Freddie Freeman hit the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history on Friday to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 1-0 lead over the New York Yankees, and Fox broadcaster Joe Davis needed only six words to perfect the moment:
“She is… gone! Gibby, meet Freddie!”
Freeman’s grand slam was historically significant on its own, but Davis also found a way to tie it a very important piece of Dodgers history. Because while there had never been a walk-off grand slam in the World Series, there has been a walk-off home run by a hobbled first baseman in Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Davis usually works as the play-by-play man for the Dodgers in the regular season, having taken over the job for the legendary Vin Scully in the 2017 season. Davis chose to honor Scully by borrowing his signature “She is gone!” home run call for Freeman’s grand slam.
He then went even further by comparing the moment to Kirk Gibson’s homer in the 1988 World Series, when the All-Star slugger pinch-hit in Game 1 despite injuries to both legs and walked it off against Oakland Athletics Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley.
Scully’s call of that homer was one of the best in his legendary 67-year career: “She is… gone! …. In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened!” You can see both calls overlaid here:
Davis and Scully both chose to let the moments breathe after their initial reactions, allowing the sounds of a jubilant team and stadium to take over. Davis waited a full minute before putting a bow on the aftermath:
“As it was on an October night 36 years ago, a hobbled Game 1 hero for the Dodgers. Freddie Freeman with a walk-off grand slam to win Game 1 of the World Series 6-3 over the Yankees.”
Davis even managed to work in a reference to a second call of the Gibson homer, as Jack Buck’s “I don’t believe what I just saw!” is also well-regarded in the annals of baseball broadcasting history. When Smoltz said the moment was hard to believe, Davis shot back “Would you say you don’t believe what you just saw?”
Making the night even more special for the Dodgers was the man they represented with a patch on their jerseys. Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela, who was on that 1988 team which went on to win the World Series, died earlier this week.
The Dodgers honored Valenzuela with a moment of silence before the game, foregoing a first pitch by having Valenzuela’s teammates Orel Hershiser and Steve Yeager lay a ball on a mound painted with Valenzuela’s No. 34.
On the Dodgers Radio Network, play-by-play man Stephen Nelson made sure to point to Valenzuela and another legendary Scully call (“If you have a sombrero, throw it to the sky,” after Valenzuela’s no-hitter in 1990) after his own reference to Gibson:
“Fly ball, hit deep, back and gone! Freddie Freeman channeling his inner Kirk Gibson. A walk-off home run in Game 1 of the World Series! A grand slam! They celebrate at the plate, winners 6-3. And if you have a sombrero, throw it the sky. The Dodgers win game No. 1 for No. 34.”
It was a special night at Dodger Stadium, and the calls of Davis and Nelson helped extend that magic to the millions watching at home. That’s the job of a broadcaster.