In [[1974 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1974]], the Dodgers won the NL pennant and faced the two-time defending champion [[1974 Oakland Athletics season|Oakland Athletics]] in the [[1974 World Series|World Series]]. Alston used closer [[Mike Marshall (pitcher)|Mike Marshall]] in a record-setting 106 games that season and Marshall won the [[Cy Young Award]].<ref name=Marshall>{{cite web|title=Mike Marshall Statistics and History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/marshmi01.shtml|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=November 1, 2014}}</ref> Alston received some media attention when he considered using Marshall as a starter.<ref name=Talley>{{cite news|last1=Talley|first1=Rick|title=Alston mulls using Marshall as a starter|url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1974/10/16/page/61/article/alston-mulls-using-marshall-as-a-starter|access-date=November 1, 2014|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=October 16, 1974}}</ref> Marshall ended up appearing in all five games of the series and gave up one run in nine innings, but he did not start a game; the Dodgers lost four games to one as the A's completed their [[three-peat]].<ref name=WS1974>{{cite web|title=1974 World Series|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1974_WS.shtml|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=November 1, 2014}}</ref> The [[1975 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1975]] and [[1976 Los Angeles Dodgers season|1976]] teams won 88 and 92 games respectively, but finished well behind [[1975 Cincinnati Reds season|Cincinnati]] in both seasons.<ref name=BRLAD/>

A rift was developing among the Dodger players in the mid-1970s. Garvey was being heavily promoted by the Dodgers' P.R. staff, and some of his teammates resented the attention, thinking Garvey was trying too hard to get endorsement opportunities. Cey, Lopes, and another unnamed player criticized Garvey in a mid-June 1976 ''San Bernardino Sun-Telegram'' article, which prompted Alston to call a team meeting. At this meeting, Garvey said, "If anyone has anything to say about me, I want it said to my face, here and now." No one said anything. Pitcher [[Tommy John]] thought it was at this point that Alston began to lose control of the team.<ref>{{cite book|last1=John|first1=Tommy|last2=Valenti|first2=Dan|title=TJ: My Twenty-Six Years in Baseball|publisher=Bantam|location=New York|year=1991|isbn=0-553-07184-X |pages=164–65}}</ref>

On July 17, 1976, he became the fifth manager to win 2,000 games.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/walter-alston/|title = Walter Alston – Society for American Baseball Research}}</ref> In September 1976, Alston announced that he would retire at the end of the season.<ref name=Gazette>{{cite news|title=Veteran Dodger Manager Walter Alston to Retire|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nJkuAAAAIBAJ&pg=4797,3628781&dq=walter+alston&hl=en|access-date=August 4, 2013|newspaper=[[The Montreal Gazette]]|date=September 28, 1976}}</ref> At a press conference, he said, "I've been in baseball for 41 years and it's been awfully good to me. This has been a pretty big day. I had three birdies playing golf for the first time in my life and now I'm announcing that I'm stepping down as manager. I told [[Peter O'Malley|Peter]] this afternoon to give somebody else a chance to manage the club."<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite news|title=Walt Alston to Step Down|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HqQrAAAAIBAJ&pg=5488,4858607&dq=walter+alston&hl=en|access-date=August 5, 2013|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=September 28, 1976}}</ref> When [[Tommy Lasorda]] was selected to succeed him, Alston asked Lasorda to take over as manager for the final four games of the season.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dodgers get their man; it's Lasorda|work=Los Angeles Times|author=Ross Newhan|date=September 30, 1976|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/111871496/dodgers-get-their-man-its-lasorda/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Alston retired with 2,063 [[win (baseball)|win]]s ([[MLB All-time Managerial wins|2,040 in the regular season]] and 23 in the postseason).<ref name=BR/> Alston was named NL Manager of the Year six times.<ref name=Rivals>{{cite book|last1=Davies|first1=Richard|title=Rivals!: The Ten Greatest American Sports Rivalries of the 20th Century|year=2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1444320817|page=46|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mF8do-lLM8C&pg=PA46|access-date=January 7, 2015}}</ref> He also managed NL [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] squads a record nine times and won seven of those games.<ref name=DispatchJuly11>{{cite news|title=Baseball today|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1734&dat=19890711&id=rc8eAAAAIBAJ&pg=2527,1034267|access-date=January 7, 2015|work=[[The Dispatch (Lexington)|The Dispatch]]|date=July 11, 1989}}</ref> At a time when multi-year contracts were on the rise, Alston's managerial career consisted of 23 one-year contracts.<ref name=Gazette/> He earned seven NL pennants in that span.<ref name=BR/>

