Bob Gibson

Quotes From Gibson
"A great play is like watching a girl go by. The last one you saw is the prettiest."

Played For
St. Louis Cardinals (1959-1975)

All-Time Rankings
Bob Gibson ranks #10 among the Top 50 all-time at SP. Rankings ⇒

Best Season: 1968
He went 22-9 and completed 28 of his 34 starts. He led the NL with 268 strikeouts and 13 shutouts. Five of his shutouts came consecutively, and at one point he pitched 47 1/3 straight scoreless innings. Amazingly, the right-hander allowed just 38 earned runs all season, in more than 300 innings. His ERA of 1.12 was the third best in league history. Opponents batted .184 and had just a .233 OBP. He lost nine games, but in three of those he allowed just a single run. He won both the Cy Young and the MVP award.

Factoids
On July 17, 1974, Bob Gibson fanned Cesar Geronimo for the 3000th K of his career

After scoring 15 points for Creighton University against the Harlem Globetrotters in 1957, Bob Gibson was signed by the Globetrotters and played with the famous barnstorming basketball team for one season.

Full Bio
As a child Gibson survived multiple illnesses and once nearly died. He grew up in poverty but by the time he was a teenager he was growing into a smart, tough young man. He was a star basketball and baseball player who briefly played with the Harlem Globetrotters. In 1957 he was signed by St. Louis, and two years later he made his major league debut.

Like many pitchers, he took some time to mature, not winning twenty games until he was 29 years old. He first made the All-Star team in 1962, the same year he paced the NL in shutouts. In 1964 the Cards won the pennant and faced the Yankees in the World Series. After losing Game Two, Gibson won the fifth and seventh games within four days of each other, setting a Series record with 31 strikeouts in the process. The Cardinals had their first title in 18 years.

In 1967 Gibson again sparkled in the World Series, this time against the Red Sox. He won Games One, Four, and Seven, pitching complete games each time. In his 27 innings he allowed a scant 14 hits, struck out 26, walked just five, and posted a 1.00 ERA. It was one of the greatest Series performances in history and he earned the MVP award for the effort.

The following year the Cardinals returned to the Fall Classic and took a 3-1 lead over the Detroit Tigers. Gibson defeated the Tiger’s 30-game winner Denny McLain in Games One and Four, allowing 10 hits in his 18 innings, while striking out 27. In Game One he was simply masterful – fanning 17 Tigers – a Series record that still stands.

The Tigers rebounded and forced a Game Seven, pitting Gibson against Mickey Lolich, who had won two games already. The two battled in a scoreless game for six innings until Detroit finally got to Gibson and won the title. Gibson had done his part, winning two games, finishing with a 1.67 ERA, and breaking his own Series record with 35 K’s.

In his World Series career Gibson had started nine games, winning seven and losing two (he won seven in a row). Every one of his victories was a complte game and he pitched eight in all. In 81 innings he allowed 55 hits, had a 1.89 ERA, struck out 92, and walked 17. His 92 strikeouts are even more amazing when compared to the Series lifetime record-holder, Whitey Ford, who whiffed 94 batters. Ford accumulated his 94 K’s in 12 more games and 63 more innings than Gibson.

Almost as incredible as his post-season performances is Gibson’s 1968 season. He won 22 games and completed 28 of his 34 starts. He led the NL with 268 strikeouts and 13 shutouts. Five of his shutouts came consecutively, and at one point he pitched 47 1/3 straight scoreless innings. Amazingly, the right-hander allowed just 38 earned runs all season, in more than 300 innings. He lost nine games, but in three of those he allowed just a single run. He won both the Cy Young and the MVP award.

Gibson won the Cy Young again in 1970 after posting a career-high 23 victories. He was more than just a pitcher, hitting 24 career homers, including twice hitting five in a single season. From 1965 to 1973 he won a Gold glove each season for his defense on the mound. He was extremely tough, rebounding from a broken leg in ’67 to turn in his clutch World Series mound work.

