Former major league player and manager Kirk Gibson has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
Fox Sports Detroit made the announcement Tuesday. Gibson had been hired to join FSD's Tigers broadcast team this season but has not appeared on-air since opening day.
Gibson, 57, released a statement that read:
“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, a Michigan native and former Michigan State football player, rose to fame as a member of his hometown Tigers. His two home runs in Game 5 of the 1984 World Series clinched a wire-to-wire championship for the Tigers, who haven't won it all since.
But Gibson is better known for another World Series homer, winning Game 1 in 1988 for the Dodgers against Dennis Eckersley and the A's with a pinch-hit shot before he hobbled around the bases on a badly injured hamstring. He was the National League MVP that year.
Gibson went on to manager the Diamondbacks for 4 1/2 seasons before being fired last September. He compiled a 353-375 record at the helm in Arizona.