Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers have taken a lot of grief over the years for both arriving early to and leaving late from games. While it can get annoying to hear out-of-towners make the same tired jokes over and over again -- as if the practice is exclusive to Los Angeles -- it is hard to combat the jeers when a person with vested interest in the biggest moment in L.A. Dodgers' history left the game early.
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MLB Network is running a series called "MLB's 20 Greatest Games," in which they count down the greatest games of the past 50 years. Game 1 of the 1988 World Series comes it at No. 10 on the list (way too low, in my opinion), and will air on MLB Network on Monday at 6 p.m. PDT. You may remember that game ending with one Kirk Gibson hitting a dramatic, improbable two-run home run to give the Dodgers a 5-4 win.
↵The problem is, Gibson's wife wasn't there to see the home run. She left early! Gibson, during the interview with Bob Costas and Tom Verducci, said "I called her down to the clubhouse door and said, ‘You know, I’m not gonna play tonight, why don’t you just go home.’ So she had exited the ballpark, and here I am." I guess Dodger fans do leave early after all.
↵Dave Stewart, who started the game for Oakland, was also interviewed for the broadcast. The 90-minute broadcast on Monday will feature a truncated version of the game, interspersed with thoughts from Gibson, Stewart, Costas, and Verducci.
↵For more Dodgers news, analysis, and information, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.