(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
IN MEMORIAM
...Bob Gibson...
(1935 - 2020) |
 Legendary St.Louis Cardinals-pitcher and Hall of Famer Bob Gibson passed away
Nederlands
 OMAHA, Nebraska (USA) -
Pitcher Bob Gibson, who played his entire 17-year career for St. Louis Cardinals, won two Cy Young Awards, was the World Series MVP twice and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1981, passed away on Friday (October 2) at age 84.
It was reported that the legendary pitcher lost a battle with pancreatic cancer.
He was diagnosed with the disease in 2019.
For the third time in 34 days, Major League Baseball as well as baseball-fans worldwide, have lost one of its beloved and legendary icons.
On Monday, August 31, pitching-great Tom Seaver passed away at age 75.
Less than a week later, on Sunday, September 6, outfielder and Stolen Base-leader Lou Brock passed away at age 81.
Like Gibson, both Seaver and Brock also are members of the Hall of Fame.
Brock was Gibson's teammate at the St. Louis Cardinals for twelve seasons (1964-1975).
In the early seventies, Bob Gibson was one of several Major League-players who traveled to Europe to conduct clinics in the Netherlands and at American Air Force Bases in then West-Germany.
Besides Gibson, players Sal Bando, Johnny Bench, Bert Blyleven and Bob Oliver, coaches Lee Eilbracht and Red Schoendienst and umpires Tom Gorman and Paul Runge also came to Europe in those early seventies.
Bob Gibson passed away on the day that one of the best games in his long career was remembered.
On October 2, 1968, Gibson struckout a record 17 batters in Game 1 of the World Series pitching for St. Louis Cardinals against Detroit Tigers.
Pack Robert Gibson was born on November 9, 1935 in Omaha (Nebraska).
Gibson was the youngest of seven children and was named after his father Pack, who passed away three months prior to his birth of tuberculosis.
In his youth, Gibson suffered from several illnesses, but despite that, he went on to study at Omaha Technical High School and Creighton University, where he became a star in baseball, basketball and track and field.
Gibson later dropped the name Pack as he disliked it and changed his first name to only Robert.
In 1957, he played briefly for the famous show basketball-team of the Harlem Globetrotters and at the same time, he also had been signed by St. Louis Cardinals.
He then decided to play baseball only.
Gibson made his debut in professional baseball in 1957 when he played in Single-A and Triple-A.
He also played in Triple-A in 1958 and during the 1959 season.
At age 23, Gibson made his Major League-debut on April 15,1959 playing for St. Louis Cardinals for whom he would play his entire career.
Gibson pitched in the Major League for seventeen seasons (1959-1975).
In his first big league-season, the righthander was 3-5 in 13 games (nine starts) and struckout 48 batters in 75 2/3 inning.
In 1960, Gibson was used as both starter (12 games) and reliever (15 games).
In that year, he was 3-6 with 69 strikeouts.
After the season, he also played in the Venezuelan Winter League.
But from 1961 on, Bob Gibson was a solid and well-respected member of the starting rotation of the Cards.
In the next fourteen seasons, Gibson had a winning pitching record.
In the 1961 season, he was 13-12 with a 3.24 ERA.
He struckout 166 batters in 211 1/3 inning, but also led the league with 119 walks.
His control clearly improved from the 1962 season on, as he struckout more than 200 batters in nine of the next eleven seasons.
In that same span, he walked less than 100 batters each season, except for 1965 when he walked 103.
During the 1962 season, Gibson threw 22 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings.
His best season was in 1968 when he was 22-9 and led the entire Major League with an 1.12 ERA and 13 shutouts.
He led the National League that season with 268 strikeouts.
His great performances in 1968 earned him the Cy Young Award and he also was voted Most Valuable Player of the National League.
In the next two seasons, his strikeout-total raised to 269 and 274.
Bob Gibson won 20 or more games in his career five times.
In 1965, Gibson won 20 games, then 21 in the following season.
He then won 20-plus games in three consecutive seasons in 1968-1970, respectively 22, 20 and 23.
Gibson led the National League with his 23 wins and struckout a career-high 274 batters in 1970 and he then won his second Cy Young Award.
