The 1988 World Series proved that, sometimes, you get what you expect out of life … but only after you wind through the wilderness a couple of times and turn the whole thing on its head.
See, this Series was supposed to be a yawner because it pitted the high-flying Bash Brothers Oakland A’s of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire fame against the stingy and scrappy Los Angeles Dodgers.
Tommy Lasorda was a Dodgers legend, and Orel Hershiser was maybe the game’s best pitcher, but … come on! No amount of NL-style tactical maneuvering would overcome the Athletics’ firepower.
We all knew it would be a minor miracle if this thing lasted even five games.
And … that’s how it played out. Sort of.
All these years later, this is still remembered as one of the most dramatic World Series of all time, but the thing is … just about all the drama happened in Game 1.
Here, let me tell you about it game by game, with the help of the one most significant baseball card related to each contest.
1988 World Series Game 1 – Dodgers 5, A’s 4
OK, rules are made to be broken. Especially when they’re your own rules and you just have to break them because they’re too darn limited.
That’s definitely the case with Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, because you can’t tell the tale with just one pasteboard.
The story for this one began late in the regular season, and especially in the NLCS against the Mets. In particular, the Dodgers’ big off-season acquisition, Kirk Gibson, came out of that series barely able to walk thanks to injuries to his left hamstring and right knee.
1988 Fleer Update Kirk Gibson (#U93)
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Gibby had been the heart and soul of the Blue all season long, and many thought he was in line for the NL MVP award (he was, as it turned out).
So, entering Game 1 without their leader, the Dodgers looked like a longshot to make any noise whatsoever.
And things pretty much played out as you would expect, with the A’s scoring four runs in the second inning on a two-out Jose Canseco grand slam against Tim Belcher.
Luckily for the Dodgers, they had already — and uncharacteristically — struck first thanks to a two-run dinger by Mickey Hatcher off Dave Stewart in their opening at-bat.
Dodgers relievers, and Stewart, pretty much shut stuff down from there, though L.A. managed to scratch out another run in the sixth on a Mike Scioscia RBI single.
Heading to the bottom of the ninth, then, the A’s were right where they wanted to be — up by a run and with a fresh lockdown Superman closer Dennis Eckersley on the hill.
Game over.
And it looked like that through the first two batters, too, as Sciosia popped out to short and Jeff Hamilton struck out.
Down to their final out, though, former “A” Mike Davis coaxed a walk from Eck.
With pitcher Alejandro Pena due up, Dodger Stadium began to chatter at the possibility of a pinch hitter … couldn’t happen could it?
Tommy wouldn’t do it … would he? And, even if he wanted to, could he … ??
And then, it happened.
Gibson himself hobbled to the plate and chills shot down spines across America.
1988 Donruss Baseball’s Best Dennis Eckersley (#43)
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Eckersley threw everything he had at the former Tiger, and Gibby worked the count to 2-and-2, then fouled off two more pitches before taking ball three.
Davis stole on that pitch, which meant Gibson could tie the game with a hit, but that still seemed like an impossibility.
On the next pitch, though, the eighth of the at-bat, Gibson tied into Eckersley’s slider and sent it flying deep into the October night, not stopping until it reached the right field bleachers.
I was jumping around my bedroom watching that game even though I hated the Dodgers (as a Reds fan), and I swear to this day that The Natural theme music began playing somewhere outside in the dark Indiana night.
These two cards wrap up that feeling as well as any could with “Baseball’s Best” closer (Eckersley) delivering his nasty stuff while new L.A. hero Gibson digs in wrapped all up in Red, White, and Dodger Blue on his 1988 Fleer.
1988 World Series Game 2 – Dodgers 6, A’s 0
1988 Topps Mike Marshall (#249)
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For a lot of years, Dodgers fans held out hope for Mike Marshall to deliver Major League power to the team.
The big (6’5″, 215 pounds) right fielder definitely showed some pop, reaching a career high of 28 home runs in 1985.
But Marshall also had trouble staying on the field, peaking at 144 games played … in 1988.
That timely healthy season carried into the playoffs and put him in the batter’s box against Storm Davis in the third inning of Game 2.
The Dodgers had already scored a couple of runs in the frame, courtesy of consecutive singles by Hershiser, Steve Sax, Franklin Stubbs, and Hatcher after a leadoff pop-out by Alfredo Griffin.
All Marshall did was pull Davis’ 0-2 pitch into the left field stands, giving L.A. a 5-0 lead in a game they would win 6-0.
Fittingly, big Mike is swooping through the zone with a powerful swing on his 1988 Topps card.
1988 World Series Game 3 – A’s 2, Dodgers 1
1988 Topps Mark McGwire ’87 Record Breakers (#3)