Kirk Gibson

Born: 5/28/1957 in Pontiac, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1979-09-08 | Final Game: 1995-08-10

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 215 lbs

Full name: Kirk Harold Gibson

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Biography

Kirk Gibson was an accomplished position player whose career spanned from 1979 to 1995. Born in 1957, Gibson played a total of 1,635 games across his time in Major League Baseball, where he established himself as a powerful and dynamic presence on the field. He recorded 1,553 hits, 255 home runs, and 870 RBIs, all while maintaining a batting average of .268. Known for his aggressive playing style and clutch performances, Gibson was particularly celebrated for his contributions in high-stakes situations, earning the ALCS MVP award during his career. Gibson's impact on the game extended beyond his statistics. He was a key figure during the late 1980s and early 1990s, a period marked by the rise of power hitting and strategic play. His most iconic moment came in the 1988 World Series when he famously hit a walk-off home run in Game 1 while visibly hobbled by injuries, a moment that has since become one of the defining highlights in baseball history. With 284 stolen bases, he also showcased his speed and agility, making him a versatile threat on the basepaths. Kirk Gibson's legacy endures not only through his impressive career numbers but also through his indomitable spirit and dramatic flair that captivated fans during his time in the league.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1635	5798	985	1553	260	54	255	870	284	718	1285	0.268	0.352	0.463	0.815	15870.0

Career AVG .268 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .352 vs. league average .326 across their career seasons — +7.8% above league average.

Career SLG .463 vs. league average .392 across their career seasons — +18.2% above league average.

Career OPS 0.815 vs. league average 0.718 across their career seasons — +13.5% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1979	DET	AL	12	38	3	9	3	0	1	4	3	1	3	0.237	—	—	—	—	0.0
1980	DET	AL	51	175	23	46	2	1	9	16	4	10	45	0.263	.264 (-1%)	.326 (-7%)	.387 (+13%)	.714 (+4%)	79.7
1981	DET	AL	83	290	41	95	11	3	9	40	17	18	64	0.328	.255 (+28%)	.320 (+15%)	.368 (+30%)	.688 (+23%)	1131.9
1982	DET	AL	69	266	34	74	16	2	8	35	9	25	41	0.278	.261 (+7%)	.324 (+5%)	.388 (+14%)	.712 (+10%)	466.5
1983	DET	AL	128	401	60	91	12	9	15	51	14	53	96	0.227	.260 (-13%)	.324 (-1%)	.389 (+6%)	.714 (+3%)	206.7
1984	DET	AL	149	531	92	150	23	10	27	91	29	63	103	0.282	.259 (+9%)	.322 (+13%)	.384 (+34%)	.707 (+24%)	2551.6
1985	DET	AL	154	581	96	167	37	5	29	97	30	71	137	0.287	.257 (+12%)	.323 (+13%)	.390 (+33%)	.714 (+24%)	2713.7
1986	DET	AL	119	441	84	118	11	2	28	86	34	68	107	0.268	.257 (+4%)	.325 (+14%)	.395 (+25%)	.720 (+20%)	1852.7
1987	DET	AL	128	487	95	135	25	3	24	79	26	71	117	0.277	.262 (+5%)	.331 (+12%)	.415 (+18%)	.746 (+15%)	1635.5
1988	LAD	NL	150	542	106	157	28	1	25	76	31	73	120	0.290	.254 (+14%)	.317 (+19%)	.377 (+28%)	.695 (+24%)	2691.0
1989	LAD	NL	71	253	35	54	8	2	9	28	12	35	55	0.213	.254 (-16%)	.319 (-2%)	.375 (-2%)	.694 (-2%)	-61.9
1990	LAD	NL	89	315	59	82	20	0	8	38	26	39	65	0.260	.257 (+1%)	.324 (+6%)	.385 (+4%)	.710 (+5%)	355.0
1991	KCR	AL	132	462	81	109	17	6	16	55	18	69	103	0.236	.255 (-8%)	.323 (+6%)	.384 (+5%)	.708 (+5%)	599.3
1992	PIT	NL	16	56	6	11	0	0	2	5	3	3	12	0.196	.255 (-23%)	.322 (-26%)	.377 (-20%)	.699 (-23%)	-206.3
1993	DET	AL	116	403	62	105	18	6	13	62	15	44	87	0.261	.265 (-2%)	.332 (+1%)	.403 (+7%)	.735 (+5%)	343.5
1994	DET	AL	98	330	71	91	17	2	23	72	4	42	69	0.276	.269 (+2%)	.338 (+6%)	.424 (+29%)	.763 (+19%)	1177.8
1995	DET	AL	70	227	37	59	12	2	9	35	9	33	61	0.260	.266 (-3%)	.337 (+6%)	.417 (+8%)	.755 (+7%)	333.4

