In Dennis Eckersley’s long and
illustrious Hall of Fame career, there were plenty of highlights. But, there’s
one moment of failure that he’ll never be able to
escape.
Surrendering a game-winning home run
to a gimpy Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, when the fire-balling
right-hander was closing games for the Oakland A’s.
In a postseason that’s been filled
with misplayed fly balls, blown saves and shoddy baserunning, there’s no
shortage of players feeling the same emotions experienced by Eckersley in the
wake of their October gaffes.
The in-studio analyst for TBS
discussed the sudden rash of less-than-spectacular plays and the effects on
those who make them Monday night.
“It stays with you until you get
back out there again,” Eckersley said. You have to live with it until the next
time. What if there’s not a next time? Who’s to say [there will be],
right?”
Perhaps the most glaring error in
this young postseason came from St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday,
who dropped the would-be final out in Game 2 of an NLDS against the Los Angeles
Dodgers — an error that allowed the Dodgers an improbable comeback
victory.
“I guess the best thing that came
out of it was that it wasn’t the end,” Eckersley said. “If it was the last game,
that would have been worse, or even if it was a walk-off. At the same time, it
doesn’t take away from the fact that it was
devastating.”
The Cardinals were eventually swept
in three games, leaving Holliday with an entire winter to think about what could
have been if he’d been able to corral that final out. Eckersley points out that
being the goat is just as big a part of the game as being the
hero.
“He has to take that with him to
wherever he goes because he’s a free agent,” Eckersley said. “It’s a
character-builder. It truly is. Nobody needs that kind of humbling, but you
know, that’s how this game can grab you at any given
time.”
Holliday is hardly the only player
who must deal with a sour taste in their mouth during the offeason. The
Minnesota Twins turned in several head-scratching baserunning decisions that
helped the Yankees sweep them away and Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon
blew a save in the decisive Game 3 against the Los Angeles Angeles.
“Papelbon, to me, is devastating
because he has not had a ton of failure,” Eckersley said. “I said it on the air,
and I didn’t mean it to be mean, that he has lived the charmed life. He hasn’t
had any big blows .. He’s
been absolutely lights-out, so let’s see how he handles
it.”
Looking forward, Ecksersley notes
that there’s a silver lining to every failure.
Each one is a chance at
redemption.
For him, the sour taste of 1988 was
quickly washed out when he was able to lead his A’s to the 1989 World Series
title.
And much like the Cardinals fans
greeted Holliday with a standing ovation upon his return to Busch Stadium, A’s
supporters backed Eckersley when he first took the mound in 1989 — a gesture
that helped him get back to business on the mound.
“I got one when I got back to
Oakland,”
Eckersley said of the ovation. “It took a little of the sting out and showed the
appreciation that the fans had. It hurt everyone, but it couldn’t hurt anyone
more than me. I want to win as much as anyone and I was lucky because we won the
next year.”
In reality, however, there’s no
guarantee that the chance at redemption will come as quickly for this year’s
crop goats. They won’t all follow Eckersely’s path back to the top — something
the former reliever realizes.
“I was so lucky,” he said. “Think
about it. The following year we win the whole thing and I get the ball in my
hands for the last out. I’m so grateful that
happened.”