In 1971, Gibson won his 200th career game and ten days later, he threw a No-Hitter against Pittsburgh Pirates in an 11-0 shutout at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.
Later that year, Pittsburgh won the World Series.
Gibson, who was nicknamed 'Hoot' or 'Gibby', was also known for his endurability, as he threw a lot of complete games in his career.
He led the Major League with 28 complete games in 1969.
He also completed 28 games in the previous season.
From 1961 on, Gibson completed 10 or more games each season through 1973.
In the period 1965-1972, he completed 20 or more games in seven of those seasons.
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...Bob Gibson pitching in 1968... |
Gibson, who was bothered by a swelling in his knee since 1974, retired after the 1975 season, at age 39.
In that year, he was 3-10 with a 5.10 ERA.
In his 17 Major League-seasons, Bob Gibson was 251-174 with a 2.91 ERA and 56 shutouts.
He pitched in 528 games, 482 of them as a starter and threw 255 complete games.
In 3.884 1/3 inning, Gibson struckout 3.117 batters and walked 1.336.
He also earned six saves, two of them in his final season.
His wins, complete games, shutouts and strikeouts are all club-records for St. Louis Cardinals.
His 3.117 strikeouts were a record in the National League when he retired.
That record was broken in 1981 by (former teammate) Steve Carlton.
As a hitter, Gibson batted .206 (274-for-1.328) with 24 homeruns.
He scored 132 runs and batted in 144.
Gibson was selected for an All Star Game nine times, the first time in 1962.
He also won nine consecutive Gold Gloves (1965-1973).
Bob Gibson played in three World Series with St. Louis.
In 1964, he was 2-1 and won the Series with St. Louis against New York Yankees (4-3).
Gibson threw two complete games and struckout 31 batters.
For St. Louis, this was its first Championship-title since 1946.
Gibson was named MVP of the Series.
In 1967, he won the World Series again with St. Louis.
This time, the team defeated Boston Red Sox in seven games.
Gibson was 3-0, threw three complete games and struckout 26 batters.
Again, he won the Series MVP Award.
...Bob Gibson's...
...Hall of Fame Plaque... |
The 1968 season was nicknamed 'Year of the Pitcher', as there were several dominating pitchers in the Major League that season.
One of them was Bob Gibson.
As mentioned, he won 22 games in the regular season, led the Majors in ERA and won the Cy Young Award and MVP Award.
In the World Series of that year, St. Louis played against Detroit Tigers.
In the first game, Gibson set a record by striking out 17 batters.
Gibson also was the winning pitcher in Game 4 and then defeated Denny McLain, another strong pitcher that year.
Gibson then lost Game 7 when Mickey Lolich dominated for Detroit.
As pitching dominated in the 1968 season, Major League Baseball decided to change some pitching-rules.
The mound was lowered from 15 inches to 10 and the strike zone was lowered from the batter's armpits to the jersey letters.
Despite the rule-changes, Gibson remained a dominating pitcher in the remainder of his career.
After his playing career, Bob Gibson was a board-member for a local bank in Omaha, invested in a radio-station and started a restaurant in which he also worked himself.
He returned to baseball in 1981 when he became a member of the coaching-staff of New York Mets, which then was managed Joe Torre, his former teammate at St. Louis.
New York and Torre separated after the 1981 season.
Torre then was named Manager of Atlanta Braves for the 1982 season and took Gibson with him as his Pitching Coach.
He stayed on as the team's Pitching Coach through 1984.
Hereafter, Gibson was the host of a pre-game and post-game radio-show for Cardinals-games in 1985-1989.
He also was a TV-commentator for ESPN in 1990.
The former pitcher returned to the field in 1995 when he again was the Pitching Coach in the staff of Joe Torre, who then was the Manager of St. Louis Cardinals.
Gibson was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1981, the first year of his eligibility.
In 1999, he was named the Major League Baseball's All-Century Team.
When Gibson retired in September 1975, St. Louis immediately retired his uniform number 45.
In January 2014, Gibson was one of 22 players and ppersonnel to be named to the inaugural class that was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
He also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
A bronze statue of Gibson had been placed in front of Busch Stadium, the home of the Cardinals.
In 2019, a street in St. Louis was named after him and became the Bob Gibson Way.
