Former Arizona Diamondbacks Manager Kirk Gibson Diagnosed With Parkinson’s Disease

Kirk Gibson, former player and manager as well as the Detroit Tiger’s current commentator, has just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. One of the initial announcements came from Lynn G. Henning’s Twitter account.

But since then, Gibson has released a statement addressing the matter.

“I have faced many different obstacles in my life, and have always maintained a strong belief that no matter the circumstances, I could overcome those obstacles. While this diagnosis poses a new kind of challenge for me, I intend to stay true to my beliefs. With the support of my family and friends, I will meet this challenge with the same determination and unwavering intensity that I have displayed in all of my endeavors in life. I look forward to being back at the ballpark as soon as possible.”

Gibson was the Arizona Diamondbacks coach until the end of last season. There he coached for over four years and garnered a career record of 353-375. Despite winning the N.L. West title and the NL Manager of the Year award in 2011, he was fired after Arizona’s disappointing 2014.

But Kirk Gibson is probably better known for his time as a player: particularly his game one winning home run during the 1988 World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In his 17-year career, he had a .268 batting average, 255 home runs and 870 RBIs. On top of this, he won two World Series — 1984 with the Tigers and 1988 with the Dodgers — and the 1988 NL MVP award.

He spent majority of his career with Detroit. After being fired from the Diamondbacks, he came back to the Tigers organization as a color commentator.