MLB Baseball's Seasons: 1988

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] welcome to baseball seasons 1988 Hollywood in [Applause] as spring training 1988 began all across the game memories were still fresh of thrilling finishes the previous fall in 1987 had ultimately ended with a long-awaited wild celebration in the Twin Cities now in this spring of 88 among the team's relishing a fresh start were the Dodgers after winning just 73 games each of the past two seasons Tommy Lasorda's Club decided they needed a spark in a new stage to the Dodger organization Gibson that was exciting as a Dodger thinking about Kurt coming to the team we were looking for help purple bring a tremendous amount to our ballclub he brings power he brings speed he brings dedication and the grand tremendous competitive spirit again I'm excited to be here they've proven to me and I believe that they're committed to restore the winning tradition and I think we all remember this organization for I think the biggest statement he made was the fact that when you're on the field you're there to play we're there to win nothing else gets in your way of that on the field I may offend some mice on my actions but I'll be quite asked with you I don't step on the field to make friends you guys got enough film with it we have a tradition of wedding we've got a commitment to our fans to win you can rest assured that every guy on that team when we leave spring training will believe that the Dodgers are going to finish number one everybody comes into spring training saying we're gonna win a world championship but the players know you coming in to see what you can do and accomplish okay we got a pitching would also be a big part of the equation and a big part of the Dodger rotation was six year veteran Orel Hershiser looking to improve on 500 records in 86 and 87 some of the other years maybe we didn't have quite the defense or maybe we didn't have quite the offense or maybe I wasn't quite as sharp there's a lot of components to putting together a magical season the New York Mets knew plenty about magical seasons and they were hungry for another one after a frustrating second-place finish in 87 last year was a difficult year you know with all the injuries and he just started getting something going and then a key player would go down and it was tough to really get that steamroll in effect through the season so the curtain is on the New York Mets after 86 we 87 was wasn't our best season so 88 was kind of like a rebound year for us we felt like everything's behind us now just get back to where we should have been all along and that's that was our mindset going in the camp I'm excited about this year I really feel that guys are hungry again it's gonna be a great year Dalbert was good you know we had a fresh start after day two seven season we had a great team Darryl strawberry's greatness was growing and after a career-high 39 home runs in 87 the sky looked to be the limit but a strawman straw came into camp that year wanted to be the best player in nationally even physically he was at his peak and then mentally I think he was at his p.m. what's the step between the white lines is strictly business I'm serious about what I have to do and I'm very dedicated to my work now and I feel 1988 is gonna be one of my stronger years I ever had in my life and when the Mets broke camp and headed north to Queens the left-handed Slugger backed up his lofty predictions crushing 11 home runs in his club's first 41 games [Music] with the pitching staff headlined by Dwight Gooden was still the Mets biggest weapon David Cohen joined doc and company in the rotation full-time and quickly made an impression the rotation the year before and 87 and then starting in the book and again in 88 and realizing you know what I could start and that was my goal wasn't gonna be satisfied just being and relate for the bats : his first 7 decisions helping the club to an m/l best 30 and 11 start two years after the magic of 86 the mood in New York was unmistakably familiar [Applause] north of the border reigning AL MVP George Bell picked up where he left off with an opening day milestone [Applause] [Music] [Applause] George was head of a monster year one MVP in 87 and so to see him in 88 you know right out the box he comes Bam Bam Bam opening day bill between the first player ever to hit three home runs on opening day and would continue to be a valuable offensive presence for Toronto all season long while bill was off to that historic start the Orioles started off historically a tough start to the season Owen 21 yeah that's that's a tough start and Baltimore's brutal begin he had baseball's royal family reeling early on in the 88 campaign dear ailing Ripken family plans well I mean we had some tough heartbreaking losses in the first six games and then they fired dad and I think that that whole firing really threw our club you know for a loop we were like the Bad News Bears personified so it was a brutal brutal experience Frank Robinson came in and to manage the team and I joke now I say okay we lost the first six games of the season just to prove that it wasn't dad's fault we lost 15 in more in a row we got just two seasons removed from a World Series appearance the Boston Red Sox were hoping that 1988 had some residual magic then ways finest featured a familiar mix of veterans led by the game's most productive hitter who was in search of a sixth consecutive 208 season [Applause] yes his forehead with Bob's leading a hit parade the 88 shots would often return the 24 year old Mike Greenwell for the heavy lumber three wells an interesting guy for the Red Sox he was a hitter he was in that lineage of Red Sox leftfielder starting you know Ted Williams - yes - rice - green well and you know I left fielder who