Eck And Gibby

Mike Davis took ball four from Dennis Eckersley and made his way to first. Eck got the first two batters out easily. Walking Davis was an uncharacteristic move, but they were teammates the year before with the Athletics and Davis had a good year with 24 home runs. Tony La Russa, the manager of the A’s, decided whoever the Los Angeles Dodgers had on the bench was less dangerous.

I was in the cheap seats. The upper of the upper deck on the third base side. We jammed the place. We were all standing side by side, shoulder to shoulder. It seemed like we were all breathing together synchronistically. When Davis walked, we all knew he was the potential tying run and we simultaneously let out a roar.

Now the question was, who was going to pinch hit?

Mike Davis had pinch hit for the light hitting shortstop, Alfredo Griffin, in the 8th hole. The pitcher’s number 9 slot in the batting order was due next.

Kirk Gibson was the Dodgers’ most valuable player in 1988. He had come over to the club that year from the Detroit Tigers as a free agent. The Dodgers up to that point had a decent ball club, but were more like a country club.

Players signed with the Dodgers because of the laid back Southern California attitude. Even the players that the team developed were non-confrontational and nonplussed.

That all stopped in his first year as Gibson played with all the drive and unbridled abandon of a wild bull. He was the heart and soul of the Dodgers. They made the playoffs, but Gibby got injured in the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.

He injured his left hamstring and right knee. They listed him as questionable, but everyone knew he shouldn’t be able to play, and now the Dodgers were in the World Series. Every announcer and reporter in the media lamented that Gibson, in fact, wouldn’t play in the series.

After the walk to Davis, the crowd moved as one to look down to the Dodgers dugout to see who would emerge to pinch hit.

The rumble started in the lower decks.

A cheer raised as I craned my neck to see a white Dodgers jersey emerge carrying a bat and adjusting his helmet. Then the roar started as I saw Gibson’s uniform number of 23.

The stadium went wild as the public address announcer bellowed, ‘Your attention, please. Now batting for the Dodgers…’ the rest was unintelligible because of the cacophony of voices.

Gibson took a few practice swings in the on-deck circle and limped to the left-handed hitter batter’s box. He looked out at the great Eckersley, dug into the dirt with his cleats, and again adjusted his helmet.

Eckersley delivered the first pitch and Gibson swung and almost fell over on his follow through. I could feel my knee and hamstring hurt sympathetically. He could barely stand and here he was, ignoring his body and giving everything he had. It was only the first pitch.

I thought about Mike Davis at first. He was fast and could steal second. I thought if Davis could steal and get in scoring position, maybe Gibson could get enough wood on the ball to punch a single and get Davis to third.

I was so nervous I was sweating. Nothing else mattered in the moment. Something caught my eye beyond the stadium walls. People were heading to the parking lot. There were the beginnings of tail lights from cars heading for the exits.

What? Leaving at a moment like this?

Eckersley threw another strike and Gibby fouled this one off. Now there were two strikes. Eckersley wasn’t afraid. He was now going to toy with Gibby like a cat toys with a mouse it has cornered. It was going to be a cruel punishment for all of us.

Eckersley kept Davis close to first. The Athletics knew full well how fast Davis was. Now with two strikes, the chances Davis would try to steal second were low. He would have to surprise them.

Gibby swung at Eckersley’s next pitch and tapped it up the first base line. Gibson couldn’t generate enough power to even drive the ball. This was now getting pathetic. I relaxed at that moment because the ending looked inevitable. Gibson was like a bull and Eckersley was a matador.

The Athletics toyed with Davis some more and Gibson fouled off another strike. Then Davis stole 2nd on ball three! Now some things could happen!

In the unlikely event that Gibson could get a hit, Davis could score the tying run, or Gibson could walk. Steve Sax, the Dodgers leadoff man, was up next. He would be more competitive than a hobbled Kirk Gibson. Hope arose anew!

Bottom of the ninth, full count, two out, runner on and down by a run. This is what all baseball players dream about when they’re young in the backyard going over this scenario. Me and everyone else in the stadium were reliving it.

God, I love baseball!

Gibson stepped out of the box to take some time to gather himself. It’s like he sensed it from us because the entire stadium did the same. Then he got back in the box and I held my breath.

When he first hit it, I thought he popped it in the air. My shoulders dropped. I looked for the A’s right fielder Jose Canseco to come in for it. As I looked, Canseco was turning and trotting to the fence. I thought to myself, shoot, he’s going to catch it on the track. So close!

Then the roar started. I looked for the ball and found it just in time to see it disappear into the sea of humanity in the right field seats!