The 1988 baseball season is remembered for an incredible home run in the first game of the World Series, one that capped a season-long run that seemed straight off the Hollywood set. But there was a whole lot of context that set the stage for that October moment, including the following…
*The Los Angeles Dodgers had been on uncharacteristic downward spiral for two years with no sign of pulling out of it. The acquisition of Kirk Gibson and a historic pitching run by Orel Hershiser enabled the Dodgers to not only win a surprising NL West title, but do it with even more surprising ease. If those results were surprising, what happened in October—consecutive upsets of the New York Mets and Oakland A’s—were simply breathtaking.
*Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire have had their reputations tarnished because of admitted PED use, but in the summer of 1988 they were simply “The Bash Brothers” and they led a great Oakland team that overran the rest of the American League.
*The Mets were still loaded with the talent that seemed to promise a dynasty when they won it all in 1986. New York blew away the NL East and looked primed for a showdown with Oakland until they ran into the Dodgers.
*The Boston Red Sox were the weakest of the four postseason teams, but that meant their regular season path to win the AL East was the most interesting. The only division race that stayed compelling all year, the Red Sox used two big midseason changes—one on the pitching staff and the other in the dugout—to trigger some summer magic.
*The Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds didn’t advance to the playoffs, but each had seasons of historical note. Sparky Anderson, a Hall of Fame manager who led both teams during his career, had his last real contender with Detroit. This was also the realistic swan song for Reds’ manager Pete Rose– by the following summer the gambling problems that would lead to his banishment from the sport had engulfed him and the organization.
And we haven’t even gotten to October…
*The Mets-Dodgers NLCS had so many plot turns that it clearly came straight out of Hollywood
*The A’s kept beating the Red Sox back at the key moments in every game of the ALCS.
*And nothing could match what was in store for the opener of the World Series, as Los Angeles set an improbable tone for an improbable upset that capped an improbable year.
The nine articles below–one on each of the six teams mentioned and three others on each postseason series–tell the story of the 1988 MLB season through the eyes of its best teams.
For two decades of Los Angeles Dodgers history they were defined by manager Tom Lasorda. The manager, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, “bled Dodger Blue” by his own proud admission. The Dodgers won games, pennants and championships and this post features links to articles that capture the heart of his best teams.
Lasorda took over in 1977 and promptly won the National League pennant each of his first two seasons. He made it back to the World Series in 1981 and this time won it. In 1988, his team won it all again.
These were his four pennant winners, but there were other memorable teams. In 1980, the Dodgers trailed the Houston Astros by three games with three to play, and swept the Astros three straight before losing a one-game playoff.
Lasorda won Manager of the Year in 1983 for leading his team to another NL West title, before losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. And in the era after realignment and expanded playoffs, he made it to October in 1995.
The links below walk you through the many highs and occasional lows of his four best teams. From the epic rally in Game 3 of the 1977 NLCS, to Bob Welch’s dramatic strikeout of Reggie Jackson in the 1978 World Series to Kirk Gibson’s stunning home run in the 1988 World Series, to the greatness of players like Orel Hershiser, Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Davey Lopes, Tommy John, Don Sutton and many more, it’s all there.
Los Angeles Dodgers history is filled with rich lore, and the Tom Lasorda era is an essential part of that history. READ MORE ABOUT THE 1977 LOS ANGELES DODGERS READ MORE ABOUT THE 1978 LOS ANGELES DODGERS READ MORE ABOUT THE 1981 LOS ANGELES DODGERS READ MORE ABOUT THE 1988 LOS ANGELES DODGERS
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the National League’s proudest franchise, particularly in the timeframe of the late 1970s through the late 1980s. From 1977-85, they won five NL West titles, three National League pennants and the 1981 World Series. That made the slippage of 1986-87 all the more striking, plummeting to a 73-89 record in ’87. The 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers made complete turnaround, with their ultimate World Series title keyed by a moment that has lived on in MLB history.
It was not an imposing lineup that manager Tom Lasorda had at his disposal. The Dodgers finished sixth in the National League in runs scored, and it’s hard to figure how they even got that high, ranking below the league average in every category of significance. Los Angeles made up for it with pitching.
Orel Hershiser was the ace of the staff and won 23 games with a 2.26 ERA. Hershiser won the Cy Young Award with a dominating stretch of 58 scoreless innings in September, a major league record. He was backed up by Tim Leary, a 17-game winner with a 2.91 ERA and rookie Tim Belcher won twelve games and finished with a 2.91 ERA.