could hit on the mound Boston was fueled by a rocket in his prime who was coming off two straight sai yeung seasons as far as dominating and carrying a ballclub that was Roger I thought there's no there's nobody better and he was really a big part but even with Clemens the Sox fell 10 games back by early June leading to talk about a possible change in the Fenway dugout [Music] [Applause] on paper the Oakland A's appeared to be the best in the west with a star-studded cast and a skipper destined for Cooperstown as I look at this 88 Club I know the names are great with Canseco McGuire Walt Weiss and you can go on and on across the board but really the one name stands out to me is Tony LaRussa he changed the game of baseball in in Oakland you walk into that situation it was perfect if you look at the roster it was I mean all stars [Applause] probably is good a push-button team as you can ever expect pushing the right buttons was a Larusso trademark and his finger was always on the pulse of his pitching staff led by a hometown hero nicknamed smoked opportunity Dean was a true number one I mean he stood up there and he wanted the ball and the way he competed so ferociously it was just a complete Club the part of it was a trade that was made in the spring training of 87 just a fortifier rotation they've brought Dennis Eckersley from Oh Chicago you could do a whole feature on on X story because you're the young star in the big leagues pitched a no-hitter 120 games so we brought him in and while we waited to see if I started out hurt we used him in relief you just win an arrow wiped out guide 1988 X are closer and I mean he went on to Hall of Fame career [Applause] season Eckersley anchored the eos best bullpen pacing yeas to the top of the standings and making them a World Series front runner throughout their illustrious past the LA Dodgers have taken pride in dominant pitching Drysdale fires again in the 1988 installment look to take a bite out of history with their Bulldog ease as a unit the team pitched very very well I know we threw a lot of shutouts when the team and everybody as a whole is doing important things and historic things of course my ears gonna look better because it's a cumulation of team energy and team output as the season went on the Dodgers fed off their pitching prowess and in Hollywood the hope was that this summer blockbuster would result in a Fall Classic meanwhile in Boston it was a nightmare on Landsdowne Street and in mid-july just two seasons removed from a World Series appearance skipper John McNamara took the fall the Sox turned to Joe Morgan for a jolt Morgan's mission was to overcome a nine game deficit at the seasons midpoint as the Detroit Tigers were pacing the American League East out west the A's had bashed their way to 20 games over 500 five and a half games ahead of Minnesota and in the National League the Mets were three and a half ahead of Pittsburgh while the Dodgers were the best in the West to an ahead of San Francisco at the all-star break on July 12th the game's elite gathered in Cincinnati for the 59th Midsummer Classic the Oakland A's boasted five all-stars including their unsung catcher who would soon take center stage Betty made the only number 36 Terri's [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Stein backs homer off NL starter doc Gooden opened the scoring and one inning later he pushed across the game's decisive run with the bases loaded [Applause] [Applause] in the ninth Stein box teammate dennis eckersley came in to seal the victory [Applause] [Music] [Applause] a lot of people said why is Terry Steinbach the starting catcher that this voting situation is out of hand he kind of quieted those critics it's the highlight of my career that I had the whole run had a sack fly and and you know won the MVP 8888 that's the date the first night baseball game ever played at Wrigley Field on August 8th the long-awaited power surge hit Chicago's North Side Wrigley Field was now open for business under bright lights [Applause] [Music] with the brand-new bulls blaring wrigley night baseball was born into a mother nature put a damper on the electric vibe the first night game is not the first night day this game has been called off because about two and a half hours it's still ready as the second half of the 1988 season began the Tigers occupied the top spot in the AL East we don't know where we'll finish when we started but the one thing we do care about is how we go about this leading the second half charge in Detroit was Jack Morris [Applause] meanwhile in Milwaukee the Brewers were looking to stay in on with Robin Yount celebrating new career milestones along the way and in the Bronx the bomber lineup was the Yankees biggest strength [Applause] this thing isn't gonna be one here in July of second only one in August it's going to be one sometime in September by the end of July though it was the Red Sox who had used this summer to heat up with a team reward under the leadership of new manager Joe Morgan I remember throwing the club that maybe we can't win this thing but certainly we can sweep up the ladder under the Walpole Massachusetts mater then former Boston College star the Sox were simply a different team Boston Run was propelled by its offense at the center of which was the incomparable Wade Boggs Boggs he in 88 is one of the best hitters in baseball no matter if it was 15th inning or two hours after a rain delay this guy did not give it that sway and bucks made hitting history in 1988 as well for six straight years a few slots down in the batting order was Boston's RBI machine Mike Greenwell [Applause] [Music] that's the type of a turn I am I like to be under the gun as they say or have the pressure on Yin there's no better spot and they line up than me the number for it it