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When Orel Hershiser struck out Tony Phillips to nail down the 1988 World Series title for the Dodgers with a complete game win, they were seen as an impossible champion. Sure, its baseball and anything can happen, but nobody had the Dodgers ripping through the powerful A’s in five games.
The Dodgers had already somehow knocked off the powerful Mets in the NLCS and when they steamrolled the A’s too, nobody was quite sure how they did it. Outside of Orel Hershiser’s pure dominance, nothing really screamed “World Series winner” when you digested the 1988 Dodgers stats.
Kirk Gibson and Mike Marshall combined for 45 home runs—not a large total by any means—but the entire team besides combined for just 54 homers. That’s right, they didn’t even hit 100 homers as a team. John Shelby was third on the team with 10 homers. This year’s Yankees hit 128 homers through June.
Their 131 stolen bases were 20 below league average, so they weren’t out there burning up the base paths like the mid-80s Cardinals either. And 73 of those steals came from just two players anyway. Only two teams in the National League had a lower team OPS than the Dodgers did as well.
The saying goes that defense wins championships, so they must have been great there, right? Nope. Their .977 fielding percentage was .001 away from being the worst in all of baseball.
The strength of the Dodgers was obviously pitching, and they were second in the National League behind the Mets with a 2.96 ERA, but you have to have some kind of offense and defense to win, don’t you?
The Dodgers had just one representative in the All-Star Game, Orel Hershiser, and outside of Gibson who won the NL MVP, the only other position player to gain an MVP vote was Steve Sax – and he got just one tenth place vote. The Dodgers other three main infielders besides Sax hit a collective .219 with 15 home runs on the season.
So how did they win it all? General Manager Fred Claire put together a team of winners with incredible mastery. When we interviewed Claire at BallNine in 2021, he gave us great insight as the team’s architect. Claire said, “I was with the Dodgers for 20 years before I became the General Manager. Having had the experience of knowing Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella, Carl Erskine; through my years with Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey, one thing I fully understood was the importance of the individual character of a player. We can see talent and can have a disagreement on the assessment of his talent, but the character of the individual doesn’t change.”
Amen, Mr. Claire.
He talked about the impact of picking up guys like Mickey Hatcher, Jesse Orosco, John Shelby, Tim Belcher, Alfredo Griffin, Jay Howell and of course Gibson. They already had winners like Sax, Mike Scioscia, Fernando Valenzuela and Hershiser as well. Simply put, the team had more “glue” players than superstars and with Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda leading the charge from the dugout that was all the team needed.
As a 14-year-old Mets fan, I wanted this team thrown out of Major League Baseball forever out of spite after the 1988 NLCS. As an adult, I have the utmost respect for the work done by Claire, Lasorda, Hershiser, Gibson and company. They’re the best example we have that games are played on a diamond, not a spreadsheet.
Before we move on to this week’s edition of The Stud 400, here’s a look at the last five entries as we count down the 400 greatest moments in Major League Baseball history:
30: Babe Ruth’s Called Shot (1932)
29: Gas House Gang Wins World Series (1926)
28 :Carlton Fisk Home Run (1975)
27: Rickey Henderson passes Lou Brock (1991)
26: Cal Ripken passes Lou Gehrig (1995)
And now, here’s Episode LXXXII of The Stud 400.
25. George Steinbrenner buys the Yankees (1973)
25. George Steinbrenner buys the Yankees (1973)Early January isn’t the typical hotbed for baseball activity. Everyone is still recovering from the holidays and most of the country is in the throes of winter.
Sure, the hot stove is on and we’re pining for spring training, but the baseball needle is usually stuck on “E” on January 3. In 1973, there was an exception that came in the form of an earthquake as it was announced that CBS was selling the New York Yankees to a group led by George M. Steinbrenner III. At his introductory press conference, Steinbrenner vowed to be a “hands off” owner, which of course, he was the exact opposite. When Steinbrenner bought the Yankees, they were in the midst of their worst stretch since the pre-Babe Ruth era. They hadn’t won the American League since 1964 and had finished at least 15 games out of first place in eight of the previous nine seasons.
By 1976, the Yankees were American League champions again and they won back-to-back World Series in 1977 and 1978. The Yankees may have returned to glory, but Steinbrenner had become combustible, arrogant and domineering. His tenure as owner, which lasted until his 2010 death, was marked by success as much as it was controversy. Steinbrenner’s initial investment in the team was just $168,000 for a 2% stake in ownership, but by the time of his death, he owned 57% of the team. During Steinbrenner’s reign, he shaped how teams in professional sports treated free agency and played the role of villain and hero for long periods of time. But you can’t argue with the success he had. The Yankees won 11 American League titles and seven World Series under his stewardship. He also turned the Yankees into a massive international brand. His accomplishments and transgressions are too vast to list here, but let’s just say his impact on baseball was pretty damn influential, whether you liked him or not.