Lasorda pieced together the rest of the rotation with a mix of veterans, ranging from Fernando Valenzuela, to 43-year-old Don Sutton to John Tudor, along with 23-year-old Shawn Hillegas
The bullpen was anchored by Jay Howell, acquired in a three-team deal with the Oakland Athletics and New York Mets. The Dodgers got another reliever in Jesse Orosco. The cost was high—starting pitcher Bob Welch, who had a strong year in Oakland and it probably wasn’t worth the price. But that doesn’t mean Howell and Orosco didn’t pitch well, with ERAs of 2.08 and 2.72 respectively.
Furthermore, Alejandro Pena and Brian Holton were superb, with sub-2.00 ERAs, and Tim Crews was effective, at 3.14. There were a lot of tools at Lasorda’s disposal to keep games close, and if his team got a lead.
The task of getting leads started with rightfielder Kirk Gibson. The Dodgers signed the one-time World Series hero of the Detroit Tigers in free agency, and Gibson finished with an on-base percentage of .377 and slugging percentage of .483. He was also credited with bringing a toughness and leadership to the clubhouse, so much so that the reputation got him the NL MVP award.
That, frankly, was pushing the leadership point a little too far, but there’s no denying the key role Gibson played in the LA offense. Because the rest of the lineup had no one who stood out. Mike Scioscia at catcher and second baseman Steve Sax had good careers, but were not good at the plate in 1988. Mike Marshall gave modest power in rightfield, but that’s about it.
Alfredo Griffin, another piece in the three-team trade with the A’s and Mets, hit .199 at shortstop. Jeff Hamilton at third base, John Shelby in center and Franklin Stubbs at first base were all offensive disasters. Somehow, Lasorda made it all work well enough to give the pitching staff what they needed.
Los Angeles came out of the gate quickly They started 11-4 including taking three of four from the San Francisco Giants, who had taken the NL West in 1987. The Dodgers maintained a persistent lead throughout the spring and at the Memorial Day turn, they were up 1 ½ games on the Houston Astros—who had won the NL West in 1986—five up on San Francisco and 5 ½ up on the Cincinnati Reds.
The Dodgers took five of six games from the Reds and Astros and stretched the lead to as much as 5 ½ before being swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates just prior to the All-Star break. The Dodgers went into the break up 2 ½ on the Giants, 5 ½ on the Astros and 7 ½ on the Reds.
It was expected the race would stay tight. The Dodgers, after all, had the unimpressive lineup and the 89-loss season the year before. They were being chased by the division’s two most recent champions, and the Reds were generally considered to have the most young talent of any of the West’s contenders. But it was after the All-Star break that Los Angeles made its big move.
The Dodgers went to Wrigley Field and beat the Chicago Cubs five straight times, and their lead would eventually stretch as high as eight games. Then came a scare, as a 13-game stretch with Houston and Cincinnati produced a 3-10 record and saw the lead whittled down to a game and a half. But Los Angeles promptly counterpunched, winning nine of ten and pushing the lead right back to 5 ½. This sequence included taking three of four from San Francisco, who faded hard.
Los Angeles kept its challengers at arm’s length. From September 7-11, they hosted the Astros and Reds and went 3-2. From September 16-20, the Dodgers made return visits and went 4-1. The Los Angeles margin never got smaller than four games and then pulled away one more time down the stretch to a 94-win season and a seven-game margin in a division where five of the six teams finished with winning records.
The Dodgers were still decided underdogs when they faced the New York Metsin the National League Championship Series. The Mets had won 100 games and were two years removed from a World Series title. The series went back-and-forth, with each team stealing an unlikely win. But the Dodgers won the seventh game in a blowout and secured another pennant.
If the victory in the NLCS was surprising, then the triumph in the World Series over the 104-win Oakland A’swas truly stunning. The tone was set in Game 1. Los Angeles trailed 4-3 in the ninth inning at home against A’s closer Dennis Eckersley, the best in the game. Gibson was hobbled badly with a leg injury and hadn’t played. Lasorda sent him up to pinch hit with a man aboard.
Gibson pulled a home run into the rightfield stands to win the game, prompting radio broadcaster Jack Buck to exclaim “I don’t believe what I just saw!”, words that remain a part of MLB postseason highlight montages. Oakland never recovered and Los Angeles completed the upset in five games.
The 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers were the last great moment of the Lasorda era. The team lost close NL West races in 1990 and 1991 and then rebuilding was required. But the memories of the 1988 team provided were more than enough to get the fans through the dry spell.
A single college football game highlighted what was, top to bottom, a very good year in 1988 sports. That game took place in South Bend in mid-October and it defined not just that season, but became caught up in a national culture war.
The game was Notre Dame and Miami, and with the Fighting Irish perceived as the white hats and the Hurricanes perceived as the black hats, everyone was set for battle. Notre Dame won an epic game 31-30 and that game proved to decide the national championship. Read more about Notre Dame-Miami
The state of California produced three championship teams at the pro level, two from SoCal and another from the Bay Area. Each was thrilling, but for different reasons.
