The 1988 Fall Classic is the only time their has been not one, but two walkoff home runs. Both of them seemed rather unlikely. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics only got to see each other for five games, but hey, that means there were three games with no walkoff home runs. So it's not like there no expectations for some. But an injury and a bad slump? Hardly the spot for anyone to come through!
Oh, of course, the Kirk Gibson blast of Eckersley? Well Kirk was hurt. Having won the MVP of the regular season and added some clutch stuff in the NLCS vs. New York, he should have been in the lineup. But Gibby was hurt, and in no way shape or form ready to play.
But the Dodgers needed Gibson. It was 4-3 Oakland going into the bottom of the ninth inning of game one. Los Angeles didn't have their ace, Orel Hershiser in this one. He was all ready for game two. But they needed something else to get this one.
Dennis Eckersley came in to pitch the ninth for Oakland. And blink twice, and you missed two outs. Mike Davis was next, batting for Alfredo Griffin. He worked Eckersley to a 3-1 count, and then got on base. Eck must have been mad at himself for that. David had hit .196 in the regular season.
So that brought up another pinch hitter for Los Angeles. Oh, and it was Kirk Gibson. Spotlight time.
But Eckersley had no intention of givin' in here, you see. Blink twice and Gibson could only foul off both of his offerings. 0-2. Another foul ball kept Gibson alive. Here's were Eck made a mistake. He missed with a pitch, and Davis stole second. I guess Eckersley could afford to walk Gibson, but Steve Sax was on deck. You don't want him up.
Eck continued to miss, however. Ball two, ball three. It was full.
Eckersley then threw a backdoor slider. Gibson hit it out of here! Dodgers 5, A's 4. What a way to kick this thing off! Los Angeles, however had just gotten all they would get from Gibby. He would not step foot on the diamond again in 1988.
But the Dodger had the dramatic win, right? And when the followed that up with a 6-0 win in game two behind a three-hitter by Hershiser, things were looking almost too good as this thing was headin' north to Oakland.
Game three saw each team score a run. And Los Angeles was looking to go up 3-0. And they got a boost for this game. Obviously, it was not Kirk Gibson. Rather, it was Jay Howell, the former Oakland pitcher. Howell had been suspended for three days for having pine tar on his glove. Hmmmm, wonder what he and George Brett thought about pine.
In any event, it was Howell on the mound in the bottom of the ninth. Being in a tie is sometimes an awkward sport for a closer like Jay, who had 21 saves in the regular season. This was obviously not a save situation.
However, Jay made Jose Canseco the first out. It took him just one pitch. Jose still did not have a hit since his game one grand slam. But the other Bash Brother, Mark McGwire stepped into the dish to meet the challenge from Jay. Jay looked liked he had him.
Howell missed with the first pitch, but then McGwire did something that Gibson had done in game one. He fouled off two straight pitches to put himself in a dangerous position. He was one strike away from going down on a K. Howell missed and it was 2-2. Just like Eckersley had done with Gibson, as well.
Howell did not throw another ball. McGwire fouled off the next pitch to stay alive. Then, another foul. And still another. How long could this thing go? Well, as it turns out, just one more pitch. Jay got it up a little high, and Big Mac took him out of the park. 2-1, Oakland final. The Fall Classic of 1988 stood at Los Angeles two games, Oakland one game. The reverse of the final score of game three.
Howell seemed to have things well under control. And his pitching looked overwhelming. But like Eckersley before him, he got tagged with the loss.
In the long run however, it was Los Angeles that won the 1988 World Series, four games to one.
Often, game one is forgotten in the Fall Classic. So, too, is a team's lone win in a series that lasted just five games. Remember game two of '74 when Los Angeles won their only game. How about Philly's one in '83 (Game one, also)? San Diego's game two in '84? Hmmmm, we'd all be hard-pressed. But in 1988, game one, and Oakland's only win proved dramatic and unforgettable!
References
Brenner, Richard J. The World Series: The Great Contests. East End Publishing, 1989. Print.
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.
