RIP StL Cardinals All-Time Great Bob Gibson
https://www.mlb.com/news/bob-gibson-dies-at-84
Sad news for baseball fans: Bob Gibson has passed away at age 84. One of the best and most feared pitchers in all of MLB history, he may have had the best season ever recorded when he had an unbelievable 1.12 ERA and 13 shutouts in 1968. Two time World Champion, two-time Cy Young (and arguably should have won more).
I'll never forget his epic efforts against my 1968 Tigers. As I watched game 1 as Gibson struck out 17, all I could say was "this isn't fair!". Fortunately Mickey Lolich outdueled Gibson in game 7 and Detroit pulled it off, winning the Series after trailing 3 games to 1.
RIP to an all-time great, and...
F*** cancer.
October 3rd, 2020 at 2:18 AM ^
Great tribute Rob. I love how distinctly you remember that World Series game one which occurred 52 years ago to the day. I enjoyed this little excerpt from the article:
Don Sutton once said Gibson “hated everyone, even Santa Claus.” Gibson’s former catcher Tim McCarver described him as having “eyes smoldering at each batter, almost accusingly.” Dusty Baker once said the only two people he ever felt intimidated by were “Bob Gibson and my daddy,” and when Baker was preparing to face Gibson during Baker’s time with the Braves, Hank Aaron gave him some advice.
“Don’t stare at him, don’t smile at him, don’t talk to him,” Aaron said. “If you happen to hit a home run, don’t run too slow, don’t run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first.”
October 3rd, 2020 at 10:29 AM ^
I just found the complete quote of the advice from Hank Aaron to Dusty Baker (credit this to an NBC.com article regarding the passing of Gibson):
"Don’t dig in against Bob Gibson; he'll knock you down," Aaron said, according to the Boston Globe. "He'd knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him. Don’t stare at him, don't smile at him, don't talk to him. He doesn't like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don't run too slow, don’t run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don’t charge the mound, because he's a Gold Glove boxer."
An all-around athlete, I've read also that Bob Gibson was a better basketball player than pitcher and likely would have been an NBA star if he'd gone that route instead.
October 3rd, 2020 at 11:28 AM ^
Simply awesome stuff, Thanks again Rob.
October 3rd, 2020 at 2:20 AM ^
I also want to share this from Deadspin both for the write-up and for the black-and-white photo of Gibson's follow-thru as he pitched. Part of what made Gibson so intimidating was that while he had pinpoint control and a wicked fastball, those flailing arms and legs made him appear downright dangerous.
https://deadspin.com/bob-gibson-owned-whatever-he-wanted-of-the-plate-and-qu-1845261299
I believe #25 is Detroit Tigers great Norm Cash facing what looks to be a fastball headed in the general direction of his ears.
October 3rd, 2020 at 11:52 AM ^
#25 is Stormin Norman Cash, legendary first baseman for the Tigers.
RIP Mr. Cash and Mr. Gibson ?
October 3rd, 2020 at 2:57 AM ^
In the major pro sports I keep a loose list of guys I wish I had seen play. Bob Gibson will always be near the top of my MLB list (with Ted Williams, Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax).
I have never heard professional athletes talk about a peer like guys talked about Gibson. They were legitimately intimidated and respectful of him at the same time. Very few pro athletes would ever admit they were intimidated by another player, but everyone admitted they were of him.
Gibson joined a broadcast during a game and they interviewed him over a couple of innings. He was so thoughtful and gracious. At the end of the interview one of the announcers made a comment about his peers saying he was so intimidating. Gibson chuckled and said, I don’t know why anyone would have been intimidated. Maybe it was all those fastballs under their chins. They may not have known where I was throwing, but I did. There was a pause and Gibson chuckled again. The announcers were not prepared for that response.
October 3rd, 2020 at 3:53 AM ^
Seaver, Brock, now Gibson. We’re losing all time greats.
October 3rd, 2020 at 7:02 AM ^
Kaline, too. We lost some good ones this year. Thanks for posting, OP.
I’ve shown my son, a Black 12-year-old pitcher, photos and videos of Bob Gibson and Dave Stewart, two guys who were extremely intimidating on the mound and models of comportment off of it. Disciplined aggression for the win (and for the 1.12 ERA)!
October 3rd, 2020 at 9:42 AM ^
Also - Don Larsen.
October 3rd, 2020 at 5:26 AM ^
I got a reminder of Gibson's efforts when FSD re-ran the 1968 World Series earlier this year. As I sat there soaking it up in all its black-and-white glory, I was struck by several things in addition to Gibson's performance:
- The strike zone was huge, pitchers worked faster, and batters got in the box and stayed there.
- Today's down-to-your-ankles pants didn't exist. The pants ended below the knee, and everyone wore stirrups (as is right and proper).
- So many people in the stands were in a coat and tie. It reminded me of stories my mother would tell, of getting dressed up to go shopping in a nice store.
And Gibson was a bitch in Game 1. By the later innings the Tigers were just waving at the ball.
And damn, this has been a lousy year for old ballplayers. RIP, Bob.
