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Baseball Legends
Bob Gibson
Book by Deane, Bill
64 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1993
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October 15, 2019
Baseball has a storied history of pitchers who made their legacy in the postseason, but perhaps none did so as convincingly as Bob Gibson. Born November 9, 1935 in Omaha, Nebraska, Bob as a child showed no sign he would grow up to be an athlete. Plagued by rickets, asthma, allergies, and a rheumatic heart, Bob nearly died from pneumonia at age three. After that scare, he began working with his older brother Josh to hone his athletic abilities. A scrawny kid as a freshman in high school, Gibson's frame filled out over the next few years, allowing him to be a multi-sport star at Omaha Technical High School. He then went to Creighton University on scholarship, where he drew such attention for his basketball abilities that the Harlem Globetrotters offered him a professional contract. But Gibson had obvious baseball talent, and in 1957 signed a minor league deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. He would have a chance to make his living on the baseball diamond.
A supremely gifted hitter, fielder, and pitcher, Gibson nonetheless developed slowly in the Cardinals' farm system. He lacked control on the mound, issuing too many walks. Gibson debuted in the majors in April of 1959, but was sent back down to work on his consistency. The Cardinals again designated him for assignment at the start of 1960, but soon called him back up, this time permanently. In 1961, manager Johnny Keane, who had been Gibson's mentor in the minor leagues, inserted him into the starting pitching rotation, where the young athlete learned to use his physical advantages against batters. Adding new pitches and honing his old ones, Gibson stood tall in 1962, posting his first winning record and earning a spot in the All-Star Game. He wasn't on course for the Hall of Fame yet, but that was about to change.
At twenty-seven years of age, Gibson took his pitching to the next level in 1963. Winning eighteen games against only nine losses, he entered 1964 with momentum in his favor. Despite being stalled briefly by an arm injury, he refocused during the stretch run, putting up some of the best numbers in the majors. Gibson's excellence led St. Louis to the National League pennant, and in the World Series he began crafting his reputation as one of the best clutch performers in sports history. Gibson notched two of his team's four wins to beat the powerful New York Yankees, including a nine-inning victory in game seven on short rest. His World Series MVP trophy was proof positive he had ascended to elite status in baseball.
Gibson improved as an all-around player in 1965. He won his first of nine Gold Glove Awards, smoothly executing defensive plays most pitchers weren't athletic enough to attempt. He also became a better hitter; Gibson's bat was almost as reliable as his pitching arm in tense postseason situations. The Cardinals fell out of contention for the pennant, but Gibson's two hundred seventy strikeouts and 3.07 Earned Run Average (ERA) indicated he hadn't lost any zip on his pitches. He elevated his performance again in 1966, winning twenty-one games and lowering his already impressive career ERA. Then came 1967, a season of seemingly inevitable glory as Gibson started the year on a red-hot streak. But in July a line drive off Roberto Clemente's bat broke Gibson's fibula, sidelining him until September. His return fueled the Cardinals to clinch the pennant, and in the World Series he was as phenomenal as any pitcher in history. Gibson posted three wins against the Boston Red Sox, including a masterful nine innings to slam the door shut in game seven. He was once again World Series MVP, having registered an eye-popping 1.00 ERA versus Boston. Had any pitcher ever delivered so consistently under pressure?
Now thirty-two, one might believe Gibson's prime was behind him, but one would be very, very wrong. Putting together arguably the most dominant season ever, Gibson destroyed opposing teams in 1968, winning the Cy Young and regular season MVP Awards with a 22-9 record, a cartoonish 1.12 ERA, and thirteen shutouts, challenging Grover Cleveland Alexander's record of sixteen from the dead-ball era. Gibson's legendary feats propelled the Cardinals to the pennant, and in the World Series he almost repeated his triumphs of 1964 and '67. Gibson twice beat the Detroit Tigers, striking out a World Series record seventeen hitters in game one, and was in position for another game seven victory were it not for an even more inspired showing by Tigers lefty Mickey Lolich. Major League Baseball tweaked its rules in 1969 to stimulate scoring, largely in response to Gibson's dominance, but he again wreaked havoc, going 20-13 with two hundred sixty-nine strikeouts and a 2.18 ERA. Despite starting slow in 1970, Gibson won his second Cy Young, still baseball's finest pitcher at age thirty-four. 1971 proved to be a slight downturn by Gibson's standards, but he earned his two hundredth career win and fiftieth shutout. Another slow start in 1972 couldn't keep Gibson from having a marvelous season; he started the All-Star Game for the first time and finished with a 19-6 record. More career records came in 1973, and the thirty-seven-year-old Gibson fought through a serious knee injury to end the year with typically strong numbers. Age was catching up to him, though; in addition to the knee trouble, chronic arthritis in his pitching elbow caused him constant pain. In 1974, after a messy divorce from his wife of sixteen years, Gibson struggled to resemble the superstar he'd been a half decade earlier. Limping through 1975 en route to his two hundred fiftieth win, Gibson retired before season's end, and Cardinals fans and ownership gave the future Hall of Famer an emotional sendoff worthy of his legacy. Of all the pitchers to don a uniform in the years to come, none would ever be quite like Bob Gibson.
