1988 Major League Baseball season

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1988 MLB season
LeagueMajor League Baseball
SportBaseball
DurationApril 4 – October 20, 1988
Number of games162
Number of teams26
TV partner(s)ABC, NBC
Draft
Top draft pickAndy Benes
Picked bySan Diego Padres
Regular season
Season MVPNL: Kirk Gibson (LA)
AL: José Canseco (OAK)
Postseason
AL championsOakland Athletics
  AL runners-upBoston Red Sox
NL championsLos Angeles Dodgers
  NL runners-upNew York Mets
World Series
ChampionsLos Angeles Dodgers
  Runners-upOakland Athletics
World Series MVPOrel Hershiser (LA)
MLB seasons

The 1988 Major League Baseball season ended with the underdog Los Angeles Dodgers shocking the Oakland Athletics, who had won 104 games during the regular season, in the World Series. The most memorable moment of the series came in Game 1, when injured Dodger Kirk Gibson hit a dramatic pinch-hit walk-off home run off Athletics closer Dennis Eckersley to win the game for Los Angeles. The Dodgers went on to win the Series in five games.

This would also be the final full season for Peter Ueberroth as MLB commissioner.

Overview[edit]

A ticket from the game where Goose Gossage earned his 300th career save on August 6, 1988.

One of the American League's best players in 1988 was Athletics outfielder José Canseco,[1] who became the first player in history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season, unanimously garnering league MVP honors. The A's surrounded him with a stellar supporting cast, led by fellow slugger Mark McGwire (with whom Canseco formed the famed "Bash Brothers" duo). Aided by strong pitching from Dave Stewart and Bob Welch and the lights-out Eckersley securing 45 saves, Oakland ran away with the American League West and swept the Boston Red Sox of Boggs, Rice, and Clemens in the playoffs before falling to the Dodgers in the World Series.

Speaking of the Dodgers, nobody expected them even to contend for the National League West title in 1988, let alone win the World Championship.[citation needed] However, the intensity and clutch hitting of Gibson (named the NL MVP at season's end) and the solid pitching of Orel Hershiser (who won a league-leading 23 games) spearheaded L.A. to a division championship by seven games over the Cincinnati Reds. In addition to his 23 victories, Hershiser led the National League with 267 innings pitched and 8 shutouts, and also set a record of 59 consecutive scoreless innings (formerly held by Dodger great Don Drysdale). These accomplishments, combined with his 2.26 ERA, earned him the National League Cy Young Award. However, it was in the postseason that Hershiser really distinguished himself – he started Games 1 and 3 of the NLCS against the tough New York Mets, saved Game 4 in relief, and threw a complete-game shutout in Game 7. He hurled another complete-game shutout in Game 2 of the World Series, and also helped his own cause going 3-3 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI, and again went the distance in the clinching Game 5. Hershiser was named MVP of both the NLCS and the World Series, capping off arguably one of the greatest seasons a starting pitcher has ever had.

Awards and honors[edit]

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA Award National League American League
Rookie of the Year Chris Sabo (CIN) Walt Weiss (OAK)
Cy Young Award Orel Hershiser (LAD) Frank Viola (MIN)
Manager of the Year Tommy Lasorda (LAD) Tony La Russa (OAK)
Most Valuable Player Kirk Gibson (LAD) Jose Canseco (OAK)
Gold Glove Awards
Position National League American League
Pitcher Ron Darling (NYM) Mark Langston (SEA)
Catcher Benito Santiago (SD) Bob Boone (CAL)
First Baseman Andrés Galarraga (MON) Don Mattingly (NYY)
Second Baseman Ryne Sandberg (CHC) Harold Reynolds (SEA)
Third Baseman Terry Pendleton (STL) Gary Gaetti (MIN)
Shortstop Ozzie Smith (STL) Tony Fernández (TOR)
Outfielders Eric Davis (CIN) Gary Pettis (DET)
Andre Dawson (CHC) Kirby Puckett (MIN)
Andy Van Slyke (PIT) Devon White (CAL)
Silver Slugger Awards
Pitcher/Designated Hitter Tim Leary (LAD) Paul Molitor (MIL)
Catcher Benito Santiago (SD) Carlton Fisk (CWS)
First Baseman Andrés Galarraga (MTL) George Brett (KC)
Second Baseman Ryne Sandberg (CHC) Julio Franco (CLE)
Third Baseman Bobby Bonilla (PIT) Wade Boggs (BOS)
Shortstop Barry Larkin (CIN) Alan Trammell (DET)
Outfielders Kirk Gibson (LAD) Jose Canseco (OAK)
Darryl Strawberry (NYM) Mike Greenwell (BOS)
Andy Van Slyke (PIT) Kirby Puckett (MIN)

