Celebrate '68: Gibson Opens The Season At Busch

          On April 10, 1968, one of the most historic pitching campaigns in the history of baseball began in St. Louis as Bob Gibson went after his first win against the Atlanta Braves at Busch Stadium. As we look back at this game, it will be the beginning of a series called “Celebrate ’68” which will cover each Bob Gibson start from the campaign. That season, the legendary pitcher-donning 45 on his back while wearing the birds on the bat on the front-made 34 starts, completing 28 of them, recorded 13 shutouts, and posted a 22-9 record along the way. This season we will celebrate '68, the year of the pitcher, the year of 1.12... The year of Bob Gibson.

Gibson and the rest of the defending champions had their hands full with Pat Jarvis going for the Braves. After falling behind 1-0 in the second due to an error by Lou Brock, Jarvis tied the Cardinals up, holding them hitless through five. It was none other than Bob Gibson who broke up the no-no with a single to lead off the sixth.  Still trailing 1-0 late in the ballgame, the Cardinals skipper Red Schoendienst went with a pinch hitter to generate offense, which ended Gibson's day.

The move failed to produce. However, the tide turned in the eighth when a Curt Flood single led to an RBI by Orlando Cepeda to knot things up 1-1. Jarvis worked his way into the ninth, retiring the first batter, before Dal Maxvill doubled to left. Atlanta's skipper Lum Harris went to his pen following the double, calling on Ken Johnson, while Schoendienst called on Dave Ricketts to pinch hit for the eventual game winner Ray Washburn. The redhead also called on Dick Simpson to run for Maxvill. Moments later the game was over as Ricketts singled, Simpson scored, and 34,000 plus cheered as the Redbirds celebrated the 2-1 victory at the dish.

The final line for Gibson was 7 innings pitched, 3 hits, 1 unearned run, and a walk. He may not have gotten the win, but he sure as hell did his job.

An astounding fact from that season is that Gibson was never removed from a game from the mound. He was either replaced by a pinch hitter or he went the distance. 

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196804100.shtml

Side note: The story that appears in the photo was published in the St. Petersburg Times the following day. It was not until I saw this version that I caught onto the unusual double play that took place in the fifth, which ended with Dal Maxvill tagging out two runners at third.