Hershiser returned and maintained his perfect record with a brilliant four hit effort that was sweetened by nine strike outs. Now up three games to one, the Dodgers prepared to finish their rivals in Game 5. This time, it would be the pitcher who prevailed as he induced the future home run champ to fly-out for the 4-3 final. He would have his revenge the following day though as he found himself facing McGwire again in a bases-loaded mess with two out in the seventh.
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The controversial closer had been suspended during the championship series for using pine tar in his glove and the last-minute loss did nothing for his fading reputation. After going 0-9 in the first two outings, "Big Mac" finally connected and broke a 1-1 tie in Game 3 with a ninth-inning homer off Los Angeles reliever Jay Howell. As the contest moved to Oakland, the Athletics were determined to get back in the race on the bats of McGwire and Canseco.
The Dodgers' twenty-three game winner went three-for-three at the plate and tossed a three hit masterpiece that was supported by Mike Marshall's three run homer for the 6-0 triumph. Hershiser finally got his chance in Game 2 and following Gibson's inspirational lead. It was the first time a World Series game had ever been won on a come-from-behind home run in the last inning and the fact that Gibson could hold his stance, let alone swing the bat made the blast even more amazing. At first, the decision appeared completely irrational, but somehow the outfielder worked past his pain and launched a bleacher blast (with a 3-2 count) for the game winning run. Pinch-hitter Mike Davis managed to force a walk, but Lasorda sent in a crippled Kirk Gibson to bat for their reliever Alejandro Pena. With the A's ace reliever, Dennis Eckersley (forty-five saves) on the mound Oakland figured it was over, but the resilient Dodgers weren't going down without a fight. The Dodgers line-up crept within 4-3 in the sixth, but still trailed by one in the bottom of the ninth with no one on. LA's bullpen got the call early and held Oakland at bay for the remaining innings, but the damage had already been done.
This time he wasn't as lucky as Canseco brought them all home with the fifteenth grand slam in World Series history. After his teammates tagged Stewart for the 2-0 lead, Belcher repeated his folly by loading the bases again in the second. Although he got off to a rough start, the rookie managed to work his way out of loading the bases in the first. Manager Tom Lasorda went with Tim Belcher in place of Hershiser for Game 1 choosing to save the right-handed ace for another day. With such evenly-matched teams the Series proposed to go seven, but many experts would be surprised by the sudden outcome of the West Coast vs. Although relatively equal on the mound, the A's held a slight advantage at the plate after assembling the "Dynamic Duo" of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire who combined for seventy-four home runs and two-hundred twenty-three runs batted in during the regular season. Oakland boasted their own ace in Dave Stewart who had won twenty-one games during the A's quest for the American League pennant (which they won by a thirteen game margin before sweeping the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs). Los Angeles had benefited from the amazing arm of Orel Hershiser who had ended the regular season with a record-breaking fifty-nine consecutive scoreless innings as well as one win and one save in the National League Championship Series. In 1988, the World Series Championship was transformed into a "California Classic" as the Los Angeles Dodgers went up against the neighboring Oakland Athletics. 1988 World Series Los Angeles Dodgers (4) vs Oakland Athletics (1)
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