Who is the greatest pitcher ever? Many have a strong case for consideration: Tim Keefe, Hoss Radbourn, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Satchel Paige, Lefty Grove, Sandy Koufax, Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, and more. But though some had better statistics than Bob Gibson for a longer period, none were or likely ever will be more dependable in the biggest games. There isn't one pitcher I'd choose over Gibson to take the mound with the fate of the world at stake; his ability to carry his team to the promised land might be sufficient to convince me he is the greatest of all time. This book is somewhat superficial as Gibson's life story, but I'm grateful for Chelsea House's biographies of old-time baseball stars; there isn't enough written for a juvenile audience about these players. Any kid who loves baseball and wants a better grasp of its history should read this book.
A supremely gifted hitter, fielder, and pitcher, Gibson nonetheless developed slowly in the Cardinals' farm system. He lacked control on the mound, issuing too many walks. Gibson debuted in the majors in April of 1959, but was sent back down to work on his consistency. The Cardinals again designated him for assignment at the start of 1960, but soon called him back up, this time permanently. In 1961, manager Johnny Keane, who had been Gibson's mentor in the minor leagues, inserted him into the starting pitching rotation, where the young athlete learned to use his physical advantages against batters. Adding new pitches and honing his old ones, Gibson stood tall in 1962, posting his first winning record and earning a spot in the All-Star Game. He wasn't on course for the Hall of Fame yet, but that was about to change.
At twenty-seven years of age, Gibson took his pitching to the next level in 1963. Winning eighteen games against only nine losses, he entered 1964 with momentum in his favor. Despite being stalled briefly by an arm injury, he refocused during the stretch run, putting up some of the best numbers in the majors. Gibson's excellence led St. Louis to the National League pennant, and in the World Series he began crafting his reputation as one of the best clutch performers in sports history. Gibson notched two of his team's four wins to beat the powerful New York Yankees, including a nine-inning victory in game seven on short rest. His World Series MVP trophy was proof positive he had ascended to elite status in baseball.
Gibson improved as an all-around player in 1965. He won his first of nine Gold Glove Awards, smoothly executing defensive plays most pitchers weren't athletic enough to attempt. He also became a better hitter; Gibson's bat was almost as reliable as his pitching arm in tense postseason situations. The Cardinals fell out of contention for the pennant, but Gibson's two hundred seventy strikeouts and 3.07 Earned Run Average (ERA) indicated he hadn't lost any zip on his pitches. He elevated his performance again in 1966, winning twenty-one games and lowering his already impressive career ERA. Then came 1967, a season of seemingly inevitable glory as Gibson started the year on a red-hot streak. But in July a line drive off Roberto Clemente's bat broke Gibson's fibula, sidelining him until September. His return fueled the Cardinals to clinch the pennant, and in the World Series he was as phenomenal as any pitcher in history. Gibson posted three wins against the Boston Red Sox, including a masterful nine innings to slam the door shut in game seven. He was once again World Series MVP, having registered an eye-popping 1.00 ERA versus Boston. Had any pitcher ever delivered so consistently under pressure?
Now thirty-two, one might believe Gibson's prime was behind him, but one would be very, very wrong. Putting together arguably the most dominant season ever, Gibson destroyed opposing teams in 1968, winning the Cy Young and regular season MVP Awards with a 22-9 record, a cartoonish 1.12 ERA, and thirteen shutouts, challenging Grover Cleveland Alexander's record of sixteen from the dead-ball era. Gibson's legendary feats propelled the Cardinals to the pennant, and in the World Series he almost repeated his triumphs of 1964 and '67. Gibson twice beat the Detroit Tigers, striking out a World Series record seventeen hitters in game one, and was in position for another game seven victory were it not for an even more inspired showing by Tigers lefty Mickey Lolich. Major League Baseball tweaked its rules in 1969 to stimulate scoring, largely in response to Gibson's dominance, but he again wreaked havoc, going 20-13 with two hundred sixty-nine strikeouts and a 2.18 ERA. Despite starting slow in 1970, Gibson won his second Cy Young, still baseball's finest pitcher at age thirty-four. 1971 proved to be a slight downturn by Gibson's standards, but he earned his two hundredth career win and fiftieth shutout. Another slow start in 1972 couldn't keep Gibson from having a marvelous season; he started the All-Star Game for the first time and finished with a 19-6 record. More career records came in 1973, and the thirty-seven-year-old Gibson fought through a serious knee injury to end the year with typically strong numbers. Age was catching up to him, though; in addition to the knee trouble, chronic arthritis in his pitching elbow caused him constant pain. In 1974, after a messy divorce from his wife of sixteen years, Gibson struggled to resemble the superstar he'd been a half decade earlier. Limping through 1975 en route to his two hundred fiftieth win, Gibson retired before season's end, and Cardinals fans and ownership gave the future Hall of Famer an emotional sendoff worthy of his legacy. Of all the pitchers to don a uniform in the years to come, none would ever be quite like Bob Gibson.
Who is the greatest pitcher ever? Many have a strong case for consideration: Tim Keefe, Hoss Radbourn, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Satchel Paige, Lefty Grove, Sandy Koufax, Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, and more. But though some had better statistics than Bob Gibson for a longer period, none were or likely ever will be more dependable in the biggest games. There isn't one pitcher I'd choose over Gibson to take the mound with the fate of the world at stake; his ability to carry his team to the promised land might be sufficient to convince me he is the greatest of all time. This book is somewhat superficial as Gibson's life story, but I'm grateful for Chelsea House's biographies of old-time baseball stars; there isn't enough written for a juvenile audience about these players. Any kid who loves baseball and wants a better grasp of its history should read this book.
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