The Los Angeles Lakers became the first NBA team in nineteen years to win consecutive championships. The Lakers got everything they could handle and then some from the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons, led by Isiah Thomas, had dethroned the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals—although not before Larry Bird first led the Celtics into the conference finals by winning an epic Game 7 scoring duel with Atlanta Hawks’ forward Dominique Wilkins.
It was Detroit’s time in the East, but Los Angeles still had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. They trailed the Finals 3-2, but won came from behind in the closing minute of Game 6 and then held off a furious Piston rally to win Game 7, fulfilling head coach Pat Riley’s guarantee of a repeat NBA championship.
More last-minute dramatics were on display at the Super Bowl, as was a championship for a 1980s dynasty. The San Francisco 49ers, led by Joe Montana, scored the winning touchdown with 34 seconds left in their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Montana’s drive culminated a NFL playoffs that was filled with interesting storylines, but for reasons both on-field and off, desperately needed this kind of an ending.
And in baseball, we’re back down in Los Angeles. The World Series itself was not thrilling. The Los Angeles Dodgers jumped out on the Oakland A’s and won in five games. But the manner it went down has still captured the heart of the nation to this day.
The Dodgers, heavy underdogs to the A’s of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco won a shocking Game 1. Los Angeles outfielder Kirk Gibson, barely able to walk because of an injury, came off the bench to pinch-hit and took the best closer in the game, Dennis Eckersely, deep for a home run. Los Angeles never stopped winning and took an unlikely World Series title. Read more about the 1988 Los Angeles Lakers Read more about the 1988 NFL playoffs Read more about the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers
College basketball didn’t lack for its own drama, this time in America’s heartland. Danny Manning led the Kansas Jayhawks on an improbable ride as a #6 seed, in which they combined catching bracket breaks with having a singular superstar and took a national championship.
The 1988 NCAA Tournament also saw two respected coaches, who never made the Final Four, have their best chances. John Chaney of Temple and Gene Keady at Purdue each had excellent teams and were #1 seeds. But Temple come up short to Duke in a regional final, while Purdue lost in the Sweet 16. Each would have other chances, but never a better one than existed in 1988.
In that, they shared a common bond with Michigan football coach Bo Schembecler. Bo never won a national title and while 1988 wasn’t his only shot, it was certainly one of his best. Michigan took both Notre Dame and Miami to the bitter end before losing heartbreakers. Sometimes, things just aren’t meant to be, as Keady and Chaney lived through at the NCAA Tournament. Read more about the 1988 Kansas Jayhawks
The Edmonton Oilers won their fourth Stanley Cup in five years behind the leadership of Wayne Gretzky. The regular season didn’t go as smoothly as had been in the case in recent years, but the postseason was their most dominant. Edmonton rolled to a 16-2 record to add another jewel to their Gretzky-era treasure chest. Read more about the 1988 Edmonton Oilers
This is part of a series of sports history articles celebrating the best in 1988 sports. This piece asks the question of which geographic fan base had the best year in ’88.
There is not much doubt about where the place to be a sports fan was in 1988. You wanted to be in Hollywood. The Los Angeles Lakers had defined the city’s sports life throughout the 1980s, having already won four titles. In 1988 they won a repeat title. Today, successive NBA championships are the norm, but in 1988 it was the first time in nineteen years a team had gone back-to-back.
The Dodgers were not without a track record of success themselves. The city’s baseball franchise won consecutive National League pennants in 1977-78, and then won the World Series in 1981. Division titles in 1983 and 1985 followed. The expectations weren’t great coming into 1988, but the results were. The Dodgers won another World Series title, with an upset of the heavily favored Oakland A’s, a series whose signature moment still lives on in baseball lore.
It was the Lakers and Dodgers who were at the heart of Hollywood Dreams, but like any great film, there were quality supporting actors.
The USC-UCLA football rivalry had a strong year with excellent quarterbacks. Both teams were in the mix for the national title and their head-to-head game was winner-take-all for a Rose Bowl bid. And the Rams, still several years away from bolting to St. Louis, had a crazy up-and-down year that teased with Super Bowl hopes, taunted with despair, and ended up with at least a playoff appearance. Read more about the 1988 Los Angeles Lakers Read more about the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers Read more about the 1988 USC-UCLA Football Rivalry Read more about the 1988 Los Angeles Rams
A work of 1980s nostalgia by one who grew up amidst it, this book takes an in-depth look at the entire decade, from the moments that still seemed like they happened yesterday to those that time forgot.
