Kirk Gibson added to ‘Legends of Dodger Baseball’ at Dodger Stadium

The Dodgers are honoring Kirk Gibson before Saturday night’s game against the Tigers, and will present a plaque as a new member of the “Legends of Dodger Baseball” at Dodger Stadium.

Gibson, who is a television analyst for the Tigers, is not with the team on this trip because of recent knee surgery, and won’t be present for the ceremony. But he did record a video that will be played in the stadium. He’s the fifth member of the “Legends of Dodger Baseball,” which includes a plaque on permanent display at Dodger Stadium, separate from the retired numbers.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Fernando Valenzuela, Steve Garvey, and Don Newcombe were honored in 2019, and Maury Wills was honored this year on April 16.

The first 40,000 fans on Saturday will receive a Kirk Gibson bobblehead.

Gibson was originally drafted by the Tigers in 1978 out of Michigan State, and played 12 of his 17 major league seasons in Detroit, winning a World Series with them in 1984. He signed with the Dodgers as a free agent before the 1988 season and won National League MVP by hitting .290/.377/.483 with 25 home runs, 31 stolen bases, and 106 runs scored.

He hit the game-winning home run in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Mets, but got injured in the final game of the series. Limited to the bench in the World Series that year, Gibson only batted once against the A’s, and he made it count.

Gibson battled injuries in 1990 and 1991, and in three years in Los Angeles hit .264/.353/.433 with 42 home runs, 56 doubles, 69 stolen bases, and a 128 wRC+.