Sportswriter [[Leonard Koppett]] described Alston's role with the Dodgers, pointing out that O'Malley was always seen as "the boss" while Alston stuck to the on-field management of the team. Koppett said that Alston's loyalty and subdued nature contributed to the stability that the team enjoyed.<ref name="Koppett2000">{{cite book|last=Koppett|first=Leonard|title=The Man in the Dugout: Baseball's Top Managers and how They Got that Way|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TCdRaxPVmKQC&pg=PA177|access-date=April 5, 2015|date=January 1, 2000|publisher=Temple University Press|isbn=978-1-56639-745-2|page=177}}</ref> O'Malley once commented that Alston was "non-irritating. Do you realize how important it is to have a manager who doesn't irritate you?"<ref name=Rogers/>

==Managerial statistics==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"|Team !! rowspan="2"|Year !! colspan="6"|Regular season !! colspan="4"|Postseason
|-
! scope=col| Games 
! scope=col| Won 
! scope=col| Lost 
! scope=col| Tied
! scope=col| [[Winning percentage|Pct.]]
! scope=col| Games
! scope=col| Won
! scope=col| Lost
! scope=col| Pct.
! scope=col| Notes
|-
![[1954 Brooklyn Dodgers season|BKN]]|| [[1954 Major League Baseball season|1954]]
||154||{{WinLossPct|92|62|0}}|| 2nd in NL || – || – || – || –
|-style="background:#fde910;"
![[1955 Brooklyn Dodgers season|BKN]]|| [[1955 Major League Baseball season|1955]]
||154||{{WinLossPct|98|55|1}}|| '''1st in NL''' || {{WinLossPct|4|3}} || '''Won [[1955 World Series|World Series]] ([[1955 New York Yankees|NYY]])'''
|-style="background:#fdd;"
![[1956 Brooklyn Dodgers season|BKN]]|| [[1956 Major League Baseball season|1956]]
||154||{{WinLossPct|93|61|0}}|| '''1st in NL''' || {{WinLossPct|3|4}} || '''Lost [[1956 World Series|World Series]] ([[1956 New York Yankees|NYY]])'''
|-
![[1957 Brooklyn Dodgers season|BKN]]|| [[1957 Major League Baseball season|1957]]
||154||{{WinLossPct|84|70|0}}|| 3rd in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1958 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1958 Major League Baseball season|1958]]
||154||{{WinLossPct|71|83|0}}|| 7th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-style="background:#fde910"
![[1959 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1959 Major League Baseball season|1959]]
||156||{{WinLossPct|88|68|0}}|| '''1st in NL''' || {{WinLossPct|4|2}} || '''Won [[1959 World Series|World Series]] ([[1959 Chicago White Sox season|CHW]])'''
|-
![[1960 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1960 Major League Baseball season|1960]]
||154||{{WinLossPct|82|72|0}}|| 4th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1961 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1961 Major League Baseball season|1961]]
||154||{{WinLossPct|89|65|0}}|| 2nd in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1962 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1962 Major League Baseball season|1962]]
||165||{{WinLossPct|102|63|0}}|| 2nd in NL || – || – || – || –
|-style="background:#fde910;"
![[1963 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1963 Major League Baseball season|1963]]
||163||{{WinLossPct|99|63|1}}|| '''1st in NL''' || {{WinLossPct|4|0}} || '''Won [[1963 World Series|World Series]] ([[1963 New York Yankees season|NYY]])'''
|-
![[1964 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1964 Major League Baseball season|1964]]
||164||{{WinLossPct|80|82|2}}|| 7th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-style="background:#fde910;"
![[1965 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1965 Major League Baseball season|1965]]
||162||{{WinLossPct|97|65|0}}|| '''1st in NL''' || {{WinLossPct|4|3}} || '''Won [[1965 World Series|World Series]] ([[1965 Minnesota Twins season|MIN]])'''
|-style="background:#fdd"
![[1966 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1966 Major League Baseball season|1966]]
||162||{{WinLossPct|95|67|1}}|| '''1st in NL''' || {{WinLossPct|0|4}} || '''Lost [[1966 World Series|World Series]] ([[1966 Baltimore Orioles season|BAL]])'''
|-
![[1967 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1967 Major League Baseball season|1967]]
||162||{{WinLossPct|73|89|0}}|| 8th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1968 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1968 Major League Baseball season|1968]]
||162||{{WinLossPct|76|86|0}}|| 8th in NL || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1969 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1969 Major League Baseball season|1969]]
||162||{{WinLossPct|85|77|0}}|| 4th in NL West || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1970 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1970 Major League Baseball season|1970]]
||161||{{WinLossPct|87|74|0}}|| 2nd in NL West || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1971 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1971 Major League Baseball season|1971]]
||162||{{WinLossPct|89|73|0}}|| 2nd in NL West || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1972 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1972 Major League Baseball season|1972]]
||155||{{WinLossPct|85|70|0}}|| 3rd in NL West || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1973 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1973 Major League Baseball season|1973]]
||162||{{WinLossPct|95|66|1}}|| 2nd in NL West || – || – || – || –
|-style="background:#fdd;"
![[1974 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1974 Major League Baseball season|1974]]
||162||{{WinLossPct|102|60|0}}|| '''1st in NL West''' || {{WinLossPct|4|5}} || '''Lost [[1974 World Series|World Series]] ([[1974 Oakland Athletics|OAK]])'''
|-
![[1975 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1975 Major League Baseball season|1975]]
||162||{{WinLossPct|88|74|0}}|| 2nd in NL West || – || – || – || –
|-
![[1976 Los Angeles Dodgers season|LAD]]|| [[1976 Major League Baseball season|1976]]
||158||{{WinLossPct|90|68|0}}|| 2nd in NL West || colspan="4"|''Resigned*''
|-
! colspan="2"|BKN/LAD total ||3658||{{WinLossPct|2040|1613|5}}|| || {{WinLossPct|23|21}} ||
|-
! colspan="2"|Total<ref name="Managerial record">{{cite web|title=Walter Alston|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/alstowa01.shtml|website=Baseball Reference|access-date=June 15, 2024}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ||3658||{{WinLossPct|2040|1613|5}}|| || {{WinLossPct|23|21}} || 
|}

