Kirk Gibson’s 1988 World Series Homerun: A Fan’s Favorite Moment

The 1988 Major League Baseball World Series was a battle of two California powerhouse organizations. The Oakland Athletics thrived on the long ball and the accurate yet powerful arm of closer Dennis Eckersley. Socking multiple homeruns in nearly every playoff game leading up the Fall Classic, they were heavily favored over a scrappy Los Angeles Dodgers Team known for squeezing out victories by manufacturing runs and strong starting pitching. Although the Dodgers held four World Series titles in L.A. and one in Brooklyn, and were stacked with salty veteran hitters such as outfielders Mickey Hatcher and Kirk Gibson, they were not expected to challenge mighty Oakland.

A Humble Setting

Game one on October 15th, 1988 saw hosting honors fall upon Los Angeles after the Dodgers had unexpectedly thwarted the New York Mets for the National League Pennant. A packed Dodger Stadium was uncharacteristically silent going into the darkened final innings at Chavez Ravine, as the fans waited nervously for some sort of offensive spark. The entire game had been a pitching duel filled with meager groundouts and plagued by an increasingly slow pace.

The Impossible Moment

Now, magical things happen in the M.L.B. every season. Yet considering the hundreds of post season roster spots and thousands possible pitcher versus batter matchups, it seems practically impossible for the Cy Young and M.V.P. (best pitcher and hitter in their respective leagues) to face off in the World Series and decide the outcome of an entire game. Yet in a surreal cool L.A. night in the early winter of 1988, it happened.

Out of nowhere, a mild cheer erupted into feverous waving arms and flickering flashbulbs. Beloved Most Valuable Player Kirk Gibson hobbled up to the plate after begin unable to play due to two arthritic knees. Hall of Fame relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley reared several pitches at Gibson, forcing him to flail gimpy. Then just as it seemed the Dodgers would lose their opportunity at greatness, the unthinkable happened. A heavily injured Gibson lunged his bat from the left side of the batter’s box straight above home plate into an Eckersley fastball. The baseball rose into a mighty arch and landed in the right field bleachers for a homerun.

The crowd exploded into universal cheers, the entre Dodger team and nearly all of the coaching staff jumped and hugged Gibson in a pile and I was able to relive the moment to my heart’s content as my father had remembered to hit “Record” on our video cassette recorder. Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully’s call played hundreds of times through the wood and fiber speakers of our living room television, as even he stated that, “the impossible has happened.

Significance

Winning game one devastated heavily favored Oakland and taxed their already overused bullpen. The Dodgers captured their newfound momentum and used it to eventually win the 1988 World Series Championship in five games. Not only had guile prevailed over inborn talent, but a team ridiculed for inconstant batting had proved that veteran leadership is more important in baseball than highly marketed and suspiciously powerful hitting. The amazing series featured future M.L.B. leaders such as catcher Mike Scioscia and Gibson who currently manage the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Arizona Diamondbacks respectively.

I have watched and been lucky enough to attend baseball up and down the great state of California. As the Athletics currently battle poor stadium conditions and a contentious move into a new home in the greater Bay Area, I cannot help but treasure the consistency of the L.A. Dodgers and their fans. National League Baseball in California is founded in the tradition of pitching, defense and timely hitting. The American League teams in my Golden State revel in their big homerun hitters, but I prefer guys like Gibson who strike their big hits at the right time.

Game one of the 1988 World Series was the right time.

Matthew has watched and attended Los Angeles Dodgers’ baseball for over three decades.