Kirk Gibson is one of Major League Baseball’s select few postseason faces that makes one think of the phrase ‘home run hero.’
In 1988 he had only a single plate appearance in the World Series. Hobbled and feeling under the weather, Gibson’s epic two-run, all upper body blast only further fueled the aura surrounding then Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda as well and his decision to pinch hit the veteran. Now, like other past athletes and celebrities such as Muhammad Ali or Michael J. Fox, Gibson also now has the unfortunate opportunity to be the face of something far less magical.
Gibson was a first round draft pick in 1978 by the Detroit Tigers. He played 17 seasons with the Tigers, Dodgers, Royals, Pirates and then once more back in Detroit, ending his playing career in there 1995, 17 years from whence he originally began it.
As a left fielder with the Dodgers in ’88, he was named league MVP after compiling a line of .290-106-25-76-31 and winning his second World Series championship.
Gibson then pursued further work in MLB once his playing days were over. Working as an analyst from 1998-2002 for FSN Detroit, Gibson switched to working from the dugout as the Tigers’ bench coach from 2003-06. In 2007 he was hired to be the bench coach of the Arizona Diamondbacks. During the 2010 season, A.J. Hinch was fired in July and Gibson took over as interim manager until later being named full-time manager in the offseason and handed a two-year contract.
As the D-backs’ bench boss, Gibson did admirably well in his first full season. He guided Arizona to a first place standing in the NL West with a 94-68 record. The D-backs ultimately lost in the NLDS to the Milwaukee Brewers. Gibson and Co. followed up their impressive 2011 campaign with back-to-back 81 win, .500 seasons in 2012 and 2013 before deteriorating to a 64-98 record in 2014.
Athletics have long been a major part of Gibson’s story and successes. A native of Michigan, he was a two sport athlete at MSU for the Spartans. Gibson earned a scholarship there as a football player where he was an All-American at wide receiver. He played only a single season of NCAA baseball, hitting .390 with 16 home runs in only 48 games. After being a seventh round NFL Draft pick, Gibson chose baseball as the sport he would play professionally.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Whether his football playing days have anything to do with the degenerative motor condition Gibson now lives with is uncertain. Now 57, it remains to be seen if Gibson will continue be vocal about his ailment and whether or not he will become an advocate to bring awareness to Parkinson’s.
2015 marks Gibson’s first year back with FSN Detroit. He thus far has been absent from broadcasts, and now onlookers are aware of why. Gibson released a statement surrounding his going public with the news, stating:
"“I have faced many different obstacles in my life, and have always maintained a strong belief that no matter the circumstances, I could overcome those obstacles. While this diagnosis poses a new kind of challenge for me, I intend to stay true to my beliefs. With the support of my family and friends, I will meet this challenge with the same determination and unwavering intensity that I have displayed in all of my endeavors in life. I look forward to being back at the ballpark as soon as possible.”"
Kirk Gibson has always been labeled as a gritty man with a fighters mentality. His days as a Spartan in college mean well metaphorically to the way Gibson played and approached the game of baseball and his attitude in life. Baseball fans look forward to having you back in the ballpark very soon too, Gibby.