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 There have been few pitchers more
intimidating or more dominating than
Bob Gibson. His great physical
stamina and tremendous concentration
gave him an enormous edge enhanced
by his willingness to pitch inside
and sometimes hit batters. His 1968
season is one of the very best ever
turned in by a pitcher, and his
stellar
World Series
performances made him the toughest
pitcher in the Fall Classic since
Whitey Ford
and brought him Hall of Fame
election in 1981. With a blazing
fastball, darting slider, good
curve, and pinpoint control, from
1963 to 1972 Gibson averaged better
than 19 wins per season. He struck
out more than 200 batters nine times
and led the NL four times in
shutouts. In 1971 he no-hit the
Pirates...Book
Bob Gibson for Your Event
Two aspects of Gibson's career
demand special mention. In 1968 he
pitched 13 shutouts on his way to a
1.12 ERA, the second-lowest since
1893 in 300 innings. During one
stretch Gibson allowed only two runs
over 92 innings. His strikeouts to
innings ratio approached 1.0, while
he walked only 62 batters all
season. At one point he won fifteen
games in succession. The second area
in which Gibson proved phenomenal
was
World Series
play. He won seven consecutive games
and pitched eight straight complete
games in
World Series
competition. Only
Whitey Ford
owns more World Series victories
than Gibson, who is also second
all-time in WS strikeouts. In the
opening match of the 1968 classic,
Gibson beat 30-game winner
Denny McLain
4-0 and set a Series record by
fanning 17 Tigers. His 35 total
strikeouts in the 1968 WS were also
a record. He won Game Four 10-1.
>>> Book Bob Gibson for Your Event
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