Top 106 Baseball Players: #4 - Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson was the first great modern power pitcher, who was largely responsible for the last change to the pitching mound and was an absolute monster in the World Series.

Gibson first appeared with the Cardinals in 1959, but was used sparingly through his first 2.5 seasons, partly due to racial prejudice on the part of his manager. When the manager was replaced midway through 1961, Gibson was installed as a full-time starter, and remained one for the remainder of his career.

He showed steady improvement, increasing his win total each year through 1966, but it was in the 1964 postseason when people really began to take notice. He started 3 games in the World Series, losing a close one in Game 2, then winning Games 5 and 7, the latter a complete game on 2 days rest, to earn the series victory for the Cardinals. He set a new World Series record with 31 strikeouts, and was named the MVP as well.

He had his first two 20-win seasons in 1965 and 1966, and was on pace for another when a ball hit by Roberto Clemente hit him in the leg, breaking his fibula in half. He missed 3 months, but returned in time to lead the Cardinals to the pennant, where he was again great. He pitched 3 complete games, giving up only 14 hits, and struck out 26 with an ERA of 1.00 as he won all 3 of his starts and won another World Series MVP.

In 1968 he had one of the greatest pitching seasons ever. He posted a live-ball era record 1.12 ERA, led the league with 268 strikeouts and 13 shutouts, and pitched 28 complete games. During June and July, he started 12 games, winning them all in complete games, 8 of which were shutouts. He also posted an 0.50 ERA during that time, and had a 47-inning scoreless streak as well, and was named both the Cy Young and MVP winner after the season.

In Game 1 of the World Series, Gibson set an all-time record with 17 strikeouts, still the most ever in a World Series game, and it was also just the second time ever that a pitcher struck out at least one batter in ever single inning of a World Series game. After that shutout, he pitched the Cardinals to another victory in Game 4, then started strong in Game 7 before giving up a 3-run triple in the seventh that ended up costing them the series. He struck out 35 in that series, breaking his own record, and would have easily been named MVP again with a 1.67 ERA if they had won, but they fell just short.

After that season, the league decided to lower the pitchers mound and reduce the size of the strike zone, a set of rules often referred to as the "Gibson Rules." He was still the top pitcher that season, matching his 28 complete games from the previous season, getting one more strikeout, while his ERA rose only to 2.18 despite the rule changes.

The following season he set another new career high in strikeouts and led the league in wins for the first time, which enabled him to win his 2nd Cy Young award. He was also used regularly as a pinch-hitter that year, hitting .303 in 109 at-bats, an amazing feat for a pitcher.

In 1971, he had 2 major accomplishments. He reached 200 wins first, then pitched a no-hitter 10 days later, the first of his career. In 1974, he became the second pitcher ever to reach 3000 strikeouts, and the first to do it in the NL.

Though he is not at the top of any major pitching leaderboards, he has a load of impressive accomplishments. He won 2 Cy Young awards and an MVP, and had one of the best pitching seasons ever in 1968. He was a 2-time World Series MVP, and still holds the World Series record for most strikeouts in a game and in a series, and he ranks first, second, and fifth on the second list. He was the first pitcher in over 50 years to reach 3000 strikeouts, and is definitely one of the greatest players ever to take the mound.