October 3rd, 2020 at 7:00 AM ^
The umps wore coat and tie. Even in St. Louis in July. Day games must have been brutal.
October 3rd, 2020 at 7:18 AM ^
In addition to being a dominant pitcher, Bob Gibson was also one of the best hitters at his position of the modern era. He had 24 career home runs including 2 seasons with 5 each. I was at game 4 in 1968 where he hit a home run while only giving up one run in a 10-1 rout. One of the greatest of all time.
RIP Bob.
October 3rd, 2020 at 10:33 AM ^
He was a good basketball player at Creighton too. He played for the Harlem Globetrotters for a year.
October 3rd, 2020 at 3:42 PM ^
He also hit a dinger off Lonborg of the Red Sox in the ‘67 series
October 3rd, 2020 at 7:31 AM ^
RIP.
October 3rd, 2020 at 7:51 AM ^
Bob Gibson was so dominant in the 3 - 4 years stretch culminating in 1968, they had to lower the height of the pitching mound just to give batters a chance.
Now, Gibson wasn’t the only reason they lowered the mound but he was the main reason.
October 3rd, 2020 at 7:56 AM ^
I remember when Norm Cash faced him in the 1968 World Series. He took a called strike and complained to the ump that the pitch sounded high. I didn't think the Tigers could beat him in Game #7, but Mickey Lolich did it on (2) days rest. He started Game# 2, #3, and #7, wining all three.
RIP Bob
October 3rd, 2020 at 8:34 AM ^
game #5.
LOL about Norm Cash, I had forgotten about that particular Cash story. Stormin' Norman was quite the colorful character and one of my favorites on the Tigers teams of that era.
Lolich had a "rubber arm". I don't recall what year (maybe 1971 or 72?) but Lolich threw an unheard-of 376 innings one season and probably averaged somewhere near 300+ innings over several seasons until later in his career. IMO, he should be in the HOF. And I believe McLain threw around 335 innings in '68.
October 3rd, 2020 at 9:23 AM ^
Number of pitchers in MLB with over 225 innings pitched:
1969 - 43 (with 24 teams in the league)
2019 - 0 (with 30 teams)
October 3rd, 2020 at 12:22 PM ^
there is another classic cash story when the tigers were facing the angels and a young nolan ryan who was unhittable that day. he came out of the dugout into the on deck circle with a table leg instead of a bat.
October 3rd, 2020 at 8:26 AM ^
As mentioned, we’ve lost several all time sports greats of late. God speed to all.
October 3rd, 2020 at 8:28 AM ^
I was 9 years old and a 4th grader in Miss Martin's class at Webster Elementary in Pontiac for the 68 series. I remember her putting on the radio so we could listen to the games in class which for a 9 year old might gave been the coolest thing EVER up to then. But then somehow this Gibson guy beat the great Denny McClain in game one and we were in trouble early.
I remember my best friend Greg Rodgers not being in class because his dad took him to the famous game 5 where we came back to win and keep the series alive, largely because one of the greatest base runners ever (Lou Brock) forgot to slide and Freehan blocked the plate. We were all jealous as hell of Greg and he told everyone what the game was like the next day
I remember game 7 where Lolich, pitching on two days rest managed to beat Gibson (McClain won game 6) and again thanks to sn uncharacteristic blunder by the Cardinals when Curt Flood broke in on what would've been a routine fly ball by Jim Northrup and three runs scored.
And most of all I remember my dad, who was a dentist and had back up catcher Jim Price for a patient, giving me a baseball with ALL the 68 Tigers players & coaches autographs a few weeks after the series ended which i still have to this day.
RIP Rapid Robert. You were part of some of my most vivid and great memories as a child.
October 3rd, 2020 at 8:48 AM ^
Great memories, mGrowOld!
I was a 7th grader in a Catholic school. For all the weekday WS games, the nuns would stop teaching and would roll TVs into the classrooms from the AV closet and treat us to Tigers baseball instead of learnin'. Proof that nuns (most of them, anyway) are human AND baseball fans.
When the school bell rang at 3, I'd hop on my bicycle and peddle the 1 1/4 mile home as fast and furious as possible to catch the rest of each of those games!
October 3rd, 2020 at 10:34 AM ^
As long as we are remembering the Series. As a senior at Michigan, my girlfriend (kind of) and I stayed up all night in a line that wound its way down Trumbull Avenue to purchse tickets to the 10-1 loss on Sunday won by Gibson. We took my younger brother and my friend, Russ, from St. Louis. Horrible weather. It was snowing that evening as we drove back to AA.
Russ (still my great friend) called this morning to reminisce. As we were naming the starting pitchers he stated that the Card's other starter that year was "some young kid." It was Steve Carlton.
Baseball/Youth
October 3rd, 2020 at 5:37 PM ^
I was a 6th grader for the '68 Series. I thought Denny McClain was the best until I saw Gibson.
Gibson was a dominant pitcher, especially in the post-season. Here are his stats for the 1964, 1967, and 1968 WS:
This is a 1.89 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. I can only wonder what his post-season stats would be with expanded playoffs. The Tigers beating him in game 7 was an impressive feat.