was a career year for green well and it's 23 game-winning RBIs in 88 set the AL standard for the decade my ball deep to right we need to keep the momentum and it's a good feeling to help your team win but even as Boston became baseball's hottest team their rotation sprung a leak one oil can Boyd went down with an injury Boyd is questionable because of the physical status 7 and because of his health being in jeopardy we decide we heading in a pitcher and Joe Morgan has the new pitcher to replace oil can Boyd and the Red Sox have just acquired Mike Boddicker the only time we ever pride in baseball cuz I love bowling I really do but after being part of an O and 21 started in Baltimore Boddicker debuted at Fenway in the midst of an historic win streak moniker was stifling in his first start for the Sox going seven and a third and striking out six straight they came in they contributed to keeping the streak alive that Street just continued to climb and on August 12th the team had a chance to make history at home [Applause] [Music] [Applause] record 23 straight wins at home the run ultimately stretched to 24 games before the first place Tigers finally ended the historic streak but Detroit struggled through August and seeded the top spot in the East on September 5th they called it Morgan's magic the run that gave the Sox the AL East title [Applause] [Music] though the most division drama in the season's final week came from Toronto's Dave Steve who made a dramatic run at history not once but twice almost every time out I was like this maybe Steve's night way to us on our hitter and sure enough on September 24th in Cleveland Steve was one out away from his first career no no I made my pitch so I did what I set out to do and that was just the bad luck of a game there and his luck would have it Steve incredibly got one out away again at home just six nights later [Applause] I looked at it as I felt just fortunate to get that far and I got the one-hitters and that was second best and that's what I had so forth [Music] in 1988 expectations were sky-high for the Mets and star slugger Darryl Strawberry 30 30 Club 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases to have his body to be able to run it for that kind of power he knew there was time for him to kind of take over and in 88 this strongman had 21 home runs in 55 RBIs at the all-star break numbers that put him in his fifth straight Midsummer Classic that year I think I was you know forcing the league and really played well at you strawberry was certainly the Mets most valuable piece leading them 200 wins and a second NL East title in three seasons don't worry about any personal goals right now we're about to New York Mets trying to win the World Championship strawberry's 39 homers led the NL while in the AL another outfielder was bidding for history Jose Canseco was coming along in Oakland at that time and was gonna try to take it to 40 40 [Applause] with 24 first-half homers and 22 stolen bases Canseco had an unprecedented 40 40 season in his sights basically I thought if I just stay consistent and use my ability and incontinence lumps I can make the 40/40 club and through fillers Ernestina time on Facebook [Applause] five days later Canseco stole his way into the record books [Applause] this big guy is having that FB peek out of here and Kensico was the centerpiece of an Oakland team that won a major we best 104 games [Applause] while the is tallied their most wins since the franchise had moved to Oakland in Cincinnati Tom browning aim for his own piece of history on a Friday night in mid-september Tom browning was a guy that you love to play behind because he got the ball he looked at the sign he threw the pitch browning has a second strikeout and after he got into a groove we had a lot of problems and just pitched five innings - not only no-hit ball but perfect ball tonight the Reds offense would get a run across in the sixth and from there it only got more frustrating for the visitors then it started sinking in hey there might be something going on here Tom browning enters at night having retired 24 in a row boy that was the toughest trying to keep everything inside because you're just scared to death you got two quick outs in the night and then found himself one pitch away from perfection intruder four he took just one hour and 51 minutes to do it and brother was the weight worthwhile while the Dodgers were being victimized by perfection there is spent the stretch run defying opponents with his own remarkable stretch of flawless this is a guy that year who presented himself with such great confidence when he took the mound you really felt good when you're on his team that you had better than an average chance to win the game that day on August 30th Hershiser gave up two runs in the fifth inning of a complete game win in Montreal and our one hopper to Orel Hershiser as one is 18 and then went from great to his stark he just was so consistent being able to deliver pitches in and out the way he can with a great sink [Music] he was really as dominant as a pitcher could be and in September Hershiser was never better he has a string of 40 consecutive sitting I really believe it doesn't always relate to results as much as it relates to what you need to do mentally and what you need to do physically to accomplish what your goal is when the streak hit 50 precise it was just nine innings away from breaking Dodger great Don Drysdales all-time mark said in 1968 I've said all along that it's certainly approachable but it's gonna take somebody that's in his class to do it that he was able to finish the job in San Diego when his last start went into extra innings [Applause] [Music] [Applause] my congratulations to a great guy they call him the Bulldog here and I think all of you have been