October 15, 1988

- With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Kirk Gibson hits a pinch-hit

home run off Dennis Eckersley to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5 - 4 victory

over the Oakland Athletics in Game One of the World Series. Gibson, who injured

himself making a game saving catch in the National League Championship Series,

never came out for game one introductions and never took batting practice

spending the entire game on the trainer’s table receiving treatment with

Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda checking on him between innings. Inning after

inning, Lasorda checked and was given the thumbs down each time until the

bottom of the ninth with the A’s leading 4-3 when the clubhouse boy told

Lasorda that Gibson wanted to speak to him. ”I think I can hit for you,

Skipper” was the message Lasorda heard when he arrived in the trainer’s room. Eckersley

got the first 2 batters out. Alfredo Griffin was next up when Lasorda sent Mike

Davis to the plate instead, with Gibson warming up unbeknownst to anyone. As

Eck settled in to pitch, Lasorda sent Dave Anderson to the on deck circle.

Eckersley took notice and decided he wasn't going to let Davis hit it out of

the ballpark. He worked the count to 3-2 and walked Davis. “Now get out there

Big Boy” Lasorda ordered Gibson, whose appearance sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Lasorda decided Gibson had two swings to try and hit it out of the park and

then he gave Davis the green light to steal 2nd. With 1st

base open, the A’s chose not to walk Gibson who worked the count to 3-2 and

Gibson launched the next pitch out of the park. Vin Scully’s call of the play

say’s it all “"In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has

happened!"

October

15, 1970 - For the third time, the Baltimore Orioles overcome a 3 - 0 deficit

to bury the Cincinnati Reds, 9 - 3, and win the World Series in five games.

Brooks Robinson won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award hitting .429

and breaking the record for total bases with seventeen. Robinsons stellar

fielding earned him the nickname “Hoover”.