...Bob Gibson strikes out 17 batters in Game 1 World Series 1968...
...Tim McCarver is the catcher, Tom Gorman the Home Plate Umpire... |
Lou Brock, who passed away last month, was a teammate of Bob Gibson for twelve seasons (1964-1975).
Another longtime teammate was Tim McCarver, who made his debut in the same season as Gibson, 1959.
McCarver also was his teammate and catchers for twelve seasons (1959-1961, 1963-1969, 1973-1974).
Other longtime and wellknown teammates of Gibson at St. Louis Cardinals include Ken Boyer, José Cruz, Curt Flood, Julian Javier, Dal Maxvill, Stan Musial, Mike Shannon, Ted Simmons (who elected into the Hall of Fame in December last year), Ted Sizemore, Joe Torre and Bill White and pitchers Nelson Briles, Steve Carlton, Al Hrabosky, Larry Jackson, Ray Sadecki and Ray Washburn.
Through the years, some of his other wellknown teammates in shorter periods include Matty Alou, Bernie Carbo, José Cardenal, Orlando Cepeda, Tito Francona (father of Cleveland Indians-Manager Terry Francona), Keith Hernandez, Roger Maris, Bake McBride, Minnie Minoso, Cookie Rojas, Red Schoendienst and Reggie Smith and pitchers Reggie Cleveland, Roger Craig, Mike Cuellar, Bob Forsch, Claude Osteen, Jerry Reuss and Rick Wise.
Bob Gibson was a competitive player, who always wanted to win and rarely smiled while being on the mound.
Many batters stated that he was an intimidating pitcher when they faced him, as his eyes stared them right in the face, which gave him an imposing presence.
He was known to throw inside to get batters back off the plate and to intimidate.
And he threw, what was called by many a 'fiery fastball'.
But despite throwing brushback pitches regularly, Gibson had a great control, as he hit only 102 batters in his career.
He threw two different fastballs, as well as a very effective slider.
Gibson didn't like it when a batter celebrated when he hit a homerun off of him.
But Gibson also was a player who played with pride and dedication.
For his team, for his teammates, for his sport, for his family.
That made him a well-liked teammate at the Cardinals and a much-respected pitcher overall in the Major League.
Bob Gibson was a beloved player throughout professional baseball and will surely be missed.
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...In Memoriam Tribute Bob Gibson by Major League Baseball... |
William O. DeWitt, Jr., Principal Owner and CEO of the St. Louis Cardinals, stated:
,,Bob Gibson was arguably one of the best athletes and among the fiercest competitors to ever play the game of baseball.
With yesterday being the anniversary of his record-setting 17 strikeout World Series game in 1968, it brought back many fond memories of Bob, and his ability to pitch at such a high level when the Cardinals were playing on the games’ biggest stages.
Even during the time of his recent illness, Bob remained a strong supporter of the team and remained in contact with members of the organization and several of our players.
He will be sorely missed''.
Janet Forbes Clark, Chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, said:
,,Bob Gibson’s intensity and determination commanded respect and admiration from his peers on the field, as well as the generations of baseball fans who followed him throughout his career.
His deep love and dedication to the game was felt by everyone he encountered, and nowhere more so than in Cooperstown, where he and his wonderful wife Wendy would return each summer, after his Induction in 1981.
On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire staff of the Hall of Fame, we send our love and deepest condolences to Wendy and the Gibson family.
Bob’s spirit will live on forever at the Hall of Fame''.
Major League Commissier Rob Manfred issued the following statement:
,,This is a very sad day for all of Baseball.
Bob Gibson produced one of the most decorated pitching careers in history with his intelligence, athleticism, durability and toughness.
One of only three players to be a two-time MVP of the World Series, this legend of October will always be remembered as one of our sport’s fiercest competitors.
His performance in 1968 with the Club he represented all his life, the St. Louis Cardinals, is on the short list of the best pitching seasons ever.
Bob was a loyal friend to many people throughout the National Pastime, and he will be deeply missed.
On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Bob’s family, friends, Cardinals fans, and all those who respected one of the greatest pitchers who ever lived''.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to the family of Bob Gibson and wishes them a lot of strength with this big loss.
(October 3)
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