Dodgers History: Orel Hershiser reminisces about 1988 NLCS with Keith Hernandez

Orel Hershiser broke down the 1988 NLCS with Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez and revealed what he thought was the turning point of the series.

Before Orel Hershiser recorded the final out of the 1988 World Series, before Kirk Gibson limped around the bases after hitting his famous home run, the Dodgers had to get past the big, bad Mets in the National League Championship Series.

The Mets had beaten the Dodgers in ten of eleven meetings during the regular season. They had Doc Gooden, Ron Darling, and David Cone at the front of their rotation, and a powerful lineup that included Darryl Strawberry, Howard Johnson, and Kevin McReynolds. Nobody expected Los Angeles to beat the Mets and advance to the World Series.

On a podcast hosted by commentator Gary Thorne, Hershiser and Mets first baseman Keith Hernandez talked in detail about the ’88 NLCS.

It was interesting to hear the two legends discuss key moments in the series that fans have discussed together in bars for years.

The series that sent the Dodgers one step closer to their last world championship, many believe, turned in Game 4 as the Mets were looking to take a commanding 3-1 series lead with Doc Gooden on the mound holding a lead in the 9th inning.

Perhaps pitching one inning too long, as Mets lead-off man Lenny Dykstra believes, Gooden lost the lead on an unimaginable home run by catcher Mike Scioscia. The Dodgers went on to win in extra innings and stole all of the momentum, winning in a quick-turnaround, afternoon game the next day to take a 3-2 series lead.

Interestingly, Hershiser thought another Gooden moment helped the Dodgers win the series. If Mets manager Davey Johnson stuck with Gooden too long in Game 5, the Dodgers Ace thought he didn’t go quick enough to him as the starter in Game 7.

“The biggest thing was that Davey didn’t start Gooden,” Hershiser said. “I was, like, ‘You know what, we’ve got a chance to maybe get to [Ron Darling]. We’ve got a chance to lay off the splitter in the dirt, if the guys can be disciplined in a big game’ … [Doc Gooden] at that time, he was like one of the most dominant pitchers, if not the most dominant pitcher in the game.”

The Dodgers won Game 7 decisively, knocking Darling out of the game in the second inning, which brought in Gooden, but too late. The Dodgers scored six runs, all credited to Darling, but only four earned as the Mets also had defensive troubles to start the game.

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If you’re missing baseball, take the time to listen to the full podcast with Hershiser and Hernandez, it’s a real treat.