RIP Mr Gibson.
October 3rd, 2020 at 8:37 AM ^
Gibson’s 1967 WS against the Red Sox was a thing of beauty: three starts, three complete games, three runs surrendered. Jim Lonberg tried to do the Lolich thing and pitch on two days rest in game 7 after winning games 2 and 5, but couldn’t manage it. Two great series in a row.
October 3rd, 2020 at 8:57 AM ^
Rest in peace, Mr. Gibson.
October 3rd, 2020 at 9:06 AM ^
I grew up a Cardinals fan from my Dad although I am a Tigers fan now. Losing Lou Brock and Bob Gibson in recent weeks is rough though.
October 3rd, 2020 at 9:20 AM ^
Hit the nail on the head. One of the greatest and most feared pitchers to ever play the game. RIP Bob
October 3rd, 2020 at 9:23 AM ^
Love reading all the posts on this thread, maybe my favorite thread in years with so many positive memories shared. I too, remember that series well and loved seeing it again a few months back. As many posters indicate, Gibson was a terror and so intimidating. I was a 10 yr old boy at the time and experienced much of the series on my baseball shaped transistor radio, including game 1 so didn’t see it. But after listening to it, I had the opportunity to watch game 4 and I remember being scared for the Tigers because they had to face that same guy from game 1. My most vivid memories though were of Lolich in game 7 beating Gibson. That high reach at the top of his windup was so distinctive and as the innings progressed I was getting increasingly excited because “we might just beat that guy”, and did. There may have been people that didn’t like him, but I can’t imagine anyone not respecting him as a player. RIP Mr Gibson.
October 3rd, 2020 at 10:20 AM ^
+1
Very well-stated, Stetgor. It has to be pretty much impossible to not respect Bob Gibson the baseball player and Bob Gibson the man. I honestly have never heard nor read anything negative about him and how he conducted himself both on and off the field. He may have been the enemy of our baseball Tigers in '68, but still admired by all.
October 3rd, 2020 at 9:30 AM ^
I was three when the '68 series was played, so I have no real memory of any of those guys. I'm disappointed in that, but you can only do so much! Memories, history, and moments are why we have the HoF - and why it remains relevant to this day.
RIP, Mr Gibson...
October 3rd, 2020 at 9:46 AM ^
All of those interested in the 1968 Series, and Bob Gibson in particular, will really like this book "Pitch by Pitch".
It is a recollection of his 17-K performance, with fascinating stories interspersed.
https://www.amazon.com/Pitch-View-One-Unforgettable-Game/dp/1250061040
RIP to a phenomenal pitcher and a thoughtful man.
October 3rd, 2020 at 9:22 PM ^
Interesting tip above from HSR - Bob Gibson interview on NPR
https://www.npr.org/2015/10/27/452163671/pitch-by-pitch-bob-gibson-shares-his-life-in-the-game
His comments on mental toughness and his brother's mentorship are worth a listen.
October 3rd, 2020 at 10:06 AM ^
Didn't they lower the mound after the 1968 season because he was so dominant?
He was insanely good. Which is what made 1968 so special for the Tigers!
October 3rd, 2020 at 11:22 AM ^
Not just Gibson, it was all through the majors. Remember Denny McLain won 31 games in 68. From my understanding the owners wanted more offense to make the game more interesting to fans. Just like Defense in football going away, after 68 Offense in baseball was deemed most important. Lets not talk about the "juiced" baseball saga yet.
October 3rd, 2020 at 10:31 AM ^
Cardinals taking a hit this year with first the loss of Lou Brock and now Bob Gibson. Two all time greats. David Halberstam's book October 1964 is a great story about the end of the Yankees dynasty and the rise of the Cardinals.
October 3rd, 2020 at 11:12 AM ^
His postseason game log is something to behold. Went to three WS, pitched three games in each. 9 complete games, 7-2 record, sub 2 ERA.
October 3rd, 2020 at 3:50 PM ^
With 80 or so K’s
October 3rd, 2020 at 2:15 PM ^
2020 has been unkind in a lot of ways, but from a sports standpoint, it seems to have been particularly unkind to baseball, and not just this season, but to those who played it as well.
RIP Bob Gibson.
October 3rd, 2020 at 4:06 PM ^
They changed rules after his dominant season in 68. Best I ever saw
October 3rd, 2020 at 8:36 PM ^
Great post. Great thread for memories. Yes, 68 Tigers are a memorable benchmark in my childhood.
I was in 5th grade with an older brother that seemed to know everything and he explained it all to me as it unfolded. Big deal that we got to listen to the game during class. (Time for art class, Tiger posters.)
I believe Norm Cash was the 17th strikeout but whoever it was said (tongue in cheek) he could have hit the ball but struck out on purpose because he felt that if they were going to get smoked so badly that at least he wanted to be part of a record.
In the early 70's Bob Gibson did a commercial for Primatine m- "That's right! I DO have bronchial asthma."
https://www.retrojunk.com/commercial/show/7175/primatene-with-bob-gibson
J.R.Richard comes to mind as the most intimidating pitcher in the next generation.