As Dodger fans wait patiently – or impatiently – to learn whether or not 36-year-old beloved Long Beach, CA native Justin Turner will return as their team’s everyday third baseman for 2021 (and beyond), we’ve had a lot of time to think about a lot of things while being held hostage in our respective homes due to the coronavirus pandemic – some of it significant, most of it utter nonsense.

For one Dodger fan (me), this includes recalling some of the greatest quotes in baseball history, a good many of which came from recently retired Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully – the best there’s ever been.

Arguably (or perhaps not), Scully’s single greatest quote of all time – from among many – is:

“In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!”

Scully uttered those immortal words after Kirk Gibson‘s ‘improbable/improbable’ game-winning home run in Game-1 of the 1988 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 15, 1988, off of Oakland A’s star closer Dennis Eckersley in the bottom of the ninth inning; often referred to as ‘The taillight home run’ because of the brake lights that suddenly appeared in the television broadcast from the car of an obviously frustrated Dodger fan who (unwisely) decided to leave early.

Ironically – if not prophetically – there was another great quote from that ‘improbable/impossible’ moment, this one by Gibson himself. It occurred long after the actual home run during an interview of the two-time World Series champion. During that interview, Gibson said:

“When it got to a 3-2 count, I thought about Mel Didier. I stepped out and told myself, ‘Partner, sure as I’m standing here breathing, you’re going to see a 3-2 backdoor slider.'”

He did; and the rest, as they say, is history.

For those unfamiliar with Mel Didier, he was a former minor league pitcher who became one of the most well-known scouts in MLB history. As such, and being familiar with Eckersley, he absolutely positively knew what pitch Gibson was going to get on that 3-2 count:

“I was sitting with my wife at the end of the Dodgers’ dugout when he came up. I could see him smiling as he backed out of the box when the count got to 3-2 and he took a second and stepped back in. He told me later he could hear my voice in his head, and as soon as the pitch came, he knew what it was.”

Although Scully’s famous quote occurred more than 32 years ago before a good many of today’s Dodger fans were even born, those worth their salt as Dodger fans – or baseball fans in general – have seen a video clip of it many times. (If not, see it above). And while there may be some who will argue that it isn’t the greatest baseball quote of all time, they cannot argue that Vin Scully is still – the best there’s ever been.

Play Ball!

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