Almost everyone equates Kirk Gibson with his fist pump as he hobbled around the bases during Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. He never made another plate appearance in that series for the Dodgers, but he didn’t need to; he was forever immortalized in baseball lore.
And while many fans remember Gibson for that legendary swing, the Detroit Tigers view him in a different light.
Gibson was a Tiger long before his iconic World Series moment with the Dodgers. He spent the majority of his playing career in Detroit, playing for the Tigers from 1979-87 and then again from 1993-95. He also returned to the organization as a coach from 2003-05.
Gibson’s ties to the Tigers also ran deep in the broadcast booth, where he spent a total of 15 years. He first joined the team’s television crew from 1998-02 and returned in 2015, remaining a key fixture until this past Monday.
Gibson and FanDuel Sports Network Detroit announced that the 67-year-old would be stepping down from his role just two weeks ahead of the 2025 MLB season. He will leave a broadcast booth that Awful Announcing’s readers ranked No. 10 in last year’s local announcer rankings.
The booth consists of Jason Benetti and a rotating group of analysts, which will no longer include Gibson.
“Although I may be leaving the booth, my connection with the Tigers remains strong,” Gibson said in a statement Monday via the Detroit News. “Over the past 25 years, I have been honored to introduce integral parts of the game from my experiences as a player, manager, and coach. I’m incredibly grateful for the support from the Tigers organization, the Ilitch family, and Detroit’s loyal baseball fans.”
Gibson said that stepping away from broadcasting will allow him to focus more on his foundation, which has become a key part of his mission to help those with Parkinson’s disease. Since his diagnosis in 2015, he’s been committed to raising awareness and supporting others facing the same battle.
Despite his departure from the booth, Gibson will remain an advisor to the Tigers’ front office.