25 Years Ago Kirk Gibson Hit His Famous Homer Off Dennis Eckersley
By Mike Cardillo
Twenty-five years ago, Kirk Gibson stroked this now-legendary World Series game-winning home run off Dennis Eckersley. Man, has it been that long? Guess Father Time catches up with all of us.
MLB has a new “25 Greatest Postseason Home Runs” DVD set to come up, with all the particulars involved in the Gibson homer recounting it.
It’s hard to emphasis how unreal this felt back in 1988. Eckersley was Mariano Rivera before there was Mariano Rivera. When he got the ball for the A’s it was game over. Jack Buck’s call, “I don’t believe what I just saw” is perfect. Just perfect.
If memory serves I was doing Gibson’s fist-pump during Little League for the next couple years.
That said, Tommy Lasorda’s fat-guy dance of joy is timeless.