Street is renamed to honor Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully

With a delegation of present and former Dodgers packed inside City Hall, the Los Angeles City Council on Friday unanimously passed a motion to change the address of Dodger Stadium to 1000 Vin Scully Avenue.

The address has been on Elysian Park Avenue, which will be renamed in honor of the team’s renowned broadcaster.

Scully had resisted such overtures in the past, but acquiesced this time, as he prepares for his 67th and final season in the booth.

“A path to Dodger Stadium is a pathway to my heart,� Scully said in a statement. “For 55 years it has been an honor to walk that road to one of the greatest entertainment centers in the world, a place that has brought so much joy to all of us. I thank God for this great honor.�

City Councilman Gil Cedillo raised the motion, which requires a 30-day waiting period before it can be approved.

More than a dozen current Dodgers, headlined by ace Clayton Kershaw, attended the session in a group that included Manager Dave Roberts and former players Eric Karros, Orel Hershiser and Maury Wills.

“We all hear about how much people love to come to Dodger Stadium,� Kershaw said afterward during a banquet with members of the Wounded Warrior Project as part of the team’s preseason caravan. “But I feel like I hear a lot more that people love to watch us on TV and hear him speak. So it’s pretty cool. It’s fitting that we finally get to do this for him.�

Missing Greinke

Kershaw has noticed one prevailing trend from his team’s off-season.

“We’ve got a lot of lefties,� he said. “So we’ve got a lot of people to talk to, if I need some advice.�

Indeed, the Dodgers reloaded after Zack Greinke’s departure by stocking up on left-handed pitchers. Brett Anderson accepted the team’s one-year, $15.8-million qualifying offer and Scott Kazmir signed a three-year, $48-million deal.

As Andre Ethier had earlier in the week, Kershaw said the loss of Greinke hurt. But he vouched for the team’s depth in Greinke’s absence, even if no one pitcher could match Greinke’s 19-3 record and 1.66 earned-run average in 2015.

“That’s tough to replace,� Kershaw said. “But we’ve got guys that have experience.�

Utley appeal

Chase Utley is expected to get his chance to appeal his two-game suspension, probably during spring training.

No date has been set for the appeal hearing, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss it and spoke anonymously. Utley was suspended after his controversial slide in Game 2 of a National League division series left New York Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada with a broken leg.

Follow Andy McCullough on Twitter @McCulloughTimes

Times staff writer Bill Shaikin contributed to this report.