June 27, 1975: 250 Wins For Gibby

     On June 27, 1975, Bob Gibson picked up the 250th win of his career, with a 6-4 win in the first game of a doubleheader against the Expos in Montreal. The Birds dropped the second game to the the squad who called Montreal home, but that was not the story of the day. The story of the day would be Bob Gibson, who reached a milestone that proved to be his last win as a starter. Gibson did add one more win to his totals one month later with a decision in relief. Gibson's 251 wins are far and wide the most wins in franchise history, with Jesse Haines' 210 wins coming in a distant second, while the next closest all time Redbird winner is Bob Forsch with 163.

     Gibson watched the first Redbird run cross the plate in the third when Lou Brock knocked in a run, then he helped his own effort by knocking in Mike Tyson with two outs in the fifth. Two batters later Gibson scored on a two run double by Ted Sizemore. Gibson sailed into the seventh up 4-0, then surrendered a leadoff single and a walk, which ended the day for the man who wore the 45 on his back. Gibson handed the ball over to Ron Bryant.

     The Expos scratched across three runs in that seventh inning. The first two were charged to Gibson. That 4-0 cushion had quickly become a a one run game. However, they got two of them back in the ninth, before Montreal came up with the final run of the game with an ill fated rally in the bottom of the inning that ended with a Mike Garman save.

     In many ways an era came to a close when Gibson handed that ball over in the seventh. While he did pick up one more win, the fact it was in relief was not a a typical Bob Gibson win. The mound warrior was 39 years old that season, and it would prove to be the final season of a storied career. That story included a lifetime 2.91 E.R.A., 3,117 strikeouts, 9 All Star appearances, 2 Cy Young Awards, 9 Gold Gloves, 2 World Series MVP Awards, an NL MVP, as well as being crowned a champion twice.

     The Gibson era was an era like no other. It was an era of dominance, an era of excellence, and an era of greatness. It was the greatest era for a pitcher in the history of the Cardinals franchise, and while it did have to come to a close the tale would be told time and time again, as the man is represented among the greatest players to ever step on a diamond at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Check out the box score here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197506271.shtml

The complete list of Cardinals all times wins leaders and more can be found here: http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/stats/sortable.jsp?c_id=stl#sortColumn=w&sectionType=sp&playerType=ALL&statType=pitching&season=2015&season_type=ALL&game_type='R'&elem=%5Bobject+Object%5D&tab_level=child&click_text=Sortable+Player+pitching&league_code='MLB'&page=1&ts=1435362996574