1988 World Series

From SoSH

1 Series Information
2 Box Scores
3 Trivia
4 Memorable Quotes
5 External Links

Series Information

Oakland Athletics (104-58) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (94-67)

The 1988 World Series matched up two teams from the West Coast and became know as the California Classic. The Oakland A’s cruised through the regular season winning 104 games and the AL West by 13 games. Powered by an MVP season for Jose Canseco, the A’s swept the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS and advanced to the World Series. The team 370 miles to the south, the LA Dodgers won the NL West by seven games. With MVP Kirk Gibson and Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser the Dodgers were set to take on the NY Mets in the NLCS. The Mets had won the NL East by 15 games, but they didn’t have Orel Hershiser. Orel Hershiser had thrown 6 consecutive shutouts to end the year and picked up where he left off in the NLCS. Hershiser pitched in 4 games going 1-0 with a save and a 1.09 ERA in 24.1 innings. In Game 7 he pitched a complete game shutout to advance the Dodger to the World Series.

The World Series match up of these two teams seemed looked to favor the A’s, but with Kirk Gibson presumably out for the Series it was all but certain the A’s would take the title. Hitting one of the most memorable home runs in MLB history, and setting the tone for the Series, Kirk Gibson limped the Dodgers to victory in 5 games upsetting the A’s and sending the Dodgers to their second World Championship of the 1980’s.

Managers: Tony LaRussa (Oakland) and Tommy Lasorda (Los Angeles)
Venues: Oakland Coliseum (Oakland, CA) and Dodgers Stadium (Los Angeles, CA)
MVP: Orel Hershiser

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Box Scores

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Game One: Saturday, October 15, 1988 at Dodgers Stadium

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Oakland A’s	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	7	0
LA Dodgers	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	5	7	0
W: Alejandro Pena (1-0) L: Dennis Eckersley (0-1) Sv: None
HR: OAK – Jose Canseco (1) LAD – Mickey Hatcher (1), Kirk Gibson (1)
Attendance: 55,983

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Game Two: Sunday, October 16, 1988 at Dodgers Stadium

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Oakland A’s	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
LA Dodgers	0	0	5	1	0	0	0	0	X	6	10	1
W: Orel Hershiser (1-0) L: Storm Davis (0-1) Sv: None
HR: OAK – None LAD – Mike Marshall (1)
Attendance: 56, 051

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Game Three: Tuesday, October 18, 1988 at Oakland Coliseum

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
LA Dodgers	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	8	1
Oakland A’s	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	5	0
W: Rick Honeycutt (1-0) L: Jay Howell (0-1) Sv: None
HR: OAK – Mark McGwire (1) LAD – None
Attendance: 49,316

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Game Four: Wednesday, October 19, 1988 at Oakland Coliseum

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
LA Dodgers	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	4	8	1
Oakland A’s	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	3	9	2
W: Tim Belcher (1-0) L: Dave Stewart (0-1) Sv: Jay Howell (1)
HR: OAK – None LAD – None
Attendance: 49,317

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Game Five: Thursday, October 20, 1991 at Oakland Coliseum

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
LA Dodgers	2	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	5	8	0
Oakland A’s	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	4	0
W: Orel Hershiser (2-0) L: Storm Davis (0-2) Sv: None
HR: OAK – None LAD – Mickey Hatcher (2), Mike Davis (1)
Attendance: 49,317

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Trivia

Kirk Gibson’s game winning home run in Game 1 of the series is one of the most recognizable and memorable home runs in baseball history.
Gibson had said that he got a scouting report on Eckersley from Dodgers scout Mel Didier and it said if he got to a 3-2 count then Eckersley would throw a slider, which he did. Gibson blasted that pitch into the right field bleachers.
Mickey Hatcher had only his one home run in 88 games that year, but he hit two in the World Series
Jose Canseco hits his first career grand slam in Game 1. Unfortunately for the A’s it was his only hit in the World Series.
In 1988 Orel Hershiser was the Cy Young Award winner and also the NLCS and World Series MVP’s

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Memorable Quotes

Gibson swings, and a fly ball to deep right field! This is gonna be a home run! Unbelievable! A home run for Gibson! And the Dodgers have won the game, 5 to 4; I don't believe... what I just saw! - Jack Buck on CBS Radio.
In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened! - Vin Scully about Gibson’s home run.

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