Other awards[edit]

Player of the Month[edit]

Month American League National League
April Dave Winfield Bobby Bonilla
May Carney Lansford Bobby Bonilla
June Mike Greenwell Will Clark
July Chili Davis Tony Gwynn
August Kent Hrbek Eric Davis
September Jose Canseco Kevin McReynolds

Pitcher of the Month[edit]

Month American League National League
April Dave Stewart Orel Hershiser
May Frank Viola David Cone
June Mark Gubicza Greg Maddux
July Roger Clemens John Franco
August Bruce Hurst Danny Jackson
September Mark Langston Orel Hershiser

MLB statistical leaders[edit]

Statistic American League National League
AVG Wade Boggs BOS .366 Tony Gwynn SD .313
HR José Canseco OAK 42 Darryl Strawberry NYM 39
RBI José Canseco OAK 124 Will Clark SF 109
Wins Frank Viola MIN 24 Orel Hershiser LA
Danny Jackson CIN
23
ERA Allan Anderson MIN
Teddy Higuera MIL
2.45 Joe Magrane STL 2.18
SO Roger Clemens BOS 291 Nolan Ryan HOU 228
SV Dennis Eckersley OAK 45 John Franco CIN 39
SB Rickey Henderson NYY 93 Vince Coleman STL 81

Standings[edit]

Postseason[edit]

Bracket[edit]

League Championship Series
(ALCS, NLCS)
World Series
      
East Boston 0
West Oakland 4
AL Oakland 1
NL Los Angeles 4
East NY Mets 3
West Los Angeles 4

Managers[edit]

American League[edit]

Team Manager Notes
Baltimore Orioles Cal Ripken, Sr., Frank Robinson
Boston Red Sox John McNamara, Joe Morgan Won AL East
California Angels Cookie Rojas, Moose Stubing
Chicago White Sox Jim Fregosi Final season as White Sox manager
Cleveland Indians Doc Edwards
Detroit Tigers Sparky Anderson
Kansas City Royals John Wathan
Milwaukee Brewers Tom Trebelhorn
Minnesota Twins Tom Kelly
New York Yankees Billy Martin, Lou Piniella Martin's final season as a Major League manager
Oakland Athletics Tony La Russa Won American League Pennant
Seattle Mariners Dick Williams, Jim Snyder Williams final season as a Major League manager
Texas Rangers Bobby Valentine
Toronto Blue Jays Jimy Williams

National League[edit]

Team Manager Notes
Atlanta Braves Chuck Tanner, Russ Nixon
Chicago Cubs Don Zimmer
Cincinnati Reds Pete Rose, Tommy Helms (acting)
Houston Astros Hal Lanier
Los Angeles Dodgers Tommy Lasorda Won World Series
Montreal Expos Buck Rodgers
New York Mets Davey Johnson Won NL East
Philadelphia Phillies Lee Elia, John Vukovich
Pittsburgh Pirates Jim Leyland
St. Louis Cardinals Whitey Herzog
San Diego Padres Larry Bowa, Jack McKeon
San Francisco Giants Roger Craig

Home field attendance and payroll[edit]

