Celebrate '68: 20 Wins For Gibson

            On September 2, 1968, it took Bob Gibson 10 innings to record his 20^th win of the season. The victory was a 1-0 shutout over the Reds at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Julian Javier played the offensive hero by belting a homer to lead off the Cardinals' half of the 10^th. The monumental win was Gibson’s 12^th shutout as well as his 24^th complete game of the campaign. Once the game was in the books, Gibson’s ERA sat at an astounding 0.99.

            Gibson and the Cardinals had their hands full facing Gary Nolan. The Reds hurler held the Redbirds in check through nine. He had struck out eight and allowed just five hits along the way. Gibson had struck out seven through nine and allowed just two hits up to that point.

The momentum changer in the game happened after the ninth inning ended and Nolan had to be replaced by Ted Abernathy. Nolan had been bothered by a strain in his ankle and it began to bother him late in the game. Abernathy was a proven reliever that had led the National League in saves one season earlier. The first batter he faced in Javier was not known as a home run threat, but Julian got just enough of an Abernathy pitch to get it to fly over the wall in left just inside the foul pole. The big blast was his third home run of the season and his second game in a row with a longball.

Gibson had to walk to the mound in the bottom of the tenth happy to have the lead after the hard-fought battle. With that said, I am sure that Bob Gibson knew that battle was not over. He would have to retire three men to end it. He was able to get the first two in a row before the Reds looked to have a little life. Tommy Helms and Mack Jones picked up back-to-back singles, which brought Fred Whitfield to the plate to pinch hit for Abernathy. Whitfield had reached double digits in the home run department four seasons in a row from 1963 to 1966, so he was a legitimate power threat. His problem was that he had to face Bob Gibson, who was able to get him to hit a flyball to left to end it.

Gibson pitched into extra innings four times during that 1968 season. The club only lost one of those contests, which Gibson was pulled from after eleven innings. That contest went to the 13^th before it was decided. The September 2^nd contest was the only extra inning shutout of the season for the man who wore the 45 on his back, and it is safe to say it was a masterpiece.

Gibson’s final line was 10 innings pitched, four hits allowed, along with three walks. The fact that his ERA dipped below one in the month of September in what was his 29^th start of the season is perhaps the most jaw-dropping stat of them all. He was the most dominant man in all of baseball. The dominance that led to the magic number 1.12 will never be forgotten.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN196809020.shtml

Sources included:  The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Toledo Blade, The St. Joseph Gazette, and Baseballreference.com