Kirk Gibson was born on May 28, 1957, in Pontiac, Michigan. He excelled in multiple sports during high school before playing both football and baseball at Michigan State University.

The Detroit Tigers drafted him in 1978 and he debuted a year later, showcasing power and speed. Gibson quickly became a key player for Detroit, known for his aggressive play and leadership.

In 1984 Gibson and the Tigers led the division wire-to-wire. Then they dispatched the Royals in a three-game sweep in the ALCS. In the World Series Detroit manhandled the Padres in five games to win the championship.

Four years later in 1988, Gibson joined the Los Angeles Dodgers. By the end of the regular season he was named the NL’s Most Valuable Player. That year, he hit one of the most iconic home runs in baseball history, a dramatic pinch-hit walk-off homer in Game 1 of the World Series.

Gibson’s career spanned 17 seasons, including stints with the Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates. He retired in 1995 with over 250 home runs and more than 850 RBIs. Despite his fine all-around play, he never made an All Star team.

After retiring, Gibson became a coach and manager. He managed the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2010 to 2014, leading them to a division title in 2011. That same year Gibson was chosen as a coach for the NL All Star squad. Shown above is the receipt he signed for his first and only All Star ring.

Gibson’s tenacity, leadership, and clutch performances earned him lasting respect in the baseball world. His career remains a symbol of determination and resilience.

In 1984, Kirk Gibson helped the Tigers to a magical season. Detroit jumped out to a 35-5 record. The Tigers led wire-to-wire and finished with 104 wins.

In the ALCS, the Tigers swept the Royals in three games. Gibson hit .417 with a double, a homer, and a team-leading 5 hits. On baseball’s biggest stage in the World Series, he slugged two homers and drove in a Series-high 7 RBIs.

In the deciding Game 5, Gibson was magnificent. He hit a two-run homer in the first inning to start the scoring. In the 8th, with the Tigers clinging to a 5-4 lead, Gibson faced Padres closer Rich “Goose” Gossage.

Padres manager Dick Williams signaled for an intentional walk. Gibson had struggled against Gossage, hitting just 1-for-9 with 7 strikeouts. During a mound visit, Gossage told Williams he would strike out the Tiger right fielder. The pitcher convinced Williams to reverse the decision and let him pitch to Gibson. It proved to be a costly mistake.

Gibson crushed Gossage’s second pitch into Tiger Stadium’s upper deck. His three-run shot gave Detroit a four-run lead and sealed the championship.

Here, we see a 1985 Topps Giant card signed by Goose Gossage. It measures 4 7/8″ x 6 7/8″. The photo was taken the previous season during the Tigers’ title run.

Kirk Gibson played his best seasons for the Detroit Tigers. He debuted in 1979 and became a regular in 1983. From 1984 to 1987, Gibson averaged 27 home runs and 258 total bases per season.

Though he had many game-changing moments in Detroit, Gibson’s most memorable day came with the Dodgers in 1988. Los Angeles reached the World Series in his first year with the team. Gibson, the heart of the squad, won the National League MVP after hitting 25 home runs.

The Dodgers trailed the favored Oakland Athletics 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Gibson was injured, and announcer Vin Scully told the national audience he was unavailable to play.

But Gibson became the unlikely hero, hitting a walk-off home run off Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley. The homer gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead in the World Series. It was Gibson’s only at-bat of the Fall Classic.

The collection includes a letter from Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. He wrote, “Kirk Gibson provided the fire, led us all the way, and won the MVP. What a team! It was a magical season I’ll never forget.”

The 1988 Oakland Athletics won 104 games to claim the American League Western Division title. In the ALCS, they swept the Boston Red Sox, the Eastern Division champions, in four games.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers faced the Mets in the NLCS. New York had dominated Los Angeles in the regular season, winning 10 of 11 games.

In the NLCS, the 100-win Mets felt confident. But the underdog Dodgers pulled off an unlikely win in the seven-game series.

The rested A’s entered the World Series as heavy favorites. Their Game 1 matchup became one of the most memorable in Fall Classic history, setting the tone for the Dodgers’ victory.

In the first inning, Mickey Hatcher’s two-run homer off Dave Stewart gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead. The A’s answered with a Jose Canseco grand slam in the next frame.

The Dodgers cut the lead to 4-3 in the 6th with a Mike Scioscia RBI single. Oakland held the lead into the 9th, just three outs away from a Series-opening win.

In the final frame, Mike Davis drew a two-out walk off closer Dennis Eckersley. Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda sent up the injured Kirk Gibson to pinch-hit for pitcher Alejandro Peña.

