On June 2, 1968, Bob Gibson notched his fourth win of the
season and his seventh complete game with a victory over the Mets in the first
game of a doubleheader at Shea Stadium in New York. Gibson ran into a little
trouble along the way, however, the offense showed up for him that day as the
Redbirds prevailed 6-3. It was their fourth win in a row. Before the day was
over they would win their fifth in a row with a 3-2 victory that completed a
four-game sweep of the National Leaguers that called the Big Apple home.
Once the contest got underway after being delayed by rain
for more than 40 minutes, Gibson was given run support right from the start. Lou
Brock doubled off New York’s starter Al Jackson, who followed that up with a
walk to Julian Javier. Curt Flood moved Brock and Javier over on a groundout,
and then the Mets skipper Gil Hodges chose to intentionally walk Orlando
Cepeda. Good chance Hodges was hoping the next man up, Mike Shannon, would hit
into a double play, but that hope was dashed when “The Moon Man” singled and
brought both runners around to score. While Jackson retired the next two
batters, the damage was done, and the Birds were up 2-0.
Gibson had his own hurdles to overcome during that first
inning. He walked the first man he faced, allowed a single to the next, retired
a man on a flyball, but hit J.C. Martin with a pitch that loaded the bases with
just one out. What did Gibson do? He struck the next two men out. The first was
Kevin Collins, and the next was Ed Kranepool who got caught looking.
Jackson looked to have settled down in the second with a
1-2-3 frame, but shoddy defense and timely hitting put two more runs on the
Cardinals side of the scoreboard in the third. Jackson began the inning with an
out off the bat of Javier. However, Curt
Flood reached first on an error when Weis mishandled a ball at short, Cepeda
doubled, Shannon was put on intentionally, then Tim McCarver came through with
a two-run single to extend the lead to 4-0. A two-run blast by Dick Simpson in
the fifth capped off the Cardinals scoring, as Gibson worked his way through
the Mets lineup on his way to victory.
Gibby did have a hiccup in the sixth after retiring the
first two men he faced he then walked three in a row to load the bases. The
Mets rightfielder Cleon Jones made him pay by rapping a two-run single of his
own to break up the shutout and put his club on the board, but well behind, as
they trailed 6-2. Al Jackson’s day ended for the Mets in the bottom of the
seventh when he was lifted for pinch hitter Ed Charles who got hold of a Gibson
pitch and cut the lead in half with a solo blast to make it 6-3.
Gibson regrouped and took charge the rest of the way.
Well, that is until the ninth, when he allowed back-to-back two out singles.
Suddenly the tying run was at the dish in Jerry Buchek. Gibson put him in check
with a strikeout to end the game. It was the eighth strikeout of the game for
Gibson who had allowed seven hits, and the three runs as well. His ERA rose
from 1.52 to 1.66. However, he was about to go on a historic run that would
bring that number down significantly.
This was a significant win during that 1968 season
because the Cardinals came into the contest tied for first. They were a half
game up after the contest and would never trail in the standings again that
season. While this Celebrate ’68 series is focused primarily on Bob Gibson, I
believe he would tell you it was a collective effort that led that club to a
pennant. For on all pennant winning teams you have a variety of heroes that
help them capture the flag. With that said, if we were to list the heroes, Bob
Gibson would likely top the list in 1968.
Sources included: The
Alton Evening Telegraph, The Bradford Era, The Constitution Tribune, The St.
Joseph Gazette, BaseballReference.com
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