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
21	78	13	22	2	0	7	21	12	19	0.282

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1988	NLCS	LAN	7	26	2	4	0	2	6	3	6	0.154
1988	WS	LAN	1	1	1	1	0	1	2	0	0	1.000
1987	ALCS	DET	5	21	4	6	1	1	4	3	8	0.286
1984	ALCS	DET	3	12	2	5	1	1	2	2	1	0.417
1984	WS	DET	5	18	4	6	0	2	7	4	4	0.333

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
OF	1239	1183	2523	41	63	12

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1979	DET	OF	10	8	15	0	0	0
1980	DET	OF	49	41	122	1	1	0
1981	DET	OF	67	63	142	1	4	0
1982	DET	OF	64	64	167	4	1	3
1983	DET	OF	54	48	116	2	3	0
1984	DET	OF	139	128	245	4	12	2
1985	DET	OF	144	143	286	1	11	0
1986	DET	OF	114	113	190	2	2	1
1987	DET	OF	121	119	253	6	7	0
1988	LAN	OF	148	147	311	6	12	3
1989	LAN	OF	70	66	146	3	3	2
1990	LAN	OF	81	80	191	4	1	1
1991	KCA	OF	94	91	162	3	4	0
1992	PIT	OF	13	13	25	1	0	0
1993	DET	OF	32	27	76	0	1	0
1994	DET	OF	38	32	76	3	1	0
1995	DET	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0

Career Games by Position

Position	Games
Left Field	477
Center Field	325
Right Field	456
Designated Hitter	327

Awards & Honors

Year	Award	Notes
1995	Player of the Week	Week of 1995-05-27
1988	Most Valuable Player
1988	Silver Slugger	OF
1986	Player of the Week	Week of 1986-04-11
1986	Player of the Week	Week of 1986-06-27
1986	Player of the Week	Week of 1986-07-18
1985	Player of the Week	Week of 1985-06-07
1984	ALCS MVP
1981	Player of the Week	Week of 1981-10-02
1981	Player of the Week	Week of 1981-08-28

Salary History

Year	Team	League	Salary
1995	DET	AL	$1,300,000
1994	DET	AL	$1,500,000
1993	DET	AL	$1,100,000
1992	PIT	NL	$1,950,000
1991	KCA	AL	$1,700,000
1990	LAN	NL	$1,333,334
1989	LAN	NL	$1,333,333
1988	LAN	NL	$1,833,333
1987	DET	AL	$1,335,000
1986	DET	AL	$1,200,000
1985	DET	AL	$685,000
Total Career Earnings			$15,270,000

College History

School Name	City	State	Years Attended
Michigan State University	East Lansing	MI	1978

Award Voting History

Year	Award	League	Finish	Points Won	Points Max	Votes First
1988	Most Valuable Player	NL	1st	272.0	336	13
1985	Most Valuable Player	AL	18th	7.0	392	0
1984	Most Valuable Player	AL	6th	96.0	392	0
1981	Most Valuable Player	AL	12th	40.0	392	0