==Later life and legacy==
{{MLBBioRet
|Image = LAret24.PNG
|Name = Walter Alston
|Number = 24
|Team = Los Angeles Dodgers
|Year = 1977
|}}

The Dodgers retired Alston's number 24 the year after he stepped down as manager, becoming only the fourth Dodger to receive the honor to that time.<ref name=TuscaloosaOct31>{{cite news|title=Alston's No. 24 to be retired by LA|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WQgdAAAAIBAJ&pg=6680,986357|access-date=October 31, 2013|newspaper=[[The Tuscaloosa News]]|date=June 5, 1977}}</ref> He was elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|National Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1983.<ref>{{ cite web|url=http://baseballhall.org/hof/alston-walter|title= Alston, Walter|publisher= National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|access-date =November 6, 2012}}</ref> Alston suffered a [[heart attack]] that year and was hospitalized for a month.<ref name=PPG/> Alston's grandson traveled to Cooperstown to represent the ill former manager at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.<ref name=Induction>{{cite book|last=Corcoran|first=Dennis|title=Induction Day at Cooperstown: A History of the Baseball Hall of Fame Ceremony|year=2010|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0786444168|page=141|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3dF2PsAeDeYC&q=walter+alston+award&pg=PA141}}</ref>

Alston died on October 1, 1984 in an Oxford hospital from complications from the recent heart attack. He was 72.<ref name=PPG/> A funeral home spokesman said Alston had remained ill since the heart attack.<ref name=Vindicator>{{cite news|title=Sports World "Blue" Over Alston Death|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uq8_AAAAIBAJ&pg=4637,310578&dq=walter+alston+death&hl=en|access-date=August 5, 2013|newspaper=[[The Vindicator]]|date=October 2, 1984}}</ref> He is interred at Darrtown Cemetery in Darrtown, Ohio.<ref name=SABR/>

[[File:Walter Alston plaque.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|left|Alston's plaque at the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[Cooperstown, New York|Cooperstown]]]]

Upon Alston's death, MLB commissioner [[Peter Ueberroth]] referred to him as one of baseball's greatest managers.<ref name=Garcia>{{cite news|last=Garcia|first=Dan|title=Walter Alston Dies|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XLZJAAAAIBAJ&pg=3667,4852112&dq=walter+alston+hank+aaron&hl=en|access-date=August 5, 2013|newspaper=The Madison Courier|date=October 2, 1984}}</ref> Former Dodgers great [[Duke Snider]] acknowledged occasional run-ins with Alston, but said Alston excelled at utilizing the specific strengths of each team he had managed.<ref name="Star">{{Cite news |date=October 2, 1984 |title=Walter Alston Dead at 72 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9kJgAAAAIBAJ&pg=4004,355153 |access-date=August 5, 2013 |work=[[The StarPhoenix]] |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

