Bottom of the Ninth

by Kirk Gibson, Lynn Henning

The author discusses his early influences in baseball, his rookie year, his rise to championship, and his memorable years in baseball

Genres: Sports, Baseball

159 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Jerrit V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirk Gibson is good at many things, writing is one of them. The Bottom of the Ninth is an example of this. He lived close to Detroit where he played for the Tigers from 1978-88. He also played Football at Michigan State, and would have been a first round draft pick, but decided to play baseball for the Tigers.

He started to play for the Tigers in 1978, and played until 1988. After the 1988 season, his contract expired. He then played for countless other teams, including the Kansas City Royals, where he won his second World Series Championship, and most valuable player (MVP). In the World Series, he was suffering a hamstring and knee injury. He asked his coach if he could hit in the last inning with one person on base. As he limped out to the plate, he was greeted by a standing ovation. He got behind in the count, but stayed alive by fouling off pitches. Finally, after more than seven minutes, his pitch came and he hit it and said "At the moment it jumped off my bat I knew it was gone" (Gibson 133). He also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for two months. After that, no one wanted him, so he retired until the Tigers were sold to Mike Ilitch, who was persuaded to sign Kirk. Kirk was thankful to be back in Detroit. He played until his body said it was time to stop in 1995.

People who would like this book would be those who love sports and a good story about life. I liked it because it was about the Detroit Tigers who are my favorite team.

[Anup Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gibby is one of my all-time favorite athletes so this was an intense read for me. His autobiography really brings out his essence as a player and what drove the greatest competitor I have ever seen. The sport misses him dearly!. The pictures are outstanding and there's a lot of sentimentality for those of us who grew up in Detroit during the 1970s and 1980s. As much as Michael Jordan, David Ortiz, Reggie Jackson, Larry Bird, you name it, Kirk Gibson was a big stage player. What the world saw against Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series, we saw on almost a regular basis. I could list the 20 greatest clutch home runs I have ever seen and at least five are from Gibby. After reading his words and his journey, I wanted to grab a bat and hit in the bottom of the ninth! Excellent editing by Lynn Henning as well. God knows Gibby would have made a hellacious NFL wide receiver and I can not even imagine 1980s MLB had Gibson not gone out for Michigan State's baseball team as a junior.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit of a slow review from Gibby's playing days, but still its Kirk Gibson, leaves you feeling empowered, wanting to crash through a wall of lockers. Ben Tomke still has my copy, I will seek him out and destroy him next time I'm in Bay City.

[Kirk Sklenar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome, love his story, if you are a baseball fan this is a most. Fast read and enjoyable!

[Jake Basner · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest it's been years since I read it, but I love Tigers baseball so much and Gibby was always a favorite. So five stars. Maybe I'll pull it off the shelf and read it again.

[Dave Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most ferocious baseball players to take the field, Kirk Gibson tells the readers about his life from a youngster in Michigan, through his days on the gridiron at Michigan State to his days as a major league baseball player with the Tigers, Dodgers, Royals and Pirates. A must read for Gibson fans!