able to witness things and see why and at least we kept it in the family and the Dodger family was also happy that Hershiser sensational season and streak had propelled them into the postseason the Mets dominated the Dodgers in the 1988 regular season winning 10 of 11 games and their confidence was sky-high heading into their playoff series in a world facing the Dodgers we pretty much thought we could handle them pretty well their offense wasn't tremendous and we just thought we were the better ballclub by far but LA had a different perspective you know we felt pretty good about our chances against New York we were heavy underdogs against them and we kind of felt like they were a little bit cocky and a little bit too sure of themselves maybe looking past us we've earned the right to be there they've earned the right to be there welcome star zero zero let's just go play the Xu's might have shaped up to many as a mismatch but the Dodgers did have a huge weapon on their side in Game one Orel Hershiser but the Mets finally got a run to cut the Dodger lead to 2 to 1 and LA went to the bullpen the one play I don't really talk about a lot I missed the fly ball in the first game [Applause] [Music] [Applause] it was a very very tough loss for us but as I told our players that's the best of seven which means you have to win four they've only won one so we bounced back today and we're even with them but to do that la would have to be 20 game winner David Cone with rookie Tim Belcher we're down to one in seven game series and we're putting a rookie out there so yeah probably was the biggest game of my career and the Dodgers helped him by jumping on cone early [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] for his bark Beltre pitched into the ninth and la Cruz to the 6-3 win that ride home from LA after game two was pretty bitter pill to swallow for us as a team back in New York the clubs were greeted by rain which postponed Game three allowing Hershiser to come back on short rest albeit in brutal conditions the steady rain and bone-chilling cold didn't exactly make for quality baseball even orel hershiser needed help [Music] [Applause] [Music] ultimately the climate could not hinder the Nets offense which put up five runs in the Unruh to an eight for victory [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and in game for the Mets big bats were strong again that babies leave in the park [Music] behind Dwight Gooden the Mets took a 4-2 lead through eight-day mean I both decided to stay with doc doc was still throwing very well [Applause] the right feel that deep strawberry goes back she's gone [Applause] career you would never think that he would come up and hit who shoot you know to run home run in that ballgame I think he just shifted the momentum to the dogs momentum the Dodgers would carry into the 12th another surprising twist it got to be two out bases loaded McReynolds up and Lasorda brought me in the game this is a scenario that couldn't have been a magic so what are they doing with this guy he can't pitch out of the bullpen he just pitched a complete game the day before to do the unexpected then the unexpected continued in Game five as the Dodgers roughed up Sid Fernandez coasting to a win and a 3-2 series lead [Music] once we won those games in New York we felt like we could clinch it back in LA but it's Chavez Ravine David Kuhn was set on rebounding from his came to disappointment he had that presence where he always felt confident and you always felt why he was gonna make the big pitch that was huge pitch nine innings and shut him down and that was that was a huge game for me at that point the way this series has been played it's only poetic justice that it comes to Game seven Game seven is one game for the pennant it's a season compressed into one night with the Dodgers scoring six runs before they made even six outs and with the Bulldog as tremendous as ever la cruz to a shutout and the World Series asaji was dominating I guess it was just meant to be for the dogs a year [Applause] the 1988 ALCS would start at historic Fenway Park [Music] fans might have been excited but there was a cloud hanging over a Boston Club that had lost six of its last seven regular season games we came from nine games out and played great baseball the second half of the season and now people are sliding our ability as a team and saying we're backing into things you know back into something when you win it meanwhile the visiting is winners of a hundred four games whereas the loose and continent is could be I think with our ballclub I think we're gonna rely a lot on power and the way I pitch is done so well this year I think we would have a slight advantage over the Boston Red Sox and so the series got going at Fenway with fans still high on the manager who turned their season around and it didn't take long for the action to heat up in the form of a second inning bases-loaded marquee matchup between a 21 game winner and the AL batting champ [Applause] getting one ended up being a pitcher's duel but like so many other times in the regular season one big Oakland bat made a big difference he could beat you in a number of ways and he was always dynamic you know when he did do it [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the a hook a 2-1 lead into the night and then against Dennis Eckersley the Sox got the tying run on second for Boggs [Applause] [Music] and dennis eckersley gets out of a big big jam and the Oakland A's have taken a one game to none lead in the American League Championship Series the Sox look to rebound in Game two with their ace on the mound the Roger Clemens would need his very best stuff against the very best of the Oakland lineup Mark McGwire was just one early victim Clemens wasn't perfect but he left after