Broadcaster [[Vin Scully]] said of Alston:

{{blockquote|I always imagined him to be the type who could ride shotgun on a stage through Indian territory. He was all man and two yards tall. He was very quiet, very controlled. He never made excuses. He gave the players the credit and he took the blame. He was so solid, so American.<ref name="UPIobit">{{Cite news |date=October 2, 1984 |title=Alston Dies; Won 4 Series |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/10/02/Walter-Alston-a-Hall-of-Fame-manager-who-guided/4965465537600/ |access-date=2025-08-26 |work=[[UPI]]}}</ref>}}

Alston is also credited with helping to break down the barriers for female sports journalists. On October 1, 1974, after the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the [[Houston Astros]] to clinch the NL West at the Houston [[Astrodome]], he invited [[Anita Martini]] to the post-game press conference in the locker room. She became the first female journalist allowed in any major league locker room.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Lawmaker-s-bill-reopens-debate-over-105M-10932819.php | title =Lawmaker's bill reopens debate over $105M Astrodome parking plan | last = Zaveri | first = Mihir | date =February 14, 2017 | website =chron.com | publisher =Houston Chronicle | access-date = March 14, 2017 | quote = With Dodger manager Walter Alston's blessing, Houston broadcaster Anita Martini becomes the first female reporter allowed access to a major-league team's locker room}}</ref>

In 1999, [[Ohio State Route 177]] was renamed to Walter "Smokey" Alston Memorial Highway in his honor.<ref name=ORC>{{cite web|title=Ohio Laws and Rules: 5533.39 Walter Smokey Alston Memorial Highway|url=http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/5533.39|publisher=LAWriter|access-date=August 5, 2013}}</ref> He was inducted into the [[International League Hall of Fame]] in 2010.<ref name=MILB>{{cite web|title=Class of 2010|url=http://www.milb.com/documents/2010/01/26/7967922/1/Class_of_2010_Bios.pdf|website=[[MiLB.com]]|access-date=November 26, 2014}}</ref> A memorial to Alston is located at Milford Township Community Park in his hometown of Darrtown.<ref name=Ratterman>{{cite news|last=Ratterman|first=Bob|title=Darrtown gears up for bicentennial with pavers, big plans|url=http://www.oxfordpress.com/news/events/darrtown-gears-up-for-bicentennial-with-pavers-big/nZNzG/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102110821/http://www.oxfordpress.com/news/events/darrtown-gears-up-for-bicentennial-with-pavers-big/nZNzG/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 2, 2013|access-date=October 31, 2013|newspaper=The Oxford Press|date=August 14, 2013}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Major League Baseball managerial wins and winning percentage leaders]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Alston |first1=Walter |last2=Burick |first2=Si |url=https://archive.org/details/alstondodgers0000alst |title=Alston and the Dodgers: The autobiography of one of baseball's greatest managers |publisher=Doubleday & Company |year=1966 |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last1=Alston |first1=Walter |last2=Tobin |first2=Jack |url=https://archive.org/details/yearattime0000alst |title=A Year at a Time |publisher=Word Books |year=1976 |isbn=978-0876804131}}
* {{cite book |chapter=Chapter 14: Walter Alston |last1=Koppett |first1=Leonard |year=1993 |publisher=Crown Publishers |isbn=978-0-8032-6475-5 |title=The Man In The Dugout: Baseball's Top Managers and How They Got That Way |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/manindugoutbaseb0000kopp/page/222/mode/2up}}
* {{cite book |last1=Leahy |first1=Michael |url=https://archive.org/details/lastinnocentscol0000leah |title=The Last Innocents: The Collision of the Turbulent Sixties and the Los Angeles Dodgers |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2016 |isbn=978-0062360564}}
* {{cite book |last1=Levy |first1=Alan |title=Walter Alston: The Rise of a Manager from the Minors to the Baseball Hall of Fame |date=2021 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1476682105}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}} 
*{{Baseballstats|mlb=|espn=|br=a/alstowa01|fangraphs=1000184|brm=alston001wal |retro=A/Palstw101}}
*{{Baseball-reference manager|alstowa01}}
*{{Baseball Hall of Fame profile|alston-walter}}
*{{SABR Baseball Biography Project|walter-alston}}
*{{Find a Grave|5086}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Alston, Walter}}
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