Seaver, Tom, and Martin Appel. Great Moments in Baseball. New York, NY: Carol Pub. Group, 1992. Print.
Snyder, John S. World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 05 Feb. 2015.
Oh, of course, the Kirk Gibson blast of Eckersley? Well Kirk was hurt. Having won the MVP of the regular season and added some clutch stuff in the NLCS vs. New York, he should have been in the lineup. But Gibby was hurt, and in no way shape or form ready to play.
But the Dodgers needed Gibson. It was 4-3 Oakland going into the bottom of the ninth inning of game one. Los Angeles didn't have their ace, Orel Hershiser in this one. He was all ready for game two. But they needed something else to get this one.
Dennis Eckersley came in to pitch the ninth for Oakland. And blink twice, and you missed two outs. Mike Davis was next, batting for Alfredo Griffin. He worked Eckersley to a 3-1 count, and then got on base. Eck must have been mad at himself for that. David had hit .196 in the regular season.
So that brought up another pinch hitter for Los Angeles. Oh, and it was Kirk Gibson. Spotlight time.
But Eckersley had no intention of givin' in here, you see. Blink twice and Gibson could only foul off both of his offerings. 0-2. Another foul ball kept Gibson alive. Here's were Eck made a mistake. He missed with a pitch, and Davis stole second. I guess Eckersley could afford to walk Gibson, but Steve Sax was on deck. You don't want him up.
Eck continued to miss, however. Ball two, ball three. It was full.
Eckersley then threw a backdoor slider. Gibson hit it out of here! Dodgers 5, A's 4. What a way to kick this thing off! Los Angeles, however had just gotten all they would get from Gibby. He would not step foot on the diamond again in 1988.
But the Dodger had the dramatic win, right? And when the followed that up with a 6-0 win in game two behind a three-hitter by Hershiser, things were looking almost too good as this thing was headin' north to Oakland.
Game three saw each team score a run. And Los Angeles was looking to go up 3-0. And they got a boost for this game. Obviously, it was not Kirk Gibson. Rather, it was Jay Howell, the former Oakland pitcher. Howell had been suspended for three days for having pine tar on his glove. Hmmmm, wonder what he and George Brett thought about pine.
In any event, it was Howell on the mound in the bottom of the ninth. Being in a tie is sometimes an awkward sport for a closer like Jay, who had 21 saves in the regular season. This was obviously not a save situation.
However, Jay made Jose Canseco the first out. It took him just one pitch. Jose still did not have a hit since his game one grand slam. But the other Bash Brother, Mark McGwire stepped into the dish to meet the challenge from Jay. Jay looked liked he had him.
Howell missed with the first pitch, but then McGwire did something that Gibson had done in game one. He fouled off two straight pitches to put himself in a dangerous position. He was one strike away from going down on a K. Howell missed and it was 2-2. Just like Eckersley had done with Gibson, as well.
Howell did not throw another ball. McGwire fouled off the next pitch to stay alive. Then, another foul. And still another. How long could this thing go? Well, as it turns out, just one more pitch. Jay got it up a little high, and Big Mac took him out of the park. 2-1, Oakland final. The Fall Classic of 1988 stood at Los Angeles two games, Oakland one game. The reverse of the final score of game three.
Howell seemed to have things well under control. And his pitching looked overwhelming. But like Eckersley before him, he got tagged with the loss.
In the long run however, it was Los Angeles that won the 1988 World Series, four games to one.
Often, game one is forgotten in the Fall Classic. So, too, is a team's lone win in a series that lasted just five games. Remember game two of '74 when Los Angeles won their only game. How about Philly's one in '83 (Game one, also)? San Diego's game two in '84? Hmmmm, we'd all be hard-pressed. But in 1988, game one, and Oakland's only win proved dramatic and unforgettable!
References
Brenner, Richard J. The World Series: The Great Contests. East End Publishing, 1989. Print.
Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.
Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.
Seaver, Tom, and Martin Appel. Great Moments in Baseball. New York, NY: Carol Pub. Group, 1992. Print.
Snyder, John S. World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 05 Feb. 2015.
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