Celebrate '68: Drysdale Outduels Gibson At Busch

  On May 22, 1968, Bob Gibson and the Redbirds hosted Don Drysdale and the Dodgers in St. Louis. Drysdale had come to the mound that day having thrown 20 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball.  When he left town, he had thrown 29.  Gibson was a more than formidable foe, surrendering only one run.  As it turned out, that one run was all Drysdale would need in what proved to be a 2-0 Cardinals loss at Busch.

          Drysdale was the story of the day because of extending his streak. However, Bob Gibson was… well, he was Bob Gibson. The Cardinals legend allowed just one hit over eight innings of work. In the third, Gibby issued a one out walk to second baseman Paul Popovich.  He then served up a double to first baseman Wes Parker bringing Popovich around to score.

          Meanwhile, Drysdale set down batter after batter. He would end up allowing just five hits in his complete game effort, while Gibson’s day would end in the eighth after being lifted for a pinch hitter. Gibby’s teammate Joe Hoerner took over in the ninth for the Cardinals and watched the Dodgers tack on an insurance run. However, that run was not charged to the reliever because of a throwing error by Orlando Cepeda.

  There were just 9,560 fans in attendance that night at Busch Stadium. While they may have walked away disappointed, rightfully so, the fact of the matter is they were witnessing history on the grandest of scales.  On one side of that scale was Bob Gibson. He was at the top of his game, as would be the case throughout that 1968 season, allowing just the one hit, striking out six, and dropping his ERA from 1.36 to 1.34. On the other side of that scale sat Don Drysdale: allowing five hits, striking out eight, and walking away with a nearly equally impressive ERA of 1.64.

         What was more impressive in the long run for Drysdale was his scoreless inning streak. It would not be snapped until 18 days later; it came to a halt after throwing 58 and 2/3 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball, breaking Walter Johnson’s record of 55 and 2/3 consecutive innings. 20 years after Drysdale set the mark, he would be in the booth to watch another Dodger by the name of Orel Hershiser break his record by going 59 innings. Drysdale is still second on the all-time list. Bob Gibson is third on the list. We will get into that later…


Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196805220.shtml

Sources included:  The Bakersfield Californian, The St. Petersburg Times, The Southern Illinoisan, The Mount Vernon Register-News, ESPN.com/classicmoments, mlb.com/news/longest-scoreless-inning-streaks-in-history, and Baseballreference.com

Celebrate '68: Bill White Beats His Old Friend In Philly

                On May 17, 1968, Bob Gibson turned in a complete game, going nine and two-thirds, only to fall 1-0 to the Phillies in Philadelphia in the bottom of the tenth. Gibson’s former roommate and ex-Cardinal, Bill White, pushed in the winning run with a single in the tenth.

Gibson and the Redbirds faced Woodie Fryman that day in mid May, and the 28-year-old righty allowed just five hits in the contest. Mike Shannon picked up the first hit off Fryman with a double in the second. The only other man that could get to Fryman was Julian Javier who singled in four out of his five trips to the plate.

A duel until the end, both pitchers had only allowed five hits as the game went into the bottom of the tenth. Fryman was the first man up in that inning and singled to open the frame. He moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt, watched Cookie Rojas fly out, and then saw Gibson intentionally walk Johnny Callison to get to his old friend Bill White.

Gibby had walked Callison in the eighth with two outs to get to White and got him to pop out. In a story that was published in The Bakersfield Californian, White said, “It was embarrassing. It was like getting knocked down twice, and then you have to get up and keep on fighting.” When Gibson gave Callison the free pass to set the table for White in the tenth, he would forget being embarrassed in an instant as he singled in his pitcher, who was rewarded for his valiant effort against one of the best in the game: Bob Gibson.

Gibson’s ERA dropped from 1.43 to 1.36 after the outing in which he added five strikeouts to his resume. His counterpart, Woodie Fryman struck out nine in the contest, helping his team snap a four-game losing streak. During that 1968 season Gibson received very little run support. In a recent interview with Dan McLaughlin from Fox Sports Midwest, Gibson mentioned the frustration he felt when it came to the lack of run support he received during that ’68 season. It was a little more than three runs per game, and on many days, he was lucky to see three runs on the Cardinals side of the scoreboard. He had to pitch his ass off just to have a chance to win and that is what he did. Bob Gibson turned in stellar performance one after the other, as he mapped a road to a number that will not be forgotten… 1.12.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI196805170.shtml

Sources included: The Republican Courier, The Bakersfield Californian, The Daily Capital News, The Alton Evening Telegraph, Baseballreference.com, and Dan McLaughlin’s Game 3 Preview Against the Padres on May 12, 2018. You can listen to that here: https://soundcloud.com/dan-mclaughlin-428947011/cardinals-padres-game-3-preview-mixdown

Since I mentioned Danny Mac during this blog, I would like to take a moment to thank him for his ongoing support. I also sincerely appreciate his interactions with the fans, whether it be a lifelong fan here in St. Louis, or a young one in another city that he made sure got a baseball. I cannot overstate how much this fan of the game appreciates Dan McLaughlin. From what I understand, he will be starting full podcasts here soon, and I cannot wait to listen.