setting with the game tied at 3 then in the night the least-experienced athletic in the lineup shortstop Walt Weiss had a chance to put the Azad brothers at first [Applause] it was a situation where I'm sure Tony thought about pinch-hitting for me that was one of the bigger hits in my career for sure then once again it was dennis eckersley job to close the door on the Sox [Applause] Backus Phillips on the warning track can the Oakland A's take a 2 to nothing lead get this American League Championship Series I'm just glad we came in here we're hoping to take 1 we take 2 I'm frazzled then let's get out of town you know sure enough the a is packed their bags and headed home happy but in Game three in Oakland home team found itself down on earth thanks in big part to MVP candidate Mike Greenwell who doubled in two runs in the first and then came up again in a second take turns watches it's out of here the Red Sox beat Mike Boddicker a five nothing lead in a second but he couldn't hold it it was one of those days I don't [Applause] no matter what I did I could not get it right now the A's pounded out 10 runs on 15 hits and then again called on Eckersley to closer the next day Oakland stayed right on target as Kensico got things started in his first at-bat [Music] he's one of those guys that could carry the team on his back and then he did it in that ALCS overall Canseco hit three home runs in this series though it was a cursor tool and MVP honors with saves in all four games of a sweep that carried Oakland to the Fall Classic [Applause] 14 years and this is my first time we're on the world series and I get the MVP a belt a nice feeling from the Oakland A's perspective the 1988 World Series appeared to be less a contest than a coronation we sent a powerful lineup and real good pitching but starting pitching good relief pitching and we just had the whole mix and we had it going on so we were supposed to kill the Dodgers because the Dodgers really didn't match up you know just give us the trophy now I think is what we were thinking but the series had all kinds of Hollywood ingredients a powerful villain on the field and comic relief in the stands [Music] [Applause] not just with the Dodgers might have been the only ones believing in themselves and took an early lead in Game one but then can Seiko came up with the bases loaded in the second slam so Penn State Go had played his part but the Dodgers had an injured Slugger who wasn't going to give up on anything Vin Scully who knows the Dodgers well because he's their announcer during the regular season he flatly states that Gibson is not available and Gibson having heard Vin Scully say that he's not available says to Lasorda I think I could hit for you I said great I just ran out I didn't give him time to say anything else for fear that he might change his mind I had programmed myself to say when you walk out of a dugout 50,000 people are gonna go nuts and he won't hurt he's awesome looking back if I was a Dodger fan I wouldn't here comes Kurt he needed a long time to get there so it was driving me nuts it's like just get this guy up here he's the last out let's get this thing over with [Applause] I got a boat too on him in heartbeat because he couldn't catch up with basketball vectors they were gonna send me to get well card he didn't take it easy on me because I was hurt and I didn't expect him to we went over it before the game gives his name came a blast because we didn't think he was gonna play but anyway we did go over him and we said don't throw many breaking balls I said I remember that before the 3-2 pitch I stepped out of the box and said to myself partner sure as I'm standing here breathing you're gonna throw me that three two back to a slider our show [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] any World Series game [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] it was indeed hard to believe but the Dodgers had stolen game 1 and now had their red ha days on the mound for Game two Game two of the eight World Series was like a childhood dream come true I get three hits shutout unbelievable it was unbelievable is the best game ever [Applause] [Music] Bernays vans were defined as the series shift at North to Oakland and in the bottom of the ninth of Game three mark mcgwire came up with the score tied at one and a big momentum shift on the table [Applause] but the next night it was the Dodgers turned to edge the eighties [Applause] [Music] Tommy Lasorda's Club at a 3-1 series lead setting up Hershiser for his last mission it's the responsibility of what has happened prior and what people expect now out of you and I'm responsible in Game five Hershiser was responsible for a complete game for hitter a fitting into one of the most remarkable runs of pitching ever [Applause] dream [Music] [Applause] and while the Dodgers mother Hershiser on the mound and Seiko was left to ponder how David has slain Goliath - confident I think that's where I really bring myself as a manager I've said it many times I think Thomas sorta did a much better job of getting his team ready they were the underdog for the Athletics disappointment in October 1988 was swept away a year later when the A's won all four games against the Giants in a Bay Area Fall Classic [Applause] in a year when relief legends Bruce Souter and goose Gossage each notched their 300 saves [Applause] the emergence of dennis eckersley further revolutionize the closer position for years to come as a long line of super stoppers which soon emerge even if 1988 would ultimately be most remembered for a Hollywood ending [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

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Id: exGjw4nmpoE

Length: 44min 56sec (2696 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 03 2020