1988 World Series: The Impossible Has Happened

The Teams

National League: Los Angeles (94-67) - Ninth World Series (won in 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981)

American League: Oakland Athletics (104-58) - Fourth World Series (won in 1972, 1973, 1974) 

What Happened

The blast was tremendous, a no-doubter. The second-inning grand slam Jose Canseco hit in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series flew high toward center field, landing on – and denting – the very television camera used to record the blast. In 1988, Canseco was the best player on baseball’s best team, and in most instances, in most World Series, a blast like that would have set the tone for the widely anticipated Oakland sweep.

But this wasn’t most seasons; indeed, this wasn’t like most World Series. Oakland may have had the best team – their 104 wins were the most in the American League in nearly 20 years – and they certainly led all of baseball in intimidation factor, with muscle-bound (and steroid-enhanced) sluggers Canseco and Mark McGwire in the middle of the lineup and the nearly unhittable Dennis Eckersley in the bullpen.

But they didn’t have Orel Hershiser or Kirk Gibson. And in 1988, those two players were enough to lead an otherwise unremarkable Dodger team to the National League pennant. Hershiser, of course, was out-of-this-world good, breaking Don Drysdale’s record of consecutive scoreless innings, and doing so in the heat of the pennant race when giving up even a single run could have meant elimination for his team. Gibson’s effect on the Dodgers was a little more difficult to quantify. His numbers looked merely OK, not great, yet he was easily voted National League MVP. Sometimes leadership can’t be quantified by numbers. Gibson’s 1988 season is a perfect example of that.

Yet when the World Series started, the Dodgers thought they’d be without their MVP. As Canseco’s grand slam flew over the fence, Gibson was in the clubhouse in street clothes, trying to do something as simple as stand on his two injured legs. He was officially on the World Series roster, but he was essential useless. On television, announcer Jack Buck even said as much, saying that Gibson wasn’t even in uniform for Game 1.

Gibson heard that, and something came over him. Blocking out the pain, he started swinging the bat. The Dodgers cut their deficit to 4-3, but couldn’t tie the game, and entered the ninth still trailing. Gibson took a few swings and told manager Tommy Lasorda he was ready to go. After Mike Davis drew a two-out walk off Eckersley, Lasorda made the call. 

Gibson limped up to the plate. The crowd roared, then started hoping, begging, praying. Would their hero come through once more? After six pitches - including a foul down the first base line that was hit so weakly that Dodger fans had to feel sick - Gibson struck. He swung awkwardly - back foot off the ground, one hand off the bat at contact - but it flew, deep to right, over and out. Gibson rounded first base and pumped his fist. Vin Scully, the voice of the Dodgers, said "In a season that has been most improbable, the impossible has happened." Lasorda joined the rest of the Dodgers in greeting Gibson at home plate. And Los Angeles celebrated deep into the night.

At that point, the series was over. The Dodgers had won a most improbable game - beating the game's best reliever, at that - and they had Hershiser ready to pitch as many as three games. And the A's weren't beating Hershiser. He shut them out in Game 2, giving up only three hits - all of them to left fielder Dave Parker. He beat them again in Game 5, finishing the series with another complete game win. And the best team in baseball had been beaten by two men.

MVP

Hershiser won the MVP, and deservedly so. Few pitchers have ever been better than Hershiser was in the fall of 1988. But the emotional MVP was Gibson. He had only one at bat in the 1988 World Series, but that one at bat will live on in baseball lore.

  
Scores

(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Oakland	4	0	2	3	2
Los Angeles	5	6	1	4	5

The List
I'm ranking all the World Series, from worst to best. Here are the ones I've done so far:

27. 1988 - Los Angeles (N) def. Oakland (A) 4-1
28. 1946 - St. Louis (N) def. Boston (A) 4-3
29. 1925 - Pittsburgh (N) def. Washington (A) 4-3
Numbers 30-39
Numbers 40-49
Numbers 50-59
Numbers 60-69
Numbers 70-79
Numbers 80-89
Numbers 90-99
Numbers 100-107

1984 World Series: Gibson's (first) Big Night

Teams
American League: Detroit Tigers (104-58) - Ninth World Series (won in 1935, 1945, 1968)
National League: San Diego Padres (92-70) - First World Series

What Happened
For one glorious year, the Tigers could do no wrong. They started the 1984 season 35-5 and kept a double-digit lead through most of the summer. Sparked by their great middle infield of shortstop Alan Trammell and second baseman Lou Whitaker, and following the example of gritty team leader Kirk Gibson, the Tigers were never challenged as they cruised to the AL East title and past the Royals in the ALCS.

With the season they had, they were expected to make mincemeat of the Padres, who in their first World Series were simply in "happy to be here" mode. But San Diego shocked a lot of people by playing the Tigers tight the first two games. They had a lead on Jack Morris through four innings of Game 1 before a Larry Herndon home run gave the Tigers the lead they wouldn't relinquish. In Game 2, the Tigers knocked starter Ed Whitson out of the game in the first inning, but Padres pitchers Andy Hawkins and Craig Lefferts shut down the Tigers the rest of the way, allowing their offense to come back for a surprising victory.

Back home in Detroit, the Tigers showed how good they could be. The Padres made it easy for them in Game 3, walking six batters in the second and third innings combined to let the Tigers get a rather easy win. Trammell and Morris combined to lead the way in Game 4, with a complete game from Morris backed by two 2-run home runs from Trammell. Three more Detroit home runs ended the series in Game 5, and the Tigers completed one of the most dominating seasons of the 80s with a World Series trouncing.

