Saturday Extra: Remembering Bob Gibson


Bob Gibson, who died of cancer Friday at 84, was as determined and fierce a competitor as ever worked from a mound. #45 in white and red, the greatest pitcher in Cardinals history, totaled 251 wins, 255 complete games and 3117 strikeouts in 17 St. Louis seasons.  He reached his peak in 1968. Sure, they called it the Year of the Pitcher. But they could have simply called it the Year of Bob Gibson. That season, alongside 22 wins, he posted a near-invisible ERA of 1.12 -- en route to both the Cy Young Award and being named National League MVP. He then struck out a record 17 in the opening game of the World Series. But, impressive as they are, those are just numbers.

The heart and soul of the '64-67-68 pennant winners, the Omaha native ruled the mound like a lion perched on a soaring rock. Cold blooded, totally focused, a man who delighted in staring down opposing batters. Gibson had that rare ability to turn it up a notch in the highest pressure situations. Want proof? He lost the first (1964) and last (1968) World Series games in which he pitched -- but in between, he won seven straight -- all of them, complete games.

As great as he was in baseball, Gibson was also a talented basketball player. He starred at Creighton University, but didn't draw much interest from the NBA, so he joined for the Harlem Globetrotters. Eventually, the Cardinals offered him enough of a bonus to have him commit to baseball.

The ultimate tough guy on the mound was a valued mentor in his later years. A pitching coach under Joe Torre with the Mets and Braves, he returned to the Cardinals as a Spring Training instructor and mentor to younger players.  He was in New York in 2008 to take part in the All Star Game parade up Avenue of the Americas. That's where I snapped this photo.

The one opponent Gibson couldn't beat was pancreatic cancer. He tenaciously fought it for more than a year before the "final out" occurred Friday.

Just remember that if pitching really is 90% of baseball, Bob Gibson symbolized what it means to be an over-achiever.

Comments

Bryan Nazario said…
One of the greatest of legends. You didn’t want to face him in a big game.
October 3, 2020 at 9:20 AM
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