At Riverfront Stadium, Dodgers’ hurler Orel Hershiser’s scoreless-inning streak ends at 59. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Todd Benzinger’s single scores Barry Larkin, who had been picked off after getting a base hit to lead off the game, but was safe on the ‘Bulldog’s’ throwing error.
1989 – Orel Hershiser becomes the first player in major league history to sign a contract that calls for a $3 million salary by inking a three-year, $7.9 million contract with the Dodgers that will pay him $3,166,667 in 1991.
Major League Season Recap 1988 World Series – Los Angeles Dodgers NL over Oakland A’s AL 4 games to 1 World Series MVP – Orel HershiserBabe Ruth Award – Orel Hershiser ALCS Oakland Athletics over Boston Red Sox 4 games to 0 ALCS MVP – Dennis EckersleyNLCS Los Angeles Dodgers over New York Mets 4 games to 3 NLCS MVP…
Los Angeles Dodgers acquire first baseman Eddie Murray from the Baltimore Orioles
On November 15, 1988, Los Angeles Dodgers Kirk Gibson is named the National League Most Valuable Player with Mets outfielders Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds also receiving first-place votes for the award. The Dodger World Series hero, who is the first MVP not to be named an All-Star in the same season, batted .290 and…
1988 – Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser, who posted a 23-8 record with 178 strikeouts and a 2.31 ERA, is a unanimous choice as Cy Young Award winner. Hershiser becomes the ninth pitcher in National League history to win the award unanimously. He receives all twenty-four first place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America.
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.
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.
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