With a team loaded with what seemed to be surefire Hall of Famers, the Tigers looked primed to dominate the 1980s. Instead, they fizzled out. Trammell and Whitaker continued their great play throughout the 80s and into the 90s, but they have yet to get into the Hall of Fame, and it now seems likely they never will. Even Jack Morris, the ace of the 80s, hasn't gotten into the Hall of Fame, though he's right on the precipice. As for the team, the glorious summer of 1984 remains Detroit's last World Series title.

Defining Game
If it wasn't for his one at bat in the 1988 World Series, Kirk Gibson would probably be forever remembered for what he did in Game 5 in 1984. His two-run home run in the first was big, of course, but even bigger was his play in the bottom of the fifth, when he scored on a pop up to the second baseman in shallow right field to give the Tigers the lead for good.

But Gibson's Game 5 will always be about his eighth inning at bat. Leading 5-4, the Tigers put runners on second and third with one out for Gibson. The logical play here would have been to walk Gibson to load the bases, then hopefully get the double play. But Padres closer Goose Gossage didn't want to walk Gibson, and manager Dick Williams listened. I suppose it's showing faith in your future Hall of Fame closer to listen to him in that situation, but Williams probably felt sick to his stomach when Gibson hit the second pitch into the Tiger Stadium upper deck. His blast clinched the game, and the series, for Detroit.

Gibson's home run:


MVP
Alan Trammell was an obvious choice. It wasn't just his series-high .450 average, it was when he got his hits. He drove in the first run of the series in the first inning of Game 1, then always seemed to be in the middle of every Detroit rally. Gibson got all the press after his Game 5 heroics, and Morris established his big-game credentials with two complete games, but Trammell deserved his MVP award.

Scores:
(Home team shaded; winners in Bold)

Detroit	3	3	5	4	8
San Diego	2	5	2	2	4

The List
I'm ranking all the World Series, from worst to best. Here are the ones I've done so far:

79. 1984 - Detroit (A) def. San Diego (N) 4-1
Numbers 80-89
Numbers 90-99
Numbers 100-107

October 15, 1988: Two bad legs

LOS ANGELES - Kirk Gibson wasn't even in uniform when game 1 of the 1988 World Series began. He had two bad legs, could barely walk, and was all but ruled out of the World Series. That he was even on the World Series roster at all was as a token of gratitude for his incredible first season with the Dodgers.

After nearly a decade with Detroit, Gibson came over to Los Angeles and instantly became the team's biggest hitting threat. In a year where the Dodgers were especially punchless, Gibson was their only truly dangerous offensive player. Add to that the emotional leadership he gave them, and he was an easy choice for NL MVP.

That didn't do him any good, though, sitting in the trainers' room. Without Gibson, and going up against the powerful Oakland A's, the Dodgers looked cooked. He wasn't even announced in the pregame introductions, choosing instead to stay in the clubhouse to get treatment.

During the game, one of the TV announcers casually mentioned how Gibson was hurt and not even in uniform. That pissed Gibson off, and he immediately put on his uniform and began trying to get loose, hoping beyond hope that he could will himself onto the field. In the seventh inning, he sent word to Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda: he was ready to pinch hit if he was needed.

The Dodgers entered the ninth trailing 4-3, thanks to a grand slam by Jose Canseco in the second inning that dented the center field camera. Oakland sent Dennis Eckersley, the best reliever in the world, out to the mound. Even though it was only a one-run game, Lasorda didn't want to use Gibson unless he could win the game, so Gibson waited on the bench while the first two batters went down quietly. A pinch-hitting Mike Davis provided a glimmer of hope by drawing a two-out walk, and then Lasorda made the call.

Dodger fans, hoping for a miracle, cheered wildly when Gibson was introduced. Here was their MVP, hoping for one more big blast for his team. For people watching at home, though, it didn't look good. The man could barely walk to home plate - how was he supposed to get a good swing off Eckersley?

After two fouls, Gibson hit a foul ball down the first base line made it look even worse, as he could barely get out of the batters box. It became apparent that he had to hit the ball past the outfielders to even be guaranteed of making it to first base. But he stuck with it. Another foul, sandwiched between two out of the zone. Davis stole second on ball three. It was a full count.

As Eckersley got set for the 3-2 pitch, Gibson called time and stepped out of the box. He adjusted his gloves, took one swing, examined his bat, and thought. Every pitch Eckersley had thrown him to that point had been a fastball. What if he tried to sneak that slider past him? He stepped back in, waiting. Eckersley kicked his leg and fired.

A waist-high slider. An awkward, almost one-armed swing. A line drive to right. Canseco looking up. Gibson painfully running to first, his right fist in the air. The Dodgers leaping out of the dugout, Lasorda leading the way, waving his arms. Gibson doing the now-famous double fist pump as he rounded second base. Jack Buck yelling "I don't believe what I just saw!" Gibson getting mobbed as he reached home plate.

.........

Kirk Gibson only had one at bat in the 1988 World Series. After his game 1 blast, he was far too injured to even consider playing again. But it didn't matter. His home run had changed the course of the series like no other one before it. The Dodgers had all the inspiration they needed, beating the heavily favored A's in five games. Orel Hershiser won the World Series MVP award for two masterful complete-game wins, but everybody knew who the true MVP was. It was a man who stepped up when his team needed him, who delivered despite a debilitating injury. It was a man who won a World Series with one swing.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=3364800