Steinberg

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dr. Charles Steinberg, once a statistician for Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver in Baltimore and later the Orioles’ team dentist, has been hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers as chief marketing officer.

Steinberg will work alongside new Dodgers chief operating officer Dennis Mannion, hired earlier this month.

“Charles is regarded as one of baseball’s pioneering executives in focusing on the fan experience in the park and in the community,” Dodgers president Jamie McCourt said in a statement yesterday. “If it touches the fan’s heart, it is Charles’ responsibility.”

The move is a return to the West Coast for Steinberg, a native of Baltimore who worked 19 seasons with the Orioles and seven with the San Diego Padres. He spent the last six years with the Boston Red Sox.

“Saturating a market with the love of baseball is such a pleasure,” Steinberg said. “Doing so in Southern California for seven years provided some of the happiest times in my life. I am thrilled to return.”

Steinberg was the statistician for Weaver from 1977-82.

He earned his doctorate from the University of Maryland dental school in 1984 and while serving as the Orioles’ dentist he continued to work in the team’s office, as he had since high school.

While working in public and community relations, he then went on to create the club’s first video production department and first customer service department.

Steinberg won an Emmy Award for his television production of the story of the 1998 N.L. champion Padres, and a Telly Award for his video of the 1989 Orioles.

He also appeared in Fever Pitch, a fictional movie that featured the 2004 Red Sox winning their first World Series title in 86 years.