page_title: Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series home run
section_title: The play
hierarchical_section_title: Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series home run / The play
caption_attribution_description: Dodger Stadium
context_page_description: Kirk Gibson's 1988 World Series home run was a baseball play that occurred in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, on October 15, 1988, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Gibson was initially held out of Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup with injuries to both legs, but after being called upon to pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, he hit a two-run, walk-off home run against Oakland Athletics pitcher Dennis Eckersley. The home run won the game for the Dodgers by a score of 5–4.
  After winning the National League West division, the Dodgers were considered the underdogs throughout the 1988 postseason, first to the New York Mets in the NL Championship Series, then to the Athletics in the World Series. Gibson, who was not expected to play due to injuries in both legs sustained during the NLCS, was surprisingly inserted as a pinch hitter with the Dodgers trailing 4–3 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the tying run at first base. Gibson's home run—his only plate appearance of the series—helped the Dodgers defeat the Athletics, four games to one, securing their sixth World Series title.
context_section_description: Instead of sending Anderson to the plate, Lasorda inserted Gibson as his pinch hitter. Gibson hobbled up to the plate with Scully commenting, "And look who's coming up!" Gibson quickly fouled off two pitches, getting behind in the count, 0–2. He then swung clumsily and dribbled the ensuing pitch foul down the first base line, which seemed to confirm his inability to swing with any authority. Gibson took an outside pitch, called a ball by home plate umpire Doug Harvey, fouled off a pitch, and then took another outside pitch to work to a 2–2 count. 
  On the seventh pitch of the at bat—another ball, making it a full count—Davis stole second. Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda later recounted it was pre-planned that if the count got to two strikes on Gibson, they would have Davis steal second, figuring that A's manager Tony La Russa wouldn't elect to intentionally walk Gibson if there were already two strikes against him. Once Davis was at second, Lasorda was just hoping Gibson could muscle a pitch to the outfield for a game-tying single.
  Gibson would later recount that prior to the Series, Dodger scout Mel Didier had provided a report on Eckersley which claimed that with a 3–2 count against a left-handed hitter, one could be absolutely certain that Eckersley would throw a backdoor slider. Gibson said that when the count reached 3–2, he stepped out of the batter's box and, in his mind, could hear Didier's voice, with its distinctive Southern drawl, reiterating that same piece of advice. With that thought in mind, Gibson stepped back into the batter's box; and thus when Eckersley did in fact throw a backdoor slider, it was exactly the pitch Gibson was expecting.
  Swinging almost entirely with his upper body, Gibson then hit the pitch over the right-field fence. He limped around the bases and pumped his fist as his teammates stormed the field. The Dodgers won the game, 5–4.
  Gibson did not have another plate appearance in the World Series. The Dodgers went on to defeat the A's in the World Series, 4–1.
caption: Dodger Stadium, where the home run was hit.
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