Move Over Gibby!

                                   I have been extremely lucky to have been alive to witness all of the Dodgers World Series wins. I was seven when they won in 55. I do not remember much of it other than what my uncle was telling me about his favorite team winning and him watching game 7 on a REALLY SMALL SCREEN. But when they won in 59 in their second year in the city, I listened as much as I could at school. Having World Series MVP, Larry Sherry living just 5 houses away on my block in Highland Park made it all that much more special. What more could any 10-year-old baseball nut ask for? 

                                    I watched all of game four of the 63 series on TV. Koufax and Ford were really dealing that day. Sandy made one bad pitch to Mantle, Ford made on bad pitch to Howard, but they won on a error by Pepitone on a throw from Clete Boyer. Ball got lost in all the white shirts. So far, the only Series that the Dodgers have won at home. 55 in Yankee Stadium, 59 at old Comiskey Park in Chicago, 65 at Metropolitan Stadium in Minnesota, 81 at Yankee Stadium, 88 in Oakland, 20 at the neutral site in Arlington Texas and this year at the new Yankee Stadium. 

                                    I missed most of the games in 65 since I had changed foster homes, and at that time, I really did not have much privacy or use of the TV to myself. I watched a couple of the games in 74, I was nearing the end of my time in the Army. I remember loving the throw Ferguson made to nail Green at the plate. I was disgusted when Marshall did not take his warmups coming out of the pen in the 7th inning of game 5.  There was about a 10-minute delay because Buckner complained that A’s fans were throwing stuff on the field, and Marshall did not even warm up then. Rudi then hit Marshall’s first pitch over the wall for the game winner. 

                                    Watched Reggie stick his hip out and deflect what should have been a double play throw. Saw him hit his three homers off of three different pitchers. 81 was special since I had sung the Anthem for the Dodgers in September. It was great to see them come from 2 down to win the next four games. They could have easily been down 3-0 because in game 3, Fernando was not very Fernando like. He had a 3-0 lead after the first, but he had coughed that up to be down 4-3 by the third. But he turned it around and LA scored 2 in the fifth for a 5-4 win. The first 5 games were decided by 3 runs or less. Then in game 6, the Dodgers poured it on and won 9-2. 

                                    88 was just one of those magical years. First, they beat the Mets, a team that dominated them during the season. Then they were playing the Bash Brothers A’s, who were heavily favored. We all know about Gibby’s walk-off homer in the first, and then Hershiser and his mostly second-string team beating the A’s three of the next four games. It was a very satisfying year. How many great in-season performances have we seen since 88? Five ROY’s in a row, that was amazing. But still, they couldn’t get over the hump. They got swept in the only two LDS appearances those teams made. 

                                    We saw some very good individual seasons when McCourt had the team, but still no Championship’s. Getting Manny brought a lot of excitement to the team in 2008. They finally won a playoff series, LDS< only to lose the LCS. Since 2013 though, we have become accustomed to being a perennial playoff team. There have been playoff disappointments to be sure. Losing their best hitter to broken ribs in 13 during the NLCS against St. Louis. One reason many dislike Mariachi Joe. Losing in the first round in 14 and 15, even when we had Greinke and Kersh pitching for us. Making it back to the LCS in 16 and losing to the eventual Champion Cubs in 6 games.

                                  Losing to the Cheetos in 17, despite some decent Series performances by Joc Pederson, Rich Hill and Alex Wood. Boston was clearly the better team in 18, but there was one shining moment, Max Muncy’s 18th inning walk off homer in game 3. 2019 left us with a bitter taste because they were beaten by a team that was clearly not as good on paper, but they got hot at exactly the right time. 

                                   I watched every single game in 2020. Did not have anywhere else to be or go. Things I remember were some very good performances by some of the pitchers, especially the bullpen guys. Mookie had his 3-homer game against the Padres. Will Smith’s 5 hits in game 3 of the LDS with San Diego, and the 11 run first inning outburst in game 3 against the Braves. Being down 3-1 and coming back to win the pennant. Mookie’s great defense in right field to rob hitters several times. Belli’s game winner in game 7. And of course, Urias striking out Adames for the win. 

                                    All the backlash about the title not being legitimate, and the team trying since then to erase that enigma. And just when you did not think there could be many more exciting moments after battling back from elimination against San Diego to a dominating series against the Mets and then getting to face the Yankees in the series for the first time since 81. And here we are, in the 10th inning of game 1, down 3-2 with 2 outs, and they walk Mookie to face our injured first baseman. Freeman faced more adversity this season with a couple of injuries and the illness of his son. He hadn’t had an extra base hit in quite a while before he legged out a first inning triple off of Cole. 

                                   Now he came up to the plate with 2 out, the bases juiced, and he was facing a lefty. His splits against LHP in 24 were some of the worst he had in years. On the first pitch, he swung himself into Dodger legendry with a walk off grand slam. A moment that will always be remembered alongside Gibby’s shot in game 1 in 81. That moment in time has probably had close to a million hits on YouTube. I myself have watched a replay of game one maybe six times.  I have watched the homer a lot more than that. 

                                 It is the type of moment that carries you into the next season. Teo gunning down Stanton at the plate was another. To top it all off, Freddie homered in four straight games. He drove in 12 runs. Five of his six hits in the series went for extra bases. He struck out only once and walked twice. It looked by the fourth inning of game five like they would be coming back to LA for game six. Down 5-0 and then the Yankees imploded. The comeback to tie and then eventually win that game was so surreal, one would have to pinch oneself to make sure you were not dreaming. We have finally gotten our parade, but the team is not resting on its laurels. Work has already begun on a repeat. Let’s hope there is another Freddie like moment in 2025.