Series Wrapup

Story

After failing to advance to the postseason the previous year, the New York Mets reestablished themselves as the National League’s dominant team in 1988, finishing the regular season with a record of 100-60, 15 games ahead of the second-place Pittsburgh Pirates in the N.L. East.

Clearly the strongest team in the senior circuit, the Mets finished first in the league with 703 runs scored, 152 home runs, and a team ERA of 2.91.  Kevin McReynolds and Darryl Strawberry paced New York on offense.  McReynolds hit 27 home runs, knocked in 99 runs, batted .288, and went a perfect 21-for-21 in stolen base attempts.  Strawberry led the team with 101 runs batted in and 101 runs scored, and he also topped the circuit with 39 home runs and a .545 slugging average, en route to earning a second-place finish in the N.L. MVP voting.

The Mets’ greatest strength continued to be their pitching staff, which featured three of the league’s top hurlers in Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling, and David Cone.  Gooden finished 18-9 with a 3.19 ERA.  Darling went 17-9 with an ERA of 3.25.  Cone served as the ace of the staff, placing among the league leaders with a record of 20-3, a 2.22 ERA, 213 strikeouts, and 231 innings pitched.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers captured the Western Division title even though they possessed an extremely limited number of offensive weapons.  The Dodgers finished tied for sixth in the league with 628 runs scored, and they also placed eighth in the rankings with only 99 home runs.  Steve Sax, Mike Marshall, and Kirk Gibson were the club’s only real threats on offense.  Sax batted .277, collected 175 hits, and stole 42 bases.  Marshall also batted .277, hit 20 homers, and led the team with 82 runs batted in.  Gibson knocked in 76 runs, stole 31 bases, and finished first on the club with 25 home runs, 106 runs scored, and a .290 batting average, en route to earning N.L. MVP honors.

While the Dodgers struggled at times on offense, their exceptional pitching enabled them to compile a regular-season record of 94-67 that placed them seven games ahead of the runner-up Cincinnati Reds in the N.L. West.  Featuring an outstanding trio of starters and a deep bullpen, Los Angeles finished second in the league to New York with a team ERA of 2.96.  Tim Belcher finished 12-6 with a 2.91 ERA.  Tim Leary won 17 games, also compiled a 2.91 ERA, and led the staff with 180 strikeouts.  Orel Hershiser established himself as the ace of the staff and the league’s best pitcher over the course of the season, posting a record of 23-8, a 2.26 ERA, 178 strikeouts, and a league-leading 267 innings pitched, 15 complete games, and eight shutouts.  Hershiser threw six of his shutouts in succession at the end of the year, en route to setting a new major league record by tossing 59 consecutive scoreless innings (Don Drysdale held the previous mark with 58 straight scoreless frames in 1968).  Hershiser’s extraordinary performance earned him N.L. Cy Young honors.    

Hershiser continued to pitch brilliantly against New York in the NLCS, leading his team to a stunning seven-game victory over the heavily-favored Mets.  The Dodger right-hander compiled a 1.09 ERA in his three starts, posted a record of 1-0, came out of the bullpen to earn a save, and threw a complete-game shutout in the decisive seventh contest.  

After surprising the Mets, Los Angeles pulled off an even bigger upset by defeating the powerful Oakland A’s in the World Series.  The Dodgers set the tone for the entire Series by ending Game One in remarkable fashion.  Trailing 4-3 with one man on and two men out in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Dodgers sent a limping Kirk Gibson to the plate to pinch hit against Oakland’s ace reliever Dennis Eckersley.  After working the count to 3-2, Gibson fouled off several pitches before he unleashed a one-arm swing that drove Eckersley’s next offering into the right-field stands.  Gibson’s two-run blast gave the Dodgers a 5-4 win and provided them with all the momentum they needed to win the Series four-games-to-one.  Hershiser earned Series MVP honors by posting victories in Games Two and Five.

Other outstanding performers, notable events, and points of interest from around the league follow:

• August 9 - The Chicago Cubs won the first official night game at Wrigley Field by beating the New York Mets 6–4.

• October 20 - Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser ended his dream season with a 5–2 four-hitter over the Oakland Athletics in Game Five of the World Series.  The win gave the Dodgers their first world championship since 1981.

• Mickey Hatcher, a sub for the injured Kirk Gibson, led all World Series players with a .368 batting average and five runs batted in.

• San Diego’s Tony Gwynn led the National League with a .313 batting average – the lowest mark ever posted by a batting champion in the senior circuit.

• Cincinnati's Tom Browning hurled a perfect game against Los Angeles on September 16.

• Montreal’s Andres Galarraga led the National League with 184 hits, 42 doubles, and 329 total bases.

• San Francisco's Will Clark hit 29 home runs, scored 102 runs, and led the league with 109 runs batted in and 100 walks.

• Despite failing to steal 100 bases for the first time in his career, Vince Coleman of the Cardinals won his fourth consecutive stolen base title by topping the circuit with 81 thefts.

• Orel Hershiser and Cincinnati’s Danny Jackson tied for the National League lead with 23 wins and 15 complete games.

• Joe Magrane of St. Louis compiled a league-leading 2.18 ERA.

• Pittsburgh’s Andy Van Slyke hit 25 home runs, knocked in 100 runs, scored 101 others, batted .288, stole 30 bases, and led the league with 15 triples.

Seasons of the National League

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