Home Run Derby

Back in June, Richie authored a post on the Greatest Walk-off Home Runs in World Series History.  On that list was Kirk Gibson’s Game 1 shot off of Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 Fall Classic (Richie even called it the greatest ever).  You will get no debate from me, it has to be one of the most dramatic, most memorable Home Runs in World Series History. His injured legs add to the lore of the dinger (it was his only at bat in the entire series).

The feat is further romanticized (if baseball can be romantic) by the call of Vin Scully.  I can close my eyes and still hear his golden tones set-up the moment.

“All year long, they looked to him to light the fire, and all year long, he answered the demands, until he was physically unable to start tonight——with two bad legs: The bad left hamstring, and the swollen right knee.  And, with two out, you talk about a roll of the dice… this is it.”

After working an 0-2 count to 3-2, Scully put the pitch on a tee, and smacked it home with the famous call:

“The game right now is at the plate. High fly ball into right field, she i-i-i-is… gone!!  In a year that has been so improbable… the impossible has happened!”

That is how I remember the moment, because I was watching on TV.  Jack Buck’s radio call (”I don’t believe what I just saw”) is probably more referenced, but let’s face it, people know that call from the highlights of the game more so than the hearing it live.  It was Vin Scully, and that unmistakable legendary voice that helped propel the legendary status of the Kirk Gibson dinger in 1988.

Now why do I bring this up? Yesterday, I was reading one of my favorite baseball writers, Rob Neyer on ESPN.com. He has compiled at top ten list of baseball miracles (no subscription needed).  This list has merit, and contains some of the usual great moments in sports (The 2004 Red Sox comeback from 0-3 deficit against the Yankees is #1).  What is interesting, is 8 of the 10 “miracles” are team based (i.e. 2004 Red Sox, 1986 Mets) and 2 are individual accomplishments, Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hit streak and the aforementioned Kirk Gibson Home Run.  There lies the rub.  How can that Home Run be considered a miracle?

• Dramatic?  Yes!
• Historic?  Yes!
• Memorable? Another resounding Yes!
• But Miraculous? No Way!

First, let’s define the word miracle. According to Webster’s, a miracle is an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment.  Even Rob defines miracle for his article as follows:

“a baseball miracle is anything that would, if depicted in a movie, require a serious suspension of belief”

With that definition in mind, is that unbelievable or unusual that Kirk Gibson would hit a Home Run?  Let’s go to the stats (any Rob Neyer fan would know that he is a proponent of the statistical analysis of baseball). In 1988, Kirk Gibson hit 25 Home Runs in 542 at bats or 1 HR in every 21.6 at bats.  In the NLCS, albeit a small sample, he hit 2 HRs in 26 at bats vs the Mets.  In his career, he hit 255 Home Runs and a ratio of 1:22.7. In the 80’s, those numbers are respectable power numbers. In short, Kirk Gibson was a run producer and a power hitter.

What is so miraculous about a power hitter hitting a Home Run, gimpy knee or not?  The answer is nothing.  This was no miracle.  It was the presentation that made this moment a miracle.  You could probably dub Al Michaels’ 1980 U.S. vs U.S.S.R. call and you would not embellish the moment any more.

I would submit, the most Miraculous Home Run in World Series History, is Scott Podsednik’s Game 2 Walkoff Home Run facing Brad Lidge in 2005.

• He had zero Home Runs in 507 at bats in the regular season that year (although he did hit 1 against the Red Sox in Game 1 of the ALDS).
• His career HR ratio is 1:91.4 and has a grand total of 27 round trippers in his career.

Not exactly a power hitter there.  Unfortunately, Joe Buck’s broadcast call also lacked the power that was given to Gibson’s.

“Podsednik hits it to deep rightfield.   Back at the wall … it’s gone!”

That’s it, that’s all she wrote.  No iambic pentameter, no melodramatic stanza about the improbability of the moment.  It was a Home Run call like any other Home Run call.  It is a key reason why Podsednik’s Home Run lacks the legendary status that Kirk Gibson’s has.

Before putting this one to bed, let’s take a quick look at the victimized pitchers.

• Brad Lidge had a 2.29 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, 42 Saves and 5 HRs allowed in 2005.
• Dennis Eckersley, on the other hand, had a 2.35 ERA, a 0.867 WHIP, 45 Saves and 5 HRs allowed in 1988.

Eckerskely had walked 12 fewer that year which helped his WHIP advantage, but all in all, the stats between the two pitchers were pretty comparable.

It is clear and convincing, if a World Series walk off homer belongs on a list of miracles, it should be Scott Podsednik, not Kirk Gibson on that list.

UPDATE: ESPN’s panel of baseball “experts” (Stark, Phillips, Olney, Kurkjian, Crasnick and Caple) put together their most memorable baseball miracle and not surprisingly, half of them picked the Gibson homer. They all talk about the goosebumps, the chill, and the heroic story, but it is clear not a one of them understands what a miracle is. They are too caught up in the “Natural” to really put Gibson into perspective.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 10:28 pm and is filed under Announcers, Dodgers, Milestone Home Runs, White Sox. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.