Game 1, 1988 World Series. The As lead the Dodgers 4-3 in the ninth inning, with two out. Dennis Eckersley of the As is pitching to Mike Davis of the Dodgers. He throws ball four, and Kirk Gibson comes out of the dugout to hit. Gibson has two bad legs; this would be his only appearance in the Series.
Watching the entire at bat, the drama couldn't be more profound. Gibson fouled off the first three pitches, then took ball one. The As catcher, Hassey, threw behind Gibson to first base and nearly picked off Davis. Then Gibson took ball two outside. Eckersley threw ball three outside and Davis stole second on the pitch. Now all Gibson had to do was get a single to the outfield to tie the game. Instead, Gibson hit the ball into the right field seats, scoring two runs and winning the game 5-4.
People know Jack Buck's "I can't believe what I just saw!" line after the ball landed in the stands, but Vinnie's line is wonderful too. "In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!"
I just watched this game on ESPN Classic last week. It's still pretty darned thrilling. :)
Posted by: Solonor at July 10, 2008 10:14 AMi'm not a big baseball person but that was one of my favorite moments (baseball or otherwise), ever. i was watching it live, and at the time i was a recent So Cal resident, having grown up in the bay area. going into that game, i didn't know if i was still going to be rooting for the A's because i was from there, or my "new" home team. by the end of that game, i surely knew the answer.
oh and hi! it's been awhile. howya been?
Posted by: dotlizard (kd) at July 12, 2008 10:26 PM