He retired the winningest pitcher in Cardinal history, with an excellent .591 (251-174) winning percentage. At the time of his retirement, his 3,117 strikeouts ranked second behind Walter Johnson.

The 12 Black Aces
Through 2004, twelve African-American pitchers had won 20-games in the major leagues. Of course, black pitchers had won twenty many times in the negro leagues, but these dozen, who, under the direction of Mudcat Grant, called themselves the "12 Black Aces," are an exclusive club:

1. Don Newcombe
2. Sam Jones
3. Bob Gibson.
4. Mudcat Grant
5. Earl Wilson
6. Fergie Jenkins
7. Al Downing
8. Vida Blue
9. J.R. Richard
10. Mike Norris
11. Dwight Gooden
12. Dave Stewart

Hitter and Pitcher
In 1970, Gibson hit .303 with two homers and 19 RBI. He was used as a pinch-hitter five times, drawing two walks and laying down one sacrifice hit. He had at least one hit in 12 of his starts and at least on RBI in 13 of them.

World Series Aces
Pitchers who have hurled three complete game wins in one World Series:

Christy Mathewson, Giants (1905 vs. A's)
27 IP, 14 H, 18 K, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA

Babe Adams, Pirates (1909 vs. Tigers)
27 IP, 18 H, 11 K, 6 BB, 1.33 ERA

Stan Coveleski, Indians (1920 vs. Robins)
27 IP, 15 H, 8 K, 2 BB, 0.67 ERA

Lew Burdette, Braves (1957 vs. Braves)
27 IP, 21 H, 13 K, 4 BB, 0.67 ERA

Bob Gibson, Cardinals (1967 vs. Red Sox)
27 IP, 14 H, 26 K, 5 BB, 1.00 ERA

Mickey Lolich, Tigers (1968 vs. Cardinals)
27 IP, 20 H, 21 K, 6 BB, 1.67 ERA

Where He Played
Starting pitcher

Born
Robert Gibson was born on November 9, 1935, in Omaha, NE.

Batted:  Right
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  P

Primary Team:  SLN

Major League Debut
April 15, 1959

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1959
Willie McCovey
Billy Williams
Maury Wills
Tommy Davis
Jim Kaat
Tim McCarver
Jim Perry
Mike Cuellar
Zoilo Versalles

Nicknames
Hoot, Gibby

Uniform Numbers
#58 (1959), #31 (1960), #45 (1961-1975)

Similar Players
Jack Morris

Related Players
Tim McCarver, Mickey Lolich

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1981 BBWAA 337 84.0%

No-Hitter
8/14/1971: For STL (N) vs. PIT (N), 11-0 at PIT. 9 innings pitched.

Post-Season Appearances
1964 World Series
1967 World Series
1968 World Series

Post-Season Notes
Gibson had as much of an impact on his team in ultimate games as any pitcher in baseball history. He started three Game Sevens, winning two.

Awards and Honors
1964 ML WS MVP
1965 NL Gold Glove
1966 NL Gold Glove
1967 NL Gold Glove
1967 ML WS MVP
1968 NL Cy Young
1968 NL Gold Glove
1968 NL MVP
1969 NL Gold Glove
1970 NL Cy Young
1970 NL Gold Glove
1971 NL Gold Glove
1972 NL Gold Glove
1973 NL Gold Glove

Milestones

• August 4, 1971: 200th Win...


• July 17, 1974: 3000th strikeout... Cesar Geronimo

Pitching Feats

• , 1968: ...

Transactions
Signed as an amateur free agent by St. Louis Cardinals (1957).

All-Star Selections
1962 NL
1965 NL
1966 NL
1967 NL
1968 NL
1969 NL
1970 NL
1972 NL

Replaced
Gibson stepped into a large void in the Cardinals rotation in 1960-1961.

Replaced By
John Denny, in 1975-1976, whom the Cards were grooming as their ace of the future.

Best Strength as a Player
Competitiveness

Largest Weakness as a Player
Early in his career he was a little wild, but not for long.

Learn More about Bob Gibson
Search Amazon.com for Books about Bob Gibson ⇒
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