1988 Dodgers Week 20 review: Kirk Gibson leads undefeated week

The Dodgers made a blockbuster move, but the story of the week was on the field, where Kirk Gibson continued his great play and led the Dodgers to an undefeated 7-0 week.

The Dodgers traded Pedro Guerrero for John Tudor on Tuesday, adding the National League ERA leader to a rotation led by Orel Hershiser and Tim Leary. But the moment of the week came Saturday night, when Gibson charged home from second base on a wild pitch in the ninth inning to complete a comeback, 4-3 win over the Expos.

Per Ross Newhan of the Los Angeles Times:

"I've gone from first to third a few times," he said. "I knew it would be close, and I said, 'Here I come.' If I make it, we win; if I don't, we're in extra innings. We had tied the game and I was in the mood to be aggressive.

"It went through my mind what I would do (after he had stole second). I hesitated when I got to third and saw the ball near the backstop. My adrenaline was pumping with every stride. I mean, once I got going, there was no way I was going to stop. I just pumped my arms and my legs followed."

Dodger Batter of the Week: Whether on the bases or at the plate, Kirk Gibson did it all. He was 11-for-24 (.458) with a home run, two steals and nine runs scored.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: Ace Orel Hershiser got back on track with a complete-game shutout of the Expos on Friday. The right-hander had allowed 17 runs in 15 innings over his previous three starts.

Honorable mention goes to Tim Leary, who combined for 18 strikeouts and just one walk in his two wins.

Week 20 Record: 7-0

27 runs scored (3.86 per game)
11 runs allowed (1.57 per game)
.838 pythagorean winning percentage

Seasonal Record: 72-51

518 runs scored (4.18 per game)
446 runs allowed (3.60 per game)
.568 pythagorean winning percentage (70-53)

Transactions:

• Tuesday: In a trade of established and high-salaried players, the Dodgers traded Pedro Guerrero for pitcher John Tudor in an attempt to shore up the starting rotation.
• Wednesday: To activate Tudor the Dodgers optioned Ken Howell back to Triple-A just three days after he was recalled. Utility man Mike Sharperson was recalled from Albuquerque.

Game Results:

• Monday, Aug. 15: Dodgers 1, Giants 0
• Tuesday, Aug. 16: Dodgers 7, Phillies 5
• Wednesday, Aug. 17: Dodgers 7, Phillies 2
• Thursday, Aug. 18: Dodgers 2, Phillies 1
• Friday, Aug. 19: Dodgers 2, Expos 0
• Saturday, Aug. 20: Dodgers 4, Expos 3
• Sunday, Aug. 21: Dodgers 4, Expos 0

Upcoming Week: The Dodgers run the Tug McGraw Gauntlet, finishing off the long homestand against the Mets followed by three games in Philadelphia.

Previous 1988 weeks in review: April 4-10 | April 11-17 | April 18-24 | April 25-May 1 | May 2-8 | May 9-15 | May 16-22 | May 23-29 | May 30-June 5 | June 6-12 | June 13-19 | June 20-26 | June 27-July 3 | July 4-10 | July 11-17 | July 18-24 | July 25-31 | Aug 1-7 | Aug 8-14

Week 20 Stats