Improbable and Impossible: A Look at the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers

You know, a lot of crazy shit in sports happened in the 1980s. The Islanders and Oilers dynasties, the rise of the San Francisco 49ers, the NBA hit the state of Florida, the Raiders moving to Los Angeles--and later winning the Super Bowl. You name it, it's happened. Baseball was no different. I did mention the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets championship runs in previous stories, and here, I want to discuss that memorable run by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988.

1988 was a hell of a year for the City of Angels in sports. For one, the Lakers won the NBA Championship--their last championship in the "Showtime" era. Also, the Kings made a trade during that year, receiving some guy named Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers. As for the Dodgers, they were looking for something, anything, to help them rebound from a 1987 season that saw them win 73 games and finish fourth in the National League West. 1988 saw the Dodgers expected to have that exact same finish: fourth place. They were seven years removed from that championship win over the Yankees, but they appeared to be a far cry from that squad.

Then, a funny thing happened: the Dodgers turned it up in 1988. A 94-67 campaign that earned them first place in the NL West; winning the division by seven games over the Cincinnati Reds. The team had an impressive crop of players; Mike Marshall led in RBIs with 82, proof that this was a team effort for sure. Mike Scioscia and Steve Sax (a pair of future Simpsons guest stars) were key hitters in this amazing Dodgers season, along with one player who will be named later. As for pitching, future Dodgers color analyst Orel Hershiser was the top ace, going 23-8 in 1988 and leading the team in ERA (2.26). He had 178 strikeouts, which was a very close second behind Tim Leary (180), while Tim Belcher and Fernando Valenzuela also served as key pieces to the rotation.

The Dodgers already raised expectations just by winning the division. However, the National League Championship Series would see the Dodgers face off against the New York Mets, who were two years removed from winning the whole thing. In addition, the Dodgers had severe problems with the Mets during the regular season--they only beat the Mets once in 11 meetings. Even though the Mets had the better record, the Dodgers had home field because it was the West Division's turn to have that advantage. However, the Mets did take Game One thanks to a ninth inning rally, though the Dodgers would salvage a split with a Game Two victory. The series shifted to Shea Stadium, where the Mets took Game Three thanks to a five-run eighth inning. Game Four went extras thanks to the Dodgers scoring two in the ninth, and they would win it in 12 innings, with Orel Hershiser getting the save.

The Dodgers took Game Five, moving them one win away from their first pennant in seven years, but the Mets would win Game Six in LA to force a deciding seventh game. Hershiser took the mound, having not won in his previous two starts, but this time, he was lights out and the bats came through. Dodgers scored once in the first and five times in the second, and that was enough. A 6-0 victory over the high-powered Mets, and they were off to the World Series. Hershiser's efforts during the series earned him the nod of NLCS MVP, he was the ultimate workhorse during that seven-game series.

The Dodgers faced off against the Oakland Athletics in the World Series, marking the first time in MLB history that the entire Fall Classic would take place in the Golden State--a feat that would be only occur two other times since then. The Dodgers had home field in that year's Series despite finishing ten games worse than the A's, as that year was the National League's turn to have home field advantage. The Dodgers faced problems from the get-go. Because they used Hershiser so much, they couldn't start him three times in a potential seven-game Series. Also, the Dodgers were behind after scoring two in the first inning. It was 4-2 A's for the longest time, but the Dodgers cut it to 4-3. That would be the score in the bottom of the ninth, with Dennis Eckersley, one of the greatest closers in baseball history, on the mound. The first two Dodgers batters were retired, but Mike Davis walked. Even so, the Dodgers were one out away from being one down in the Series.

And then, it happened.

We all know who this man is. Kirk Harold Gibson. Born in Pontiac, Michigan, Gibson began his career close to home with the Detroit Tigers, playing nine seasons with the team--including winning the World Series in 1984. Gibson was a big grab for the Dodgers in January 1988, and in his first year with the Dodgers, he led the team in home runs with 25. It was Gibson's homer that won Game Four of the NLCS, but regarding this game, he was not in the lineup, as both of his knees were banged up. Yet after Mike Davis walked, Tommy Lasorda decided to go all in and send Gibson to the plate.

And he's not the only legend who is part of this story:

We all know who this man is. Vincent Edward Scully. I don't have to say anything about him; his dedication to baseball and his iconic moments and career say it all for me. The longtime voice of the Dodgers, but in 1988, he was on the call for the World Series nationally on NBC. As Gibson was on his way to the plate, the iconic Scully had this to say:

"And look who's coming up!"

Gibson's surprise pinch-hit appearance drew big roars from the Dodgers crowd in LA, and after the great Scully allowed viewers to soak in that reaction as only he can, he continued on:

"All year long, they looked to him to light the fire, and all year long, he answered the demands, until he was physically unable to start tonight—with two bad legs: The bad left hamstring, and the swollen right knee. And, with two out, you talk about a roll of the dice... this is it."

Gibson managed to work a full count against Eckersley. Steve Sax was shown on the on-deck circle, but it was stated that the game was in Gibson's hands. And then...

CRACK!

"High fly ball into right field; she is...GONE!!!"

A walk-off two-run homer. The most played piece of baseball footage I've ever seen, and honestly, even if I was living outside of SoCal, I would be seeing it replayed on TV; it was that legendary. Speaking of legendary, we see Gibson with that famous fist pump as he circled the bases, and we also received another memorable line from the magnificent Scully:

"In a year that's been so improbable, the impossible has happened!"

Hershiser started Game Two, and the rest helped, as he was lights out. Not only that, Hershiser had three hits and an RBI--the first pitcher to get three hits in a World Series game since Art Nehf did so in 1924. The Dodgers won, 6-0, to go up 2-0 heading up north to Oakland. Game Three saw the A's win in walk-off fashion, but that was all that Oakland could muster, as the Dodgers would take Games Four and Five in the Bay Area to take the Fall Classic.

The Dodgers clinched their sixth World Championship on October 20, 1988, and unsurprisingly, Orel Hershiser was named World Series MVP. He was absolutely untouchable during the entire postseason, going 3-0 and even picking up a save in the NLCS, and also swung the bat very well in Game Two of the World Series. As great as Hershiser's pitching performance was, the 1988 World Series is remembered for Gibson's walk-off shot, one of the greatest moments in baseball history. Gibson played three seasons with the Dodgers, and would later play for the Royals and Pirates before returning to the Tigers, where he would call it a career.

The Dodgers' 1988 championship was the last piece of a spectacular calendar year for the City of Angels. It would be a long time until the Dodgers would be in this position again. They would have to wait 29 years for their next pennant, and their next championship wouldn't come until 2020. Even so, the 1988 Dodgers' run was definitely the stuff of legends and icons.