Tom Niedenfuer
A flame-throwing reliever for the Dodgers whose career became defined by two fateful pitches in the 1985 postseason.
Born 1959 (age 67)·American baseball player·Birthday: August 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Tom Niedenfuer stood tall on the mound, a right-handed power pitcher whose fastball made him a crucial late-inning weapon for the Los Angeles Dodgers throughout the 1980s. For over six seasons, he was a pillar of the bullpen, helping the team to a World Series championship in 1981 and earning the trust of manager Tommy Lasorda in high-leverage situations. His physical tools were undeniable. Yet, his legacy is inextricably tied to a single, devastating playoff series in 1985. In the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, with the Dodgers on the brink of the World Series, he surrendered two iconic, series-swinging home runs to Ozzie Smith and Jack Clark. Those moments, replayed endlessly, overshadowed a solid decade-long career that saw him pitch effectively for several other clubs. Niedenfuer's story is a stark reminder of baseball's razor-thin margin between hero and heartbreak.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Tom was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Tom Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Tom's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won a World Series championship as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981.
- Recorded 64 saves and a 3.17 ERA over six-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- Pitched in three National League Championship Series (1981, 1983, 1985) for the Dodgers.
- Struck out 426 batters over his 10-year Major League career.
Did You Know?
He was drafted by the Dodgers in the 2nd round of the 1979 amateur draft.
The home run he gave up to Ozzie Smith in Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS was the first ever postseason home run hit by the Hall of Fame shortstop.
He was traded from the Dodgers to the Baltimore Orioles in May 1986 for pitcher John Habyan.
He attended Washington State University before being drafted.
“In relief, your job is simple: get the next out, no matter the situation.”
