Lookouts hitting coach Franklin Stubbs.When former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda makes his annual pilgrimage to AT&T Field, as he did this past weekend, it’s a special time for baseball fans young and old.
Chattanooga Lookouts hitting coach Franklin Stubbs thinks it’s special, too. Stubbs played on Lasorda’s 1984-89 teams and was the first baseman for the ’88 World Series champions.
“I was fortunate enough to play for him and to win a World Series, so it’s always good to see him,” Stubbs said. “We had some tough memories, too, but the good ones always outweigh the bad ones.”
The ’88 Dodgers went 94-67 and won the National League West by seven games over Cincinnati, yet they have been listed among the least imposing champions of the past generation. The two indelible memories from the ’88 champs are Orel Hershiser’s dominance on the mound and Kirk Gibson’s home run to win the World Series opener against Oakland.
Little else has stood the test of time from a roster that included Mike Scioscia at catcher, Stubbs at first, Steve Sax at second, Alfredo Griffin at shortstop, Jeff Hamilton at third, Gibson in left field, John Shelby in center and Mike Marshall in right.