In a year that had been so improbable, the impossible had happened. The hobbled Kirk Gibson had hit the walkoff home run that won Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, and the Dodgers’ Game 2 pitcher got so caught up in the delirium that he skipped out of Dodger Stadium without something important.
“Gibby’s home run was so exciting, I forgot to take the game tape home,” Orel Hershiser said. “So I couldn’t do the scouting and memorize it through the evening.”
Hershiser showed up early the next day, watched the video and took notes. He despaired of memorizing his notes so quickly, and he was determined not to make a mistake in the World Series.