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And then, and only then, would this at bat begin to reveal something. Two quick strikes—you just don't fall behind a pitcher like Eckersley and expect to do anything. But a patient and crafty Gibson manages to work the count back to 3-2. You sit amazed that he was able to do that much. And then comes the backdoor slider, and the unbalanced swing, that final flick of the wrist, and then the voice of CBS announcer Jack Buck: "Gibson … swings! And a fly ball to deep right field! This is gonna be a home run! Unbelievable! A home run for Gibson! And the Dodgers have won the game, 5-4! I don't believe what I just saw! … I don't believe what I just saw!"

It seems trivial to suggest that such moments point to the biblical truth that "with God all things are possible"—as if Gibson or the Dodgers are symbols of the divine (well, maybe to a Dodger fan). Neither am I suggesting (certainly not as a Giants fan) that God helped Gibson hit that home run to teach us all a lesson about never giving up.

But it is nonetheless true that such moments are transcendent. If you had sat through that entire game, and had experienced something of that season, you would have known that this homerun was a great moment, yes, but one in a long story—not an allegory nor morality tale. As such it helped all of us watching experience something deep and true. So yes, to not put too fine a point on it, Gibson's homerun, was very much a signal of biblical hope.

To be sure, not every game has hall-of-fame drama, but every game has a story, and stories within and outside that story. Even games where the conflict is resolved in the opening chapters by a scoring onslaught--even these are dramas about character in the face of certain defeat.

For those who have eyes to see—the patience to watch something longer than a highlight film—they'll see a story unfold, and invariably a story that points to something beyond what goes on down on the field.

Mark Galli is managing editor of Christianity Today.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

More about the 1988 World Series is available from Major League Baseball.

The video of that series is available from Amazon.com.

Galli's previous Play Ball columns include

The Grace of Sports | If Christ can't be found in sports, he can't be found the modern world. (March 4, 2005)

Baseball Isn't Entertainment | The sooner we stop thinking sports are about the spectators, the more enjoyable the games will be. (Feb. 25, 2005)

Rooting for T.O. | Why Terrell Owens irritates most of us most of the time. (Feb. 11, 2005)

Freedom Between the Goal Posts | Sports is much more important than our culture lets on (Feb. 4, 2005)

Salt and Light in the Arena | It's going to take more than a few good Christians to clean up sports. (Feb. 18, 2005)

To learn about Christian athletes in sports, or for daily, sporty devotionals, our sports channel offers that and more.

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March (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49