Celebrate '68: Gibson Drops One To Houston

                On May 12, 1968, the Houston Astros snapped Bob Gibson’s three-game winning streak and four complete game streak with a 3-2 victory over the Cardinals at Busch. Both clubs were haunted by unearned runs, but it was the Cardinals who would be haunted in the end after Denis Menke drove in what proved to be the game-winning run with a bases-loaded single in the seventh.

                Larry Dierker stood on the bump for the ‘Stros.  He surrendered an early 1-0 lead in the first when an error by shortstop Hector Torres put Roger Maris in the position to knock Curt Flood in with a double. That lead disappeared in the second when an error by Dal Maxvill put Houston’s catcher Dave Adlesh in the same position Maris found himself in during the first. Just like that it was 1-1.  The tide turned in the fourth when Mike Shannon lined a home run over the wall in right to put the Birds up 2-1.

                The two hurlers battled until the seventh when Gibson ran into trouble from the get go. He had the top of the order in front of him, which began with centerfielder Ron Davis who singled to start the inning. He then hit rightfielder Norm Miller with a pitch, before leftfielder Jim Wynn bunted his way on to load the bases. Gibson retired the next two men but could not get Menke, who knocked in Davis and Miller. Up to that point, Gibson had struck out nine men. He finished off the seventh inning with his 10^th strikeout of the day.

                Gibson went one more inning. He was lifted for a pinch hitter when the Cardinals came to bat in the eighth. Hal Gilson took over pitching duties, but the Birds could not get to Dierker. The Astros hurler sailed into the ninth having scattered six hits. He allowed his seventh hit to Roger Maris to begin the ninth, then sat down the next three men in a row to end it.

                Gibson’s ERA sat at 1.43 at the end of this day. He had been charged with the two runs over eight innings. His performance was certainly good enough for the Cardinals to win. However, as we all know, there are days when the offense fails to come through for a pitcher who turns in a splendid performance.  There are also days when a pitcher turns in a splendid performance only to watch his counterpart do the same for the opposing team.

                To think about the fact that Gibson finished that season with an ERA of 1.12, and still lost nine games is astounding. It was the year of the pitcher though, and the Cardinals had to face their fair share of good and even great pitchers. With that said, they had one of the greatest of them all. He wore the 45… His name was Bob Gibson.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196805120.shtml

Sources included: The Southeast Missourian, The Victoria Advocate, The St. Joseph Gazette, The Alton Evening Telegraph, and Baseballreference.com

Celebrate '68: Gibson and Seaver Duel At Busch

On May 6, 1968, a duel to remember took place in St. Louis as Bob Gibson and Tom Seaver went head-to-head in front of 12,741 fans. Gibson would get the best of “Tom Terrific” on that day in early May, winning 2-1 in 11 innings. Tom was terrific nonetheless. As was Gibson.

            The Cardinals took an early 1-0 lead in the second after Tim McCarver singled, reached second on an error by first baseman Ed Kranepool, then came around to score on a single by Julian Javier. From there, Seaver was lights out. In fact, he no-hit the Cardinals until the tenth when he surrendered a single to Mike Shannon in.

            After McCarver scored in the second, The Mets came back with a run in the fourth to tie it up, by picking up three singles in a row by Bud Harrelson, Ken Boswell, and Art Shamsky who earned the RBI. The single by Shamsky was followed by a flyball to center, that looked like it was going to bring in the rookie Boswell to score on the sac fly. However, Boswell slid wide and missed the dish. McCarver did not realize he missed the plate, but Orlando Cepeda shouted at him to tag the runner. In a haste, McCarver applied the tag to keep the game knotted at one.

            Those three hits that the Mets bunched together to start off the fourth would be the only hits that Gibson gave up that day. He struck out 11 through 11, then was rewarded for his efforts in the bottom of that inning when Lou Brock tripled off Seaver to begin the inning. The Mets’ skipper Gil Hodges then chose to intentionally walk Curt Flood and Roger Maris to load the bases for Orlando Cepeda. Hodges had to be hoping for a force at the plate, however, Cepeda made him pay by singling to right for the game winning RBI. Two hours and ten minutes after the game begun the Cardinals were victorious. It was a game for the ages indeed.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196805060.shtml

Some side notes: Gibson threw 109 pitches, while his counterpart Tom Seaver threw 120. The two pitchers would combine for 562 wins in their careers. It had to be something special to see those two go at it. Just think, so far, we have looked at a game where Gibson faced Fergie Jenkins, and now we have looked at one that had him going against Tom Seaver. The matchups were fierce. The competition was great. What a year it was. #Celebrate68.