24. Don Larsen World Series Perfect Game (1956)
24. Don Larsen World Series Perfect Game (1956)When you look at Don Larsen’s career, it really isn’t that special. He pitched for seven teams across 14 seasons, and in four of those seasons, he appeared in less than 10 games. He lost 21 games in 1954, pitched in relief more often than he started, never made an All-Star team and finished with a career record of 81-91. It’s funny how one game can change an entire legacy though. That game came on October 3, 1956 and it was Game 5 of the 1956 World Series. That game featured the Yankees vs. the Dodgers with the series tied at two games apiece at the time. Larsen had started two previous World Series games in his career, including Game 2 of the ’56 series just three days earlier, and was tattooed in both. None of that mattered in Game 5 though, as Larsen threw the first, and to this date only, postseason perfect game.
By 1954, there had only been three perfect games in the history of Major League Baseball with the previous coming in 1922. It was about as rare a feat as there was in the game and Larsen’s accomplishment came from absolutely out of nowhere. He needed just 97 pitches to dice up a Brooklyn Dodgers team that featured five Hall of Famers—Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges and Pee Wee Reese. Larsen reached three balls on just one batter and the game took just 2:06 to complete. Larsen needed just 13 pitches in the ninth to retire Carl Furillo, Campanella and Dale Mitchell, who struck out looking for the last out. That sent catcher Yogi Berra barreling towards the pitcher as he tried to make his way off the field. The image of the 5’7” Berra leaping on the 6’4” Larsen before being mobbed by his teammates created such a fantastic visual that endures as iconic 71 years later.
What an awesome and totally improbable moment in baseball history.
23. Kirk Gibson’s World Series HR (1988)
23. Kirk Gibson’s World Series HR (1988)Kirk Gibson is a winner. Always was, always will be. He’s old-school tough and played the game with ferocious intensity. Gibson delivered a dramatic World Series-clinching home run off Goose Gossage for the 1984 Tigers, and as dramatic as that home run was, it was nothing compared to what he did in 1988. In the offseason between 1987 and 1988, an arbitrator ruled that owners had colluded against free agents in previous seasons and Gibson was one of the victims. He was awarded immediate free agency and landed with the Dodgers. His presence instantly changed the team’s demeanor. Gibson won the National League MVP with good numbers, but nowhere near some of the players he beat out. The vote was a referendum on his leadership. That was how much just his presence meant to the ball club.
In the 1988 NLCS, the undermanned Dodgers beat the Mets in seven games despite dropping 10 of 11 games to New York in the regular season. Gibson was playing hurt the entire series and was just 4-24, but he delivered two absolute dagger home runs within those four hits. They advanced to the World Series and were huge underdogs against the A’s. Gibson’s lower body injuries were so bad that there were questions about whether he would be left off the roster entirely. The decision makers thought better, because telling Kirk Gibson he wasn’t going to be on the World Seires roster would likely have cost them their lives.
The A’s scored four runs in the second inning of Game 1 and carried a slim 4-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth. They turned to Dennis Eckersley, who was in the middle of a historic run as a closer, to protect the lead. He got the first two outs easily, but walked Mike Davis to put the tying run on base. Gibson was sent up as a pinch hitter, dramatically limping up to the plate and wincing in pain with each step and swing. It didn’t look like he had the strength to hit the ball out of the infield, especially after he fell behind 0-2. Gibson took two balls, fouled off some pitches and took another ball, setting up a dramatic 3-2 situation between two of the game’s biggest stars. We all know what happened next.
Gibson got the low pitch he was looking for and dropped his bat head on it, belting it into the right field bleachers for a no-doubt home run. While Gibson ambled around the bases, taking a couple of moments to pump his fist, manager Tommy Lasorda’s reaction was in stark contrast. He leapt out of the dugout and led the charge to home plate to welcome the heroic Gibson as he scored the winning run. The Dodgers would go on to an improbable five game disposal of the A’s and Gibson never got another at bat in the series. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Vin Scully’s “She is…gone!” call of the massive home run too. Gibson’s home run had all the storytelling and drama you could ask for. It was one of the best at bats you’ll ever see; a battle between two legends of the game. And Gibson did it all on upper body strength, he had just about no use of his legs whatsoever.
22. Red Sox break the curse (2004)
22. Red Sox break the curse (2004)The 2004 Red Sox could probably place a dozen “moments” or so in The Stud 400. Instead, we’ll wrap them all into one all-encompassing high-ranking entry under the same umbrella.
