Celebrate '68: Gibson Tosses a Gem, While Javier Plays The Hero

                On May 1, 1968, Bob Gibson pitched 12 innings and walked away with a victory as the Cardinals beat the Astros in Houston by the score of 3-1. Julian Javier was the offensive star in this one, going 4 for 5, knocking in two, and scoring the final Redbird run on an error.

                Javier got things started in the fourth, knocking in Johnny Edwards with a two out double. Javier was thrown out trying to stretch the double into a triple, but he put a run on the board nonetheless. That run would prove to be needed as the Astros would tie it after a pair of errors led to them tying the ballgame.  The great Bob Gibson put those errors behind him and went back to work, and so did the Astros’ pitchers. 

Houston’s starter Dave Giusti did an admirable job after allowing the fourth inning run, going eight innings, striking out five total, and holding the Cardinals at bay before being lifted for a pinch hitter.  Jim Ray took over pitching duties thereafter and did his job by pitching two scoreless frames before being lifted from the game for a pinch hitter.  Meanwhile, Bob Gibson was not budging on the mound. Neither the starters nor the pinch hitters could get to him, and after Wade Blasingame took over for the Astros, it was only a matter of time before Javier would come through again.

That time came after Blasingame pitched a scoreless 11^th. He followed that frame by surrendering a single to Edwards, who was then forced out when Mike Shannon hit one right back to the pitcher. Then came the offensive hero of the day… Julian Javier. The bespectacled second baseman tripled into left center, scoring on a wild throw by Houston shortstop Deni Menke.

Gibson went into the bottom of the 12^th with a 3-1 lead ready to celebrate victory. Houston’s second baseman Julio Gotay, who had picked up the ribbie in the fourth, had other ideas as he opened the inning with a double and stood on second base as the future Hall of Famer retired the next three men in a row. Two hours and fifty-five minutes after the game began, Gibson and the Birds were victorious. The hurler’s ERA dropped down to 1.43 after the 12-inning effort that saw him strike out seven. There’s a very good chance that the first person Gibby shook hands with was Javier as they each had a huge role in the Cardinals’ first win that May and their 14^th win of the season.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU196805010.shtml