'He really shot that one out of the cannon' — Dave Kingman's 3-HR game vs. the Dodgers
- Mark Potash
- Oct 3
- 2 min read
The anticipation among Cubs fans was palpable after the Cubs signed Dave Kingman to a five-year, $1.4 million contract as a free agent in 1978. It was Kingman, even more than Mike Schmidt, who seared Wrigley Field's reputation as a bandbox in the 1970s. Schmidt was a prolific home run hitter against the Cubs. But Kingman's home runs made Wrigley Field look small.
Kingman had hit 20 home runs in 165 at-bats at Wrigley Field with the Giants and Mets when he came to the Cubs. He hit two homers in his first 12 games in 1978. But his breakout game came on the road — against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Mother's Day. Kingman not only hit three home runs, but they all mattered — including a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to tie the game, then a three-run homer in the 15th inning to win it.
As it turned out, Kingman also liked to hit at Dodger Stadium. He also was the last player to hit three home runs there — with the Mets in 1976. Cubs fans always wondered how Kingman would fare if he played half his games at Wrigley Field. And in the short-term he did not disappoint. He hit 28 homers with 79 RBIs in 396 at-bats in 1978, then had the year Cub fans were dreaming of in 1979 — 48 home runs, 115 RBIs and a surprising .288 batting average.
Not so surprisingly, the Kingman era had a short shelf life. In 1980, Kingman also lived up to his reputation as a difficult, moody, aloof personality and it all came to a head that season —from dumping a bucket of ice on Daily Herald reporter Don Friske to no-showing his promotional Dave Kingman t-shirt day in August. He hit 18 home runs with 57 RBIs and missed half the season with injuries and a bad attitude. And before you knew, the glorious but short-lived Dave Kingman era in Chicago was over.
But he left some great memories — including five home runs in back-to-back games against the Mets in 1979. But probably none better than his three home-run performance against the Dodgers that elicited a memorable rant from Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda when asked "What's your opinion of Kingman's performance?"
That is a classic clip. I prefer this one, audio of WGN-TV's highlights with Floyd Brown. As the home of Cubs baseball, WGN used not only video of Cubs highlights, but the audio, which made a huge difference. There's no better example than Floyd Brown on sports on May 14, 1978:
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