Josh Suchon - Miracle Men: Hershiser, Gibson, and the Improbable 1988 Dodgers

To my father, Frank Suchon

Contents

Foreword by Orel Hershiser

T he first time Josh Suchon approached me about writing a book on the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers was Opening Day of the 2011 season. I said to him, Think youve got a unique perspective?

Josh detailed our famous exchange after Game 5 of the World Series in his introduction and how our lives have kept crossing since that day. Now here I am, writing the foreword to his book. Go figure, huh?

When we discussed possible topics, the word legacy kept coming up. On the 25 th anniversary of that season, I thought Id share with you what I think are some of the legacies of the 1988 Dodgers.

The biggest legacy of the 1988 Dodgers can be found in Chapter 19. Its all the people from that team who stayed in baseball. You have successful major league managers, coaches, broadcasters, and front-office executives. Its not limited to the major leagues, either. Some are coaching in the minor leagues or at colleges.

That illustrates the whole teams passion for the game, and the players intelligence for the game. We loved the game. We loved playing. We loved competing. We loved studying the game. We played the game with a kids enthusiasm and energy. To this day, we cant get enough of the game. We want to teach others and share our knowledge, the way it was passed down to us.

The legacy of Kirk Gibsons home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series is the guts he brought to our ballclub.

It started with the eye black that Jesse Orosco put on his hat in spring training. Gibson taught us it was cool to hustle, cool to care, that we would play every game with intensity, and thats what our team did all year. Then you fast-forward to his last at-bat of his year, when he should have never been up there, but he was, and he hit that home run.

Those were the bookends of the season. Everything between those two events is emblematic of the persona that Gibby made part of the Dodgers culture.

The legacy of the 1988 Dodgers isnt just limited to the players. Its also the legacy of what a championship team does to a fan base and how it carries through the rest of their lives.

I cant tell you how many times people approach me, practically every day, and share with me their memories of that season. They tell me about watching a game at Dodger Stadium with their parents, or listening to Vin Scully on the radio in their backyard, or watching a game on television with their friends.

Since it was 25 years ago, were talking about people who were kids at the time and are now adults. Theyre in their thirties or forties and now they take their kids to Dodger Stadium. Theyll introduce their kids to me. They will tell their children about watching me pitch, or watching Gibby hit, or watching Saxy run the bases, or watching Tommy hug his players.

The feeling that Dodgers fans experienced in 1988 can never be taken away. Those memories are important. Its the lifeblood of being a fan.

Joshs book will enhance your memories. Hes going to put a new spin on that season. Hes going to tell you facts that you never knew and provide details that you had long forgotten.

Truth be told, this book is going to remind me of a lot of things that Id forgotten about myself. It might be hard to believe, but there are a lot of things I dont remember about 1988. I pitched 18 years in the major leagues. They all start blending together after a while.

What I remember most from 1988 are the highlights that have been shownover and overlike the final out of the scoreless streak, Mickey Hatchers sprint around the bases after his home run, and Gibbys dramatic home run. But I couldnt tell you, in order, the opponents I faced during that streak. I was too focused on the next pitch, the next game, the next challenge for our team.

The last time I watched any of the games from the 1988 season was probably 1213 years ago when I watched them with my son, Jordan, and those were the playoff games. I dont even know where those tapes are now. Yes, they are VHS tapes. Thats how long ago it was. Those tapes are probably not in very good condition.

Ive always lived my life in the present tense or in the future. Every day, I think I have something new to learn and accomplish. Thats the attitude of our whole team. These are not guys who live in the past. Thats why they keep accomplishing things.

Thats why Ive put some of the items from that season up for auction. My copy of that famous scouting reportthat Dennis Eckersley would throw a 32 backdoor slider to left-handers, along with my handwritten notes on the As hitterswas sold at an auction. Keith Olbermann bought it, in fact. We also had the baseball from the final out of the 59 scoreless innings streak auctioned off. Those items mean more to others than they do to me.

Its not that I dont care. Im incredibly proud of what we accomplished. We werent the best team on paper. But we consistently got timely clutch performances from everybody on that roster, we executed, and we played like the best team.

I still have some of the major awards: the Cy Young, the World Series ring, the Most Valuable Player trophies from the National League Championship Series and World Series, and the Sportsman of the Year award from Sports Illustrated . Ill keep those in my possession until I die, and then my kids can decide what to do with them. I just dont want to leave my kids with thousands of souvenirs one day.

The legacy of the scoreless innings streak might grow with each year, but I hope somebody breaks it. Some people might be surprised to hear that. But I truly do. Records are meant to be broken. I want another pitcher to experience what I was able to experience. I had my experience. It was an out-of-body experience. Ill be so happy for that pitcher. Ill be able to relive that moment with him, know exactly what hes feeling, and share a bond with him.

Thats what Don Drysdale did with me. He was always so warm to me. Hed come down into the locker room to do an interview, and Id always figure out a way to make him stay around a little longer. I would listen to him and hang on his every word, trying to get some information from him or some encouragement from him.

The longer the scoreless streak continued, I noticed that Don avoided me. I cant remember exactly when it started. It was probably around 30 innings or so. It was almost like a no-hitter was going on for weeks and weeks. Don didnt want to bring it up, or jinx me, or put pressure on me. My teammates were the same.

When I broke Drysdales record, his smile was big and genuine. I knew he was happy for me. I hope that one day I can share that moment with the pitcher who breaks my record.

The final legacy of the 1988 Dodgers is a frustrating one, as Dodgers fans are well aware, since its the last time the franchise won a world championship. Im sure all of us former Dodgers are pulling for that day to happen againand soon. We had a dream season in 1988. We made great friendships that will always exist. We have great memories of that year, and this book will rekindle many more memories.

Wed like to see the current generation of Dodgers players, coaches, and executives bring another World Series to Los Angeles, spray each other with champagne, hug each other, raise a trophy above their heads, taste the fruits of victory, and celebrate that moment with the fans.

Who knows, maybe when that day happens, a teenage kid will be in the stands watchingand 25 years later hell write a book to chronicle that season, too.