For today’s entry on the countdown, I’ve decided to veer away from my hometown team and—for the most part—away from my era.

Today’s Major League Moment is Kirk Gibson’s iconic pinch-hit home run off of Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series.

For those who don’t know, Gibson was in pretty rough shape—as you’ll see in the video—and it was ballsy of him just to go into the game, it would be his only at-bat of the World Series.

Making it even more impressive is the way he fought off a gamer like Eckersley in the at-bat.

Back before Eck was a goofball announcer for the Red Sox, he was a bad-ass closer who was arguably the best reliever in the game at the time. With the stage set, here’s today’s Major League Moment:

I was just four at the time and don’t really remember any of this, but I grew up seeing replays of it over and over and knew it was something special.

It wasn’t until I was much older and realized the magnitude of that home run and how Gibson had picked the club up on his shoulders in a way that every player aspires to do.

The Dodgers were underdogs throughout their entire playoff run in 1988, especially the vaunted Athletics, but Gibson helped get the club over the hump with the first win and the momentum carried them the rest of the way to the World Series win.

It is undoubtedly one of the most historic moments in World Series history and one that forever defined Kirk Gibson’s career.

To see the full at-bat with all of Vin Scully’s legendary commentary CLICK HERE.