1988 – Chris Sabo, who hit .271 with 11 home runs and 46 stolen bases as the Cincinnati Reds third baseman, wins the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Chicago Cubs first baseman Mark Grace is the runner-up.
The Padres trade Keith Moreland and Chris Brown to the Tigers for pitcher Walt Terrell, who will be dealt, along with a player to be named [Freddie Toliver], to the Yankees in July. The midseason swap will bring Don Schulze and Mike Pagliarulo to San Diego.
The Dodgers become World Champions when Orel Hershiser limits the opposition to four singles in Game 5 of the World Series and beats the A’s, 5-1. The right-hander, who also won Game 2, is named the Most Valuable Player of the Fall Classic.
1988 – The Dodgers take advantage of Oakland errors to beat Dave Stewart, 4 – 3, in Game 4 of the World Series.
At Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Mark McGwire goes deep off LA’s Jay Howell with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the A’s a 2-1 victory for its only win in the Series. With Kirk Gibson’s heroics in Game 1, ‘Big Mac’s’ walk-off home run marks the first time that two game-winning round-trippers occur in the same Fall Classic.
At Dodger Stadium, Don Baylor becomes the first player to participate in three consecutive World Series for three different teams when he pinch-hits in the eighth inning of the A’s 6-0 loss to L.A. in the second game of the Fall Classic. The 39 year-old veteran played with the pennant-winning Red Sox in 1986 and the World Champion Twins in 1987.
In his only plate appearance in the Fall Classic, a limping Kirk Gibson, appearing as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of Game 1, sends a two-out, 3-2 back-door slider from future Hall of Fame relief ace Dennis Eckersley over the right field fence, giving the Dodgers a 5-4 victory over the A’s. The round-tripper marks the first time a World Series game is ever decided on a come-from-behind home run in the final inning.
On October 12, 1988, Orel Hershiser of the Los Angeles Dodgers blanks the New York Mets on five hits to win the National League Championship Series. Hershiser, who is named playoff MVP, vaults the Dodgers into the World Series.
1988 – The Oakland Athletics complete a four-game sweep in the American League Championship Series by beating the Boston Red Sox, 4 – 1. Jose Canseco ties a playoff record with his third home run of the Series and Dennis Eckersley sets a major league playoff mark with his fourth save.
Sponsor this Page On October 8, 1988 NLCS Game 3…Shea Stadium..Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Jay Howell is ejected in the bottom of the 7th after umpires find a foreign substance on his glove.. full game recap- Fantastic plays and controversy would mark the afternoon, as the Mets rebounded from deficits twice to earn…