Team name Wins Home attendance Per game Est. payroll
New York Mets[2] 100 8.7% 3,055,445 0.7% 38,193 $15,401,814 11.2%
Minnesota Twins[3] 91 7.1% 3,030,672 45.6% 37,416 $13,308,966 25.7%
Los Angeles Dodgers[4] 94 28.8% 2,980,262 6.5% 36,793 $17,141,015 18.4%
St. Louis Cardinals[5] 76 -20.0% 2,892,799 -5.8% 35,714 $13,192,500 12.2%
New York Yankees[6] 85 -4.5% 2,633,701 8.5% 32,921 $20,371,152 4.7%
Toronto Blue Jays[7] 87 -9.4% 2,595,175 -6.6% 32,039 $14,412,725 33.9%
Boston Red Sox[8] 89 14.1% 2,464,851 10.5% 30,430 $14,687,092 6.7%
Kansas City Royals[9] 84 1.2% 2,350,181 -1.8% 29,377 $14,850,062 18.7%
California Angels[10] 75 0.0% 2,340,925 -13.2% 28,900 $12,249,888 -11.6%
Oakland Athletics[11] 104 28.4% 2,287,335 36.2% 28,239 $10,653,833 -16.3%
Chicago Cubs[12] 77 1.3% 2,089,034 2.6% 25,476 $13,956,698 -9.8%
Detroit Tigers[13] 88 -10.2% 2,081,162 0.9% 25,693 $13,432,071 10.8%
Cincinnati Reds[14] 87 3.6% 2,072,528 -5.2% 25,907 $9,697,409 4.5%
Philadelphia Phillies[15] 65 -18.8% 1,990,041 -5.2% 24,568 $13,900,500 11.4%
Houston Astros[16] 82 7.9% 1,933,505 1.2% 23,870 $12,641,167 -0.9%
Milwaukee Brewers[17] 87 -4.4% 1,923,238 0.7% 23,744 $9,502,000 30.3%
Pittsburgh Pirates[18] 85 6.3% 1,866,713 60.8% 23,046 $7,128,500 -18.9%
San Francisco Giants[19] 83 -7.8% 1,785,297 -6.9% 22,041 $12,822,500 50.3%
Baltimore Orioles[20] 54 -19.4% 1,660,738 -9.5% 20,759 $14,389,075 1.0%
Texas Rangers[21] 70 -6.7% 1,581,901 -10.3% 19,530 $6,385,631 6.6%
San Diego Padres[22] 83 27.7% 1,506,896 3.6% 18,604 $10,723,502 -11.1%
Montreal Expos[23] 81 -11.0% 1,478,659 -20.1% 18,255 $10,046,833 14.7%
Cleveland Indians[24] 78 27.9% 1,411,610 31.0% 17,427 $9,261,500 2.5%
Chicago White Sox[25] 71 -7.8% 1,115,749 -7.6% 13,775 $8,537,500 -29.6%
Seattle Mariners[26] 68 -12.8% 1,022,398 -9.9% 12,622 $7,754,950 67.7%
Atlanta Braves[27] 54 -21.7% 848,089 -30.3% 10,735 $13,065,674 -25.1%

Television coverage[edit]

Network Day of week Announcers
ABC Monday nights Al Michaels, Jim Palmer, Tim McCarver, Gary Bender, Joe Morgan, Reggie Jackson
NBC Saturday afternoons Vin Scully, Joe Garagiola, Bob Costas, Tony Kubek

Events[edit]

Movies[edit]

Deaths[edit]

