Bob Gibson (1981)


Date of Birth: 11/9/1935
Date of Death: 10/2/2020
Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska
College: Creighton University

Bob Gibson was an all-around athlete when he was young and he played both baseball and basketball. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in the mid-1950s but played basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters in 1957, prior to joining the Cardinals. The following year, he played in the Cardinals minor league organization.

St. Louis Cardinals

Gibson started as a relief pitcher for the Cardinals in 1959 but he was sent back to the minor leagues for a short time. When he returned to the Cardinals, he was moved into their starting rotation. He pitched in 13 games with the Cardinals in 1959. The following season, he again spent part of the season in the minor leagues. He pitched in 27 games in 1960, and he ended with a 5.61 ERA and 3-6 record.

In the first half of the 1961 season, Gibson moved between the starting rotation and the bullpen but in July, the team's new manager, Johnny Keane, made Gibson a permanent starter. He pitched in 35 games that year, with an ERA of 3.24, a 13-12 record, and 166 strikeouts to 119 walks.

Gibson had a 2.85 ERA in 32 games in 1962. He had 15 wins and 13 losses and 208 strikeouts to 95 walks in 233.2 innings. The following year, he had 18 wins and 9 losses, 204 strikeouts to 96 walks, and a 3.39 ERA in 254.2 innings in 36 games.

Gibson pitched in a career high 40 games in 1964. He had a good regular season, with 19 wins and 12 losses, 245 strikeouts to 86 walks, and a 3.01 ERA in 287.1 innings. He excelled also in the postseason, winning both the World Series MVP award and the Babe Ruth award. In 3 postseason games, he pitched 27.0 innings and he gave up 23 hits. He had 2 wins and 1 loss and a 3.00 ERA. He struck out 31 batters and walked 8.

Gibson was a very good fielding pitcher and he won nine consecutive Gold Glove awards in his career, winning his first one in 1965. He also had a good year as a pitcher in 1965, finishing with 20 wins and 12 losses, 270 strikeouts to 103 walks, and a 3.07 ERA in 299.0 innings in 38 games.

In 1966, Gibson had 21 wins and 12 losses and a 2.44 ERA in 280.1 innings in 35 games. He struck out 225 batters and walked 78. Defensively, he again excelled, winning his second Gold Glove and leading all NL pitchers in putouts with 26.

Although Gibson pitched in just 24 games during the regular season in 1967, he again excelled in the postseason, winning his second World Series MVP award. He pitched 27.0 innings in 3 postseason games and he gave up 14 hits and 3 earned runs. He had a 3-0 win-loss record and a 1.00 ERA. He struck out 26 batters and walked just 5.

Gibson dominated NL pitchers in 1968, winning the Cy Young award, the MVP award, and the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award. He led the league in ERA and strikeouts. He finished the season with a career low ERA of 1.12, 22 wins and 9 losses, and 268 strikeouts to 62 walks in 304.2 innings in 34 games.

Gibson led the NL in complete games in 1969 with 28. He pitched a career high 314.0 innings in 35 games and he had 20 wins and 13 losses, 269 strikeouts to 95 walks, and a 2.18 ERA.

Gibson again dominated NL pitching in 1970, winning his second Cy Young award and his second Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award. He once more led the league in wins. In 294.0 innings in 34 games, he had career highs in wins (23 to 7 losses) and strikeouts (274 to 88 walks). His ERA was 3.12.

Gibson had good seasons in 1971 and 1972, although they weren't as strong as his previous seasons. He had 16 wins and 13 losses and a 3.04 ERA in 31 games in 1971, and 19 wins and 11 losses and a 2.46 ERA in 34 games in 1972.

In 1973, Gibson pitched in only 25 games. His win-loss record went down to 12-10 and he had a 2.77 ERA in 195.0 innings. The following year, he started to have control issues, walking 104 batters while striking out just 129. He had a 3.83 ERA in 240.0 innings in 33 games in 1974. He pitched in just 22 games in 1975, his final season as a major league player. He had a 5.04 ERA, 3 wins and 10 losses, and 60 strikeouts to 62 walks in 109.0 innings.

Awards

  • NL Cy Young award (2 times)
  • NL MVP
  • Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award (2 times)
  • World Series MVP (2 times)
  • Babe Ruth award
  • Gold Glove (9 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Gibson in 17 seasons (1959-1975) in the major leagues include:

  • 5 seasons with 20 or more wins, with a high of 23 in 1970
  • 9 seasons with over 200 strikeouts, with a high of 274 in 1970
  • 7 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 1.12 in 1968

Career pitching statistics for Gibson include:

  • 528 games played
  • 3,884.1 innings pitched
  • 251-174 win-loss record
  • 3,117 strikeouts to 1,336 walks
  • 2.91 ERA

Career fielding statistics for Gibson include:

  • 528 games played
  • 484 assists
  • 291 putouts
  • 42 errors
  • .949 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Gibson include:

  • 9 games played
  • 81.0 innings pitched
  • 7-2 win-loss record
  • 92 strikeouts to 17 walks
  • 1.89 ERA

Post Playing Career

Gibson retired as a player after the 1975 season. From 1981 through 1984, he worked as a coach for the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves. He followed that with five years as a radio broadcaster (1985-1989).

Gibson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1981 on the first ballot with 84.0% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Bob Gibson
ESPN - Bob Gibson
Baseball Reference - Bob Gibson

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