Dodgers win and Drysdale's call of the Gibson home run (video)

Don Drysdale's retired number 53 outside Dodger Stadium gate. LA Observed file photo.

The Dodgers beat the Braves tonight 13-6, with a franchise-record playoff offense explosion. Carl Crawford and Juan Uribe homered, AJ Ellis took balls off his toes, fingers and elbow, and both Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig had three hits. The Dodgers lead the series 2 to 1 and could clinch tomorrow at the stadium.

Meanwhile: While Vin Scully's national TV call of Kirk Gibson's walk-off home run off Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series is the more famous, Don Drysdale's words-only description on the Dodgers radio network is the one that put the screech into the brakes of many fans leaving the stadium early. Josh Suchon, the author of "Miracle Men: Hershiser, Gibson and the Improbable 1988 Dodgers," posted the five-minute clip on YouTube.

On Facebook, John Stodder got off a good line: "After the homer he does the Vin Scully silent broadcaster thing for almost 2 minutes. But he wasn't as good at it!" Drysdale actually let it go almost 4 minutes without summarizing for any new arrivals what had just happened. When he did speak, he just exclaimed.

Jack Buck's national radio call is also remembered — I don't believe what I just saw! — but Scully's description of the whole moment on NBC is narrative journalism. He sets the scene about Gibson's injuries, talks about the lame Gibson "shaking his left leg, making it quiver, like a horse trying to get rid of a troublesome fly," and takes viewers through the extended 3-2 count with two out. (Joe Garagiola makes some good observations along the way.) Then comes the stunning home run, off the best relief pitcher of the day. Scully lets the crowd noise and the pictures from the field tell the story for about a minute then ad-libs one of his favorite lines: "In a year that has been so improbable — the impossible has happened!" The home run and the TV and radio calls have a long-ish Wikipedia entry.

Here's Scully narrating the whole at-bat in real time, as they say.