  • February 20 – Bob O'Farrell, 91, catcher for four NL teams over 21 seasons who won 1926 MVP award with the Cardinals
  • February 23 – Pete Donohue, 87, pitcher who had three 20-win seasons for the Reds and beat the Phillies 20 consecutive times from 1922 to 1925
  • February 28 – Harvey Kuenn, 57, 8-time All-Star shortstop and outfielder, most notably with the Tigers, who batted .303 lifetime and led AL in hits four times and doubles three times; 1953 Rookie of the Year and 1959 batting champion, later managed Brewers to their first pennant in 1982
  • March 21 – Edd Roush, 94, Hall of Fame center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds who batted .323 lifetime; led NL in batting twice, and in slugging, doubles and triples once each; hit 30 inside-the-park home runs, and ended career with 13th-most triples in history
  • March 29 – Ted Kluszewski, 63, All-Star first baseman for the Reds who led NL in homers and RBI in 1954 and batted .300 seven times, known for his sleeveless jersey; later a Reds coach
  • June 9 – Newt Allen, 87, All-Star second baseman for the Negro leagues' Kansas City Monarchs
  • July 4 – Lee Weyer, 51, National League umpire since 1963 who worked in four World Series and 5 NL Championship Series
  • July 20 – John W. Galbreath, 90, owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1945 to 1985, during which period the team won three World Series
  • September 2 – Jim Bagby, Jr., 71, All-Star pitcher for the Red Sox and Indians, led AL in starts and innings in 1943
  • September 16 – Bob Trice, 62, first black player in Philadelphia Athletics history
  • October 14 – Vic Raschi, 69, All-Star pitcher who won 20 games for the Yankees three straight years (1949–51), won World Series clinchers in 1949 and 1951
  • November 21 – Carl Hubbell, 85, Hall of Fame pitcher who won 253 games for the New York Giants, second most among NL left-handers upon retirement; named NL's MVP in 1933 and 1936, he led league in wins and ERA three times each and had 1.79 ERA in six World Series starts; 1677 strikeouts were NL record for left-handers until 1958, and won 24 straight games in 1936–37
  • November 22 – Ray Kelly, 74, sportswriter who covered the Philadelphia Athletics and Phillies since the late 1940s
  • November 30 – Wally Berger, 83, All-Star center fielder for the Boston Braves who had four 100-RBI seasons, batted .300 lifetime; led NL in homers and RBI in 1935
  • December 12 – Joe Reichler, 73, sportswriter and author who wrote for the Associated Press for 20 years and served as an assistant to the commissioner after 1966; editor of the Macmillan Baseball Encyclopedia since its first edition in 1969
  • December 21 – Willie Kamm, 88, third baseman for the White Sox and Indians who led AL in fielding average eight times and in putouts seven times; batted .308 in 1928 and led league in walks in 1925

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Player Batting Season & Career Stats Finder". Stathead.com. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  2. ^ "New York Mets Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  3. ^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  4. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  5. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  6. ^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  7. ^ "Toronto Blue Jays Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "Kansas City Royals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "Los Angeles Angels Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. ^ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. ^ "Milwaukee Brewers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "Texas Rangers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. ^ "San Diego Padres Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  23. ^ "Washington Nationals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  24. ^ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  25. ^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  26. ^ "Seattle Mariners Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  27. ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  28. ^ Mackin, Bob (2004). The Unofficial Guide to Baseball's Most Unusual Records. Canada: Greystone Books. p. 240. ISBN 9781553650386..
  29. ^ Firstman, Diane (May 4, 2017). "Most Runs, Hits with Only Certain Types of Hits". valueoverreplacementgrit.com. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  30. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers at Cincinnati Reds, Box Score, September 16, 1988". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  31. ^ "A Billion-Dollar Bid By CBS Wins Rights To Baseball Games". The New York Times. December 15, 1988.
  32. ^ Downey, Kevin (April 18, 2002). "Waning days of big $ TV sports". Media Life. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015.
  33. ^ "Baseball to CBS; NBC Strikes Out : ABC Also Falls Short as 4-Year Package Goes for $1 Billion". The Los Angeles Times. December 15, 1988.
  34. ^ Shames, Laurence (July 23, 1989). "CBS HAS WON THE WORLD SERIES......NOW IT COULD LOSE ITS SHIRT". The New York Times.
  35. ^ Erardi, Luckhaupt, John, Joel (September 29, 2010). The Wire-to-Wire Reds: Sweet Lou, Nasty Boys, and the Wild Run to a World ... p. 40. ISBN 9781578604661.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  36. ^ Ernest Cashmore (1994). And There Was Television. p. 146. ISBN 9780415091305.

External links[edit]