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

Celebrate '68: Cepeda and McCarver Go Yard; Gibson Gets The Win

            On April 26, 1968, Bob Gibson’s ERA was sitting at what proved to be a season-high 2.35. By the end of that day it sat at 1.97 and he had gotten his first win of the season. That win came in large part thanks to solo home runs by Orlando Cepeda and Tim McCarver in the 2-1 victory over the Pirates at Busch Stadium.

Gibson faced Bob Veale in the contest. A formidable opponent, Veale only allowed four hits in the contest. However, as you already know, two of those hits were mistake pitches that left the yard. Gibson, on the other hand, scattered seven hits throughout the contest. Two of those came in the fourth inning and ended up with a Pirates run on the scoreboard. That run was credited to Don Clendenon who hit a sac fly that brought Roberto Clemente trotting in to score. The Bucs were up 1-0.

The visitors’ lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the fourth, Cepeda lunged at one and got just enough of it to put it over the wall in right. The slugger said it was the first home run he hit to right in his three years with the Redbirds, and it was a big one as it had tied the game up. The score remained tied until the seventh. In the top of that inning, Gibson nearly surrendered the lead after allowing a two-out single to Matty Alou. A wild pitch and a passed ball moved Alou to third before Gibby was able to retire Pittsburgh’s catcher Jerry May with a fly to center. Then came the big fly, the one that counted the most: Tim McCarver’s first long-ball of the ’68 season. In an article that appeared in The Altoona Mirror out of Pennsylvania, an excited McCarver would later say “I hit a breaking ball for a home run. I needed that home run for confidence, and getting it from Bob Veale, who I consider one of the toughest lefthanders to hit, means something.” It most definitely meant something. It meant the Cardinals were on the way to victory.

Gibson sailed the rest of the way, only allowing one more hit, a two- out single to Clendenon in the ninth. He struck Alou out looking only to end it one batter later to put himself in the win column for the first time that season.  His counterpart, Bob Veale, was coined the “hard luck” pitcher in the tilt. It seems that Veale pitched well when the ball was handed to him but could not get the run support needed to get wins. His record for that ’68 season speaks for itself when you line it up next to his ERA: 13-14 with a 2.05 earned run average.  I would say Bob Veale certainly suffered some hard luck. After all, he had to face Bob Gibson on that day in late April.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196804260.shtml

Celebrate '68: Jenkins Takes Down Gibson's Birds

            On April 20, 1968, Bob Gibson and Ferguson Jenkins went head-to-head in a Cubs/Cards battle at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Gibson stepped on the mound that day in search of his first win of the campaign but walked away in defeat. In the battle of future Hall of  Famers, only one could prevail. On that day, it would be Jenkins.

             Despite that fact, Gibson went the distance in the contest right alongside Jenkins. Gibby surrendered a two-run shot off the bat of Billy Williams in the first and then saw two unearned runs cross the plate in the fifth due to an error was committed by Julian Javier.  The Cubs had a lead that grew to 5-0 in the eighth after Ernie Banks picked up a two out single followed by a Lou Johnson RBI double. The Cubs hurler was able to hold the Cardinals offense in check throughout the contest and Jenkins rolled into the ninth having just allowed two hits. He picked up two outs in the ninth before surrendering the third hit that flew over the wall when Curt Flood got a hold of one. However, Jenkins set down Bobby Tolan to end it and secure the 5-1 victory for the club that calls Wrigley Field home.

            The final line for the two pitchers was as follows: Jenkins struck out seven, allowed the lone Cardinals run, and allowed just three hits. Gibson struck out eight, was charged with three earned runs, and was victimized with ten hits against him. While the Redbirds did not walk away victorious, I would imagine that seeing these two men on the mound would have been quite the sight.

            In 1968, “the year of the pitcher” had a total of seven pitchers reach the 20 wins or more. Ferguson won 20 for the Cubs while Gibson would finish with 22 wins for the Cardinals. Only two men won more games than Gibson: Juan Marichal with 26 and Denny McLain who won 31 during the phenomenal year that would forever change baseball.

          The Cardinals went 9-9 against the Cubs that season. The Baby Bears were a hardly a threat to the defending World Series champions. Finishing with a 97-65 record, the Cardinals did not trail in the standing after the last day of May. The Cubs, on the other hand, finished 84-78 and sat at home while the Cardinals went on to represent the National League in The Fall Classic.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196804210.shtml

The "Gibson Says Good Legs Mean Complete Games" article was published the day after the game took place. I found it to be a great piece, as he talked about what he believed made him successful. His belief led to 13 complete game shutouts, so I would bet we can all agree that strong legs helped him out quite a bit