The 1988 NL MVP, Gibson had not even appeared for pre-game introductions. Hobbled by two bad legs, his swing depended on the strength in his arms.

When Gibson was announced, 55,983 fans rose to their feet to cheer their hero. Eckersley quickly got ahead in a no-ball, two-strike count.

Gibson fouled off pitch after pitch, eventually working the count full. On Eckersley’s 3-2 offering, Gibson belted a backdoor slider over the right field wall, securing an unlikely victory.

As Gibson circled the bases, Dodger announcer Vin Scully summed it up: “In a season that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!”

Fueled by momentum, the Dodgers defeated the A’s 4-1 to win their second title of the decade.

Above are tickets to the game signed by Eckersley. Notice his inscriptions on them, “Gibby got the best of me!”, and “Should’ve have thrown a backdoor slider!”.

Dodger scout Mel Didier played a key role in the Dodgers 1988 World Series championship campaign. Or so the story goes.

According to Rory Costello’s SABR biography, Didier told Ross Newhan of the LA Times about an important observation he shared in his scouting report about the Oakland pitchers.

“When we got to [Dennis] Eckersley, and it was my turn to speak, I used my best Southern drawl and said, ‘Pardners, you can bank on this as sure as I’m standing here. If you’re a left-handed hitter and you get in a tough, tough situation with Eckersley, he’s going to throw you that back door slider.’

“Well, when the count went full on Kirk [Gibson], the players tell me that everyone on the bench was whispering, ‘Back door slider,’ and Kirk told me later that he stepped out of the batter’s box and kind of laughed and smiled to himself because he could see me standing there talking about it. He said: ‘Mel, I knew what I was going to get, picked it up as soon as it left his hand and hit it as hard as I could.’”

In 1988 when Didier scouted Eckersley, the right-hander went to a 3-ball, 2-strike count four times in the regular season and the playoffs. It is unknown how many of those Didier saw or how many times the pitcher threw the backdoor slider.

It remains unclear why the Dodger scout felt comfortable enough to draw his conclusion based on a four-pitch sample-size. What is certain is that Eckersley thew exactly the pitch Didier said he would and Gibson hit it out of the park for the game-winner.

Shown here is a contract signed by Eckersley on March 18, 1975. He agrees to lend his autograph to souvenir baseballs with stamped facsimile signatures.

The terms of the deal? The pitcher received one cent per ball sold. Eck signed this contract nearly a month before his big league debut on April 12 that same year.

Some players reach the level of franchise icons but fall just short of Cooperstown. In 2019 the Dodgers created a way to honor such men as Legends of Dodger Baseball.

The first class of Dodger legends included Don Newcombe, Fernando Valenzuela, and Steve Garvey.  Three years later Maury Wills,  and Kirk Gibson joined his ranks. In 2022 Manny Mota and Orel Hershiser got the nod. Dusty Baker received the same recognition in 2024.

Gibson’s three-year run with the Dodgers from 1988-1990 was memorable. The NL MVP in ’88, Gibson’s World Series walk-off home run in Game 1 was voted the greatest sports moment in the history of Los Angeles.

Shown here is a the autographed rookie card of Dodger teammate and fellow Dodger legend Orel Hershiser. They shared the Dodger clubhouse in each of Gibson’s three years in LA. Thought Gibson hit the big Game 1 homer in ’88, it was Hershiser who earned the Fall Classic MVP nod.

Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series drew comparisons to Kirk Gibson’s iconic Game 1 blast from 1988, both striking at the heart of baseball history. In both cases, the home runs came with their respective teams trailing, sending shockwaves through the stadium. Freeman’s shot sailed into the right field stands at 8:37 p.m. local time, the exact moment when Gibson’s similarly unforgettable homer had cleared the fence 36 years earlier.

What made these moments even more remarkable was their connection to a larger narrative: both teams went on to win the World Series in five games. For the Dodgers, 1988 and 2024 were historic, and both walk-off homers shared an unmistakable flair for the dramatic.

Joe Davis, the current Dodgers announcer, beautifully paid homage to Vin Scully, his predecessor, when Freeman’s ball disappeared into the stands. Echoing Scully’s legendary call of Gibson’s homer, Davis bellowed, “She is gone!” with the same grace and emotion. Then, with a nod to history, he added, “Gibby, meet Freddie!”

Vin Scully’s timeless line after Gibson’s walk-off – “In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!” – could easily describe both home runs. Remarkably, only three World Series walk-off homers have occurred with a team trailing: Gibson’s, Joe Carter’s for the Blue Jays in 1993, and Freeman’s.