From the offseason moves of hiring Terry Francona and acquiring Curt Schilling to the ups and downs of the regular season, this team seemed to experience everything. They brawled with the Yankees, traded away franchise icon Nomar Garciaparra, acquired key pieces Dave Roberts and Doug Mientkiewicz during the season, and were as many as 10.5 games behind the Yankees as late as August 16. The Red Sox never did catch the Yankees, but they cruised to a playoff berth, capturing an uncontested Wild Card with the second-best record in the American League and third best in Major League Baseball. Oh yeah, about those playoffs. Let’s just say that if you’re going to break a hex as strong as The Curse of the Bambino, you’re bound to do it in historic fashion.
The Sox stampeded past the Angels in a sweep in the ALDS and then drew the Yankees in the ALCS. The Yankees won the first two games at Yankee Stadium and then went to Fenway and embarrassed the Sox to the tune of a 19-8 beating to go up 3-0 in the series. To that point in the history of Major League Baseball, no team had ever overcome a 3-0 deficit to win any series. The Yankees looked to make that statement hold as they had a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the ninth of Game 4 with the greatest closer in the history of the game on the mound. However, Kevin Millar drew a walk leading off the inning and was pinch run for by Dave Roberts. With the whole baseball world anticipating a steal, Roberts took off for second and was successful. Bill Mueller then tied the game by grounding a 1-1 pitch through the infield for a hit. The game stayed tied at four into the 12th until David Ortiz ended it with a long home run. The Yankees were still up 3-1, but the Sox had Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling lined up to start the next two games.
Game 5 was another insane contest as the Red Sox scored two in the eighth inning, including another home run by Ortiz, to force extra innings again. This time, the game went 14 innings and again Ortiz played the hero, singling home Johnny Damon with the winning run. As if the series wasn’t crazy enough to this point, the Game 6 was The Bloody Sock Game and of course the Sox took that one too. By the time Game 7 rolled around, nothing was going to stop the Red Sox. They scored six runs in the first two innings of Game 7 and had an 8-1 lead by the fourth inning. The Red Sox completed the first—and to this date only—comeback from a 3-0 series deficit by winning Game 7, 10-3 boosting them to a World Series showdown with the Cardinals. The Cardinals stood no chance as the Sox swept their way to their first World Series title since Babe Ruth pitched them to the crown in 1918. Cue the duckboats!
21. The Buckner Play (1986)
21. The Buckner Play (1986)Ok, time to knock Red Sox fans down a peg after the previous entry.
The 2004 ALCS may have been bananas crazy, but was it more nuts than the 1986 World Series? Probably not. The 1986 Mets are viewed as a team of destiny, but if it weren’t for one play, they may very well have been relegated to a totally different legacy. Game 6 went to extra innings and with the Mets down 3-2 in the series, this was do-or-die for them. After Rick Aguilera needed just 11 pitches to get through the ninth inning, the Sox touched him for two runs in the top of the 10th. The Mets were on life support going into the 10th down 5-3 and when Wally Backman and Keith Hernandez flew out for the first two outs of the inning, they were fully in code blue territory. However, singles by Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell and Ray Knight prolonged the game and got them to within one run.
With Mitchell on third as the tying run and Knight on first, Mookie Wilson came to the plate as the Mets’ last hope. Wilson battled Red Sox closer Bob Stanley and a wild pitch on a 2-2 count allowed Mitchell to score, improbably tying the game. It also set up one of the most iconic plays in baseball history. On the 10th pitch of the incredible at bat, Wilson hit a ground ball—trickling, as Bob Murphy said—that got through Buckner—as Vin Scully said—sending a jubilant Knight home with the winning run. Although the Mets were down in Game 7 too, they were never losing that game after pulling Game 6 out of the fire like that. History ties Buckner and Wilson together the way it tied Ralph Branca and Bobby Thomson did, fairly or not. There is certainly a camp that believes Wilson would have beaten Buckner to the base if he fielded it cleanly and there’s debate on whether Buckner should have been in the game at all considering his painful lower body injuries. Some cite Stanley’s wild pitch as the bigger goof in the inning, and they make a good case. Let’s not let Calvin Schiraldi off the hook either. His 2.2 innings of four-run ball didn’t exactly help things. Either way, one of the most iconic plays in baseball history helped the Mets reach their destiny and The Buckner Play lands just outside the top 20 in The Stud 400.
Stay tuned for next week’s episode of The Stud 400 when we jump into the top 20 with some of the game’s biggest icons and outcasts. We’re into July, so it’s only appropriate that we check in with The Boys of Summer. We’re also discussing a position change that altered the course of baseball history and taking a look at one of the greatest single-season batting accomplishments ever. We’re remembering an icon in what we have as the top ranked tragedy the game has ever seen, too. There aren’t many installments of The Stud 400 left, so don’t miss this one, you bum!
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