Kirk Gibson returned from injuries, became October legend
Tigers second-year centerfielder Kirk Gibson injured his wrist in May 1980, so much so that he underwent surgery that put him out for the year, with some question of whether he could even return, The Detroit Free Press wrote.
The injury followed a college career - a college football career - that saw Gibson suffer only minor injuries over four seasons of play, something his mother Barbara commented on to The Free Press.
"He never had any injuries," Gibson's mother told The Free Press. "Plus, you see, in football, you play over a lot of that stuff. That's why it's bothering him, not being able to play over this."
Gibson eventually did return to the Tigers, eventually becoming a star and cornerstone to the club's 1984 World Series title.
He then went on to star elsewhere, in Los Angeles, where another injury proved one he could play over, hitting his legendary Game 1 World Series pinch-hit home run to help his Dodgers on to their own World Series title.
Gibson's career began in 1978, taken by the Tigers 12th overall out of Michigan State University.
Gibson's college football resume saw him rack up more than 2,300 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns, enough for the St. Louis Football Cardinals to take him in the seventh round of the 1979 draft before he chose baseball.
Gibson started with the Tigers at single-A Lakeland. He made AAA Evansville in 1979, before getting his call up to Detroit that September. He saw 12 games and hit .237.
He then returned to Detroit for 1980 and saw 51 total games before his injury. He returned for 83 in 1981 and 69 in 1982.
In 1984, he hit .282 over 149 games, with 27 home runs as he powered Detroit to the title. He also stole 29 bases.
"He always seems to rise to the top," teammate Lance Parrish told The Kansas City Times at the start of the 1984 postseason, "whenever we needed something to happen. He's had more big hits than anybody on the ballclub."
Gibson hit one home run in the ALCS and two in the deciding Game 5 of the World Series.
Gibson continued with the Tigers through 1987 before signing with the Dodgers. He'd been granted free agency in the midst of the owner collusion scandal.
With the Dodgers, Gibson played 150 games, hit .290 with 25 home runs and 31 stolen bases. He also won league MVP honors.
Gibson helped the Dodgers beat the Mets in the NLCS. But he also got hurt. He'd strained a hamstring late in the season, then aggravated it and hurt his knee in Game 5 against the Mets. By World Series time, he could hardly walk.
After spending Game 1 aching in the clubhouse, Gibson let Manager Tommy Lasorda know he could pinch hit. He then hit the game-winning home run, limping around the bases, pumping his fist.
"Who else should have been in that situation? Probably nobody else would rather have been there than I, regardless pf physical limitations," Gibson told The Los Angeles Times the next spring. "I've always contended they mean nothing at a given point in time."
Gibson returned to the Dodgers for shortened 1989 and 1990 seasons. His 1990 campaign saw him play in 89 games in Los Angeles and five at AAA Albuquerque.
Gibson moved to the Royals for 1991, then to the Pirates for 16 games in 1992. He returned to the Tigers for 1993, staying there through 1995 to end his career.
Gibson soon turned broadcaster for the Tigers, then major league coach. He then joined the Diamondbacks by 2007 as major league bench coach. In 2010, he became the team's manager, a job he continued to hold through 2014.
In 2015, after returning to broadcast with the Tigers, Gibson was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. He's since worked to raise awareness and resources through his foundation, opening the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson's Wellness in 2025, The Free Press wrote in 2024.
"With this disease you're not going to be more outgoing," Gibson told The Free Press. "It kind of suppresses that. Your world gets smaller. Your voice gets softer. Your writing gets small. By having a place like this, people will see they're not alone, that there's other people" coping with it, too.
- Detroit Free Press, Aug. 20, 1980: Ironic twist
- Kansas City Times, Oct. 2, 1984: Gibson's star quality leaves Sparky speechless
- Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times Service, March 12, 1989: Reliving Kirk Gibson's leap into history
- Detroit Free Press, Oct. 1, 2024: Kirk Gibson believes - in the Tigers and in his ability to help others with Parkinson's
Made the Majors:1,452-31.7%-X
Never Made Majors:3,130-68.3%