Gibson, Bob (1935-2020), was one of the most dominating pitchers in baseball history. He was known for his fastball, his control, and his intense concentration on the mound. Gibson played his entire major league career with the Saint Louis Cardinals of the National League. He became the second pitcher in baseball history to strike out 3,000 batters. He won the Cy Young Award as the National League’s best pitcher in 1968 and 1970 and also was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1968. In that year, Gibson’s 1.12 earned run average set a major league record for a player who pitched at least 300 innings.
Gibson was an all-around player. From 1965 to 1973, he won nine consecutive Gold Glove awards for his fielding. He was also a better hitter than most pitchers and ended his career with 24 regular-season home runs. Gibson compiled an outstanding record in World Series competition. He won a total of seven games in the Series of 1964, 1967, and 1968 with an earned run average of 1.89. He struck out 92 batters in 81 innings.
Pack Robert Gibson was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on Nov. 9, 1935. He later dropped his first name, Pack, which he had been given to honor his father. Bob attended Creighton University in Omaha on a basketball scholarship. He signed with the Cardinals in 1957 and played for their minor league team in Omaha. He also played a season with the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. Gibson pitched part of the 1959 and 1960 seasons with St. Louis and became a regular in 1961. He retired during the 1975 season with 251 career wins and 3,117 strikeouts. Gibson was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. He wrote an autobiography, Stranger to the Game (1994, with Lonnie Wheeler). Gibson died on Oct. 2, 2020.
