An Injured Home Run. Los Angeles Dodger Kirk Gibson secured a place in World Series history when he hit a dramatic home run in the first game of the 1988 series. Gibson, hobbled by an injured right knee, made a surprise appearance at the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning. With two outs and trailing by a run, Gibson hit a two-run home run off Dennis Eckersley, a star relief pitcher for the Oakland A's, to secure a 5-4 victory for the Dodgers. . An Injured Home Run Kirk Gibson sent word that if anyone got on, he could hit. It didn't matter that both his legs were injured or that earlier in the morning he was so hobbled that he couldn't swing a bat. He barely managed to suit up, and had spent most of the game in the training room. It was October 15, 1988, and this was the World Series. If called, Gibson would play. Sure enough, on that night in Hollywood, Mike Davis coaxed a walk out of Oakland Athletics ace reliever Dennis Eckersley. Tommy Lasorda, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, summoned Gibson, who gimped to the plate with two outs and promptly cranked a slider into the right-field bleachers for a 5-4 Dodgers win in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. "It was the one pitch he could pull for power," Eckersley told Sports Illustrated."He hit the dogmeat out of it." That win placed the Dodgers on course for an improbable World Series championship; the prior season they had finished with a losing record. The homer stood as not only the highlight of Gibson's impressive career, but the most theatrical turn of events for the Dodgers since they arrived in Los Angeles 30 years earlier. "Unbelievable," Lasorda said later. "You talk about drama--you couldn't have written a better script." Gibson said, "I live for these moments. I'm an impact player, and I love the added pressure of admitting it." The 1988 season was Gibson's first with the Dodgers. An excellent wide receiver in football while at Michigan State University, Gibson spent nine baseball seasons as a hard-hitting, no-nonsense outfielder with the Detroit Tigers. He had two home runs and hit .333 in the Tigers' 1984 World Series championship. The Dodgers signed Gibson to a three-year, $4.5-million free-agent contract prior to the 1988 season in a move to retool the team from a 73-89 record the year before. Gibson brought an intense attitude to a team that lacked one. Just before the first spring training game he discovered that someone had lined his baseball cap with shoe polish as a joke. Incensed, Gibson left the field in a huff and stayed away from the team for a day, sending a clear message that he was not interested in joking around. With the help of Gibson's .290 batting average, 25 home runs, and his will to win, the Dodgers unexpectedly clawed their way to a first-place finish in the West Division. In the National League Championship Series (NLCS) they met a powerful New York Mets team led by Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez, David Cone, and Dwight Gooden. Gibson hit a 12th-inning home run in Game 4 and a three-run blast in Game 5 to pace the Dodgers in a come-from-behind seven-game series victory. But Gibson reinjured his left hamstring in Game 5 of that series and then hurt his right knee in the final game of the series. He looked to be out of service for the World Series, which left the Dodgers seemingly undermanned in the matchup with the Athletics, a bruising team that led the major leagues with 104 wins. The Athletics' lineup boasted sluggers Jose Canseco, who paced the American League with 42 home runs and 124 runs batted in (RBIs), and Mark McGwire, who added 32 home runs and 99 RBIs, plus pitchers Dave Stewart, who won 21 games, and Eckersley, who led the league with 45 saves. The Dodgers had virtually counted out Gibson for at least the opening contest of the World Series. "Before the game he told me he couldn't do anything," Lasorda said. Gibson spent much of the game in the training room, watching on television as Canseco swatted a grand slam in the second inning to give the A's a 4-2 lead. The Dodgers added a run in the seventh to draw the score to 4-3. In the eighth inning Gibson heard television broadcaster Vin Sculley say, "The man who is the spearhead of the Dodger offense throughout the year, who saved them in the League Championship Series, will not see any action tonight, for sure. Gibson is not even in the dugout." This comment was more than Gibson could take. He slipped on his uniform top, walked to a batting cage inside Dodger Stadium, and hit baseballs off a tee. "I tried to swing a bat in my living room in the morning and couldn't do it," Gibson later said. "But once I got up in that cage, I didn't feel anything until I was going around the bases." Gibson sent Dodgers batboy Mitch Poole to tell Lasorda that the slugger was ready if needed. Lasorda hustled to the batting cage to talk to Gibson himself. "As soon as he heard that I wanted to hit," Gibson said, "he took off." During Davis's at bat Gibson entered the dugout and sat in the corner wearing a helmet and holding a black bat. Davis drew a walk, Gibson limped to the plate, and the crowd of 55,983 rose to its feet. Gibson fouled off the first three pitches rather feebly. When he dribbled one foul up the first base line and hobbled a few steps down the line with it, he appeared to need a cane more than a bat. "He looked like a newborn deer," Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser recalled. "We're thinking this is a terrible decision. Tommy shouldn't have him in there. Gibby can't even swing the bat. Then Davis steals second. Now we're hoping for blooper, a bleeder, an error, anything." Gibson worked the count to 3-2. He then fouled off four pitches after the count was full. Eckersley delivered a low slider. Gibson, batting left-handed, lifted his front foot, swung the bat down, and turned on the pitch with a resounding swat. As he limped around the bases he pumped his fist. The Dodgers knocked off the Athletics in five games. The home run was Gibson's only appearance in the 1988 World Series. He won the 1988 National League Most Valuable Player award and played two more seasons for the Dodgers, hitting .213 in 71 games in 1989 and .260 in 89 games in 1990, before finishing his career. But injuries limited his playing time and his effectiveness. He certainly never was the impact player he was in 1988. "I had all game to think about that situation," Gibson said later of his greatest night. "I could see myself doing the job. Even though I had a physical disability I knew when I stepped out of the dugout the crowd would give me a favorable reaction. I thank the big Dodger in the sky for choosing me to be the guy to celebrate that moment for the rest of my life." Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
