Hall of Fame Pitcher Bob Gibson Dies at Age 84

This has not been a good year for Hall of Fame baseball players who played from the mid 1950s to mid 1980s. Al Kaline, Tom Seaver, and Lou Brock all have left us in 2020, and now we add one more to the list with the passing of St. Louis Cardinals great Bob Gibson. Gibson died October 2nd of pancreatic cancer at age 84.

Gibson, a righthander, played his entire major league career (1959-1975) with the Cardinals, winning a pair of National League Cy Young Awards (1968 and 1970); he was also the N.L. Most Valuable Player in 1968. That year, Gibson started 34 games, was 22-9 with 28 complete games, 13 shutouts, and 268 strikeouts. But perhaps the most jaw dropping stat was his 1.12 ERA, which set a record for the Live Ball Era (1920 to the present) which still stands.

Gibson pitched in three World Series, and was the MVP in two of them (1964 and 1967). In the 1968 Series, Gibson set a World Series record that still stands, striking out 17 Detroit Tigers. In the 1967 World Series against the Boston Red Sox, Gibson was 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA, three complete games and a shutout. He was 7-2 with a 1.89 ERA and a pair of shutouts in his three World Series. He also hit home runs in the ’67 and ’68 Series.

A fierce competitor, Gibson made liberal use of the inside pitch, sending many a hitter spinning away or hitting the dirt. The bat flips and otherwise showing up the pitcher by today’s hitters simply did not happen when Gibson was on the mound, or if it did, the batter regretted it in his next at bat.

Gibson retired after the 1975 season with a career record of 251-174, a 2.91 ERA, and 3117 strikeouts. He could field his position as well, winning nine Gold Gloves.  He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, his first year of eligibility.