Celebrate '68: 21 Wins For Gibson

                On September 11, 1968, Bob Gibson locked down his 21^st win of the season with a 5-4 victory over the Dodgers at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The victory was not an easy one for Gibson, as all four runs were charged to the hurler, raising his ERA from 1.03 to 1.13. Despite that fact, Gibson went the distance in the contest, which earned him his 25^th complete game of the season.

            The Cardinals were facing an uphill battle just minutes after Gibson took the mound, when Los Angeles’ leadoff hitter Willie Crawford belted a home run. Gibby surrendered a two out double to Ron Fairly in the first as well, but he was able to get out of that frame down just 1-0.

            His counterpart Mike Kekich took the mound for the Dodgers and he was not sharp. The Redbirds were able to get the lead back right after Kekich gave a one out single to Julian Javier which was followed by a walk to Curt Flood. Javier scored when the next man up, Orlando Cepeda, singled to make it 1-1.

            Kekich was able to get out of that first inning with the game tied, but the same could not be said for the second inning. He gave up a one out double to Ron Davis and walked Dal Maxvill before getting Gibby out on a flyball that moved Davis over to third. Lou Brock ripped a double into left that brought both runners in. The score was 3-1 and Kekich was headed to the showers, after skipper Walter Alston called on Mudcat Grant to take over the mound.

            Grant was able to get out of the second when Javier grounded out. However, the pitcher had a rough go in the third when Flood opened with a single, Cepeda doubled him to third, and Mike Shannon hit a sac fly to bring Flood home to score. Tim McCarver doubled to bring Cepeda in, which brought the game to 5-1.

            Most days, you give Bob Gibson a lead like that and the game would be over. Not on this day in Cardinal history. He still had his work cut out for him. The Dodgers began to mount a comeback in the fifth. Gibson began the inning by plunking Willie Crawford, the same man who hit the leadoff home run in the first. Willie Davis followed him with a single. Just like that, the Dodgers had runners on first and third with no outs, and they were back in business. Tom Haller singled in Crawford to make it 5-2. Gibson’s pitch escaped McCarver which brought Davis in to score. The score was 5-3 with no outs and a man on second. Gibson regrouped and sat the next three men down in order.

            Mudcat Grant had gotten things figured out since allowing the runs in the third. He was able to hold the Cardinals in check thereafter. Gibson did the same against his foes until the ninth. He began that frame by getting back-to-back outs. He needed just one more out for the win. As they say, that last out of a ballgame can prove to be the hardest one to get, and it certainly was a tough one that day. The club from L.A. found life as Willie Davis, Tom Haller, and Ron Fairly each singled, respectively, ultimately bringing Davis in to score. Gibson stared at the next batter, Len Gabrielson, coming up to home plate. With men on first and second and two outs, he knew it was time to put this one down in the books. The story wrote itself when, moments later, Gabrielson hit a fly ball to Curt Flood in center field. 21 wins for Gibson.

            The countdown was on. The Cardinals’ magic number was down to four. There was talk of champagne, of another pennant, and of an upcoming World Series that could feature the likes of Denny McLain and Bob Gibson. That “Year of the Pitcher” is an astounding thing to look at, but I do believe that you can look at this game, along with many others, and realize that these games were not easy. In this instance, Gibson gave up 11 hits on the day, struck out six, and gave up one home run. Some of the wins Gibson earned that season almost seemed easy when we look back on them. This win is almost more impressive because he fought so hard for it. He reached down with the game on the line after a rough day at the office and found a way to win. After all, Bob Gibson was a warrior on the mound.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196809110.shtml

Sources included: The St. Joseph Gazette, The Schenectady Gazette, The Victoria Advocate, and Baseballreference.com

Celebrate '68: Gibson Takes The Loss Against San Fran

            On September 6, 1968, Bob Gibson lost just his second game in his last 20 starts, falling 3-2 to the San Francisco Giants during the first game of a doubleheader at Busch. Gibson went just eight innings in the contest, which ended a string of six complete games. The loss moved Gibson’s record to 20-7 and raised his ERA from 0.99 to 1.03.

            Many of the Cardinal faithful expected Gibson to go head-to-head with Juan Marichal. However, the Giants manager Herman Franks shuffled his starters at the beginning of the game and called on Bobby Bolin to pitch in the first game. Bolin was no Juan Marichal, but he got the job done for his club.

            The Cardinals did get to him in the third after Dal Maxvill led the inning off with a single. He scored later in the inning when Curt Flood came up with a two out single to make it 1-0 Redbirds. Gibby ran into trouble immediately thereafter. He surrendered a leadoff single to Ty Cline in the top of the fourth. Willie McCovey reached on an error by Maxvill before Gibson was able to record one out. The next two batters, Jesus Alou and Jack Hiatt came up with back-to-back singles that plated two, and, just like that, the score was 2-1 Giants.

            The Giants added a run in the sixth. Gibson gave up a single to Hart who stole second, then moved to third on a wild pitch. Gibson then retired two men in a row. He may have had visions of getting out of the inning unscathed, but Hal Lanier had other thoughts in mind. Lanier singled, Hart scored to make it 3-1, which proved to be the winning run.

            Bolin seemingly had the Cardinals on the ropes after his third inning hiccup. He had only allowed two hits heading into the eighth when they finally got to him. It was in that eighth inning that Red Schoendienst lifted Gibson for pinch hitter Johnny Edwards, who came up with a one out single. Shoendienst was not done pushing buttons. He sent Ron Davis to pinch run for Edwards, then watched Lou Brock hit a grounder to retire the lead man. Brock stole second, then scored when Flood knocked him in with a single. It was 3-2 and the Cardinals were knocking on the door.

            The Giants skipper then called on Fred Linzy to answer the door, or shut it I should say, as he was able to get Roger Maris to ground out. Shoendienst called on Ron Willis to take over pitching duties in the ninth. He worked his way out of a bases loaded jam to keep the Birds in it, but Linzy shut them down with a 1-2-3 ninth. As they say “You can’t win them all.” However, Lord knows that with Bob Gibson on the mound, there was always a chance. He would give it his all as he helped lead the way to the National League Pennant.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196809061.shtml

            As it turned out, Marichal would go onto claim his 25^th win of the season in what proved to be a shootout 8-7 victory for the Giants in the second game. Linzy was able to get the save in that game as well. Not a good day for the Redbirds. With that said, they were counting down the wins until they won the pennant and had their sights set on October baseball. In the end it was just one of those days. Move on to the next one and get right back to work. In a lot of ways that’s what baseball is all about.  Win or lose, you gotta put it behind you and focus on the task at hand.

Sources included: The Southeast Missourian, The Pittsburgh Press, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Kentucky New Era, and Baseballreference.com

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

Celebrate '68: Gibson Shuts'em Down In Pittsburgh

                On August 28, 1968, Bob Gibson went to Forbes Field in Pittsburgh and led the way to victory over the Pirates who had just beaten him four days earlier. The victory was a blowout for the Cardinals, as they took down the Pirates 8-0 in front of 11,000 plus. The win was Gibson’s 11^th shutout of the season, surpassing a franchise record of 10 shutouts, set by Mort Cooper in 1942. It was also Gibson's 19th win of the campaign, Gibson had lowered his ERA to 1.03 while striking out 14 men.

                Gibson had taken to the mound one day early because his book, Ghetto To Glory, was set to be released in New York City the following day. The short rest had no effect on Gibby. He went straight to work. Bob Veale got the start for the Bucs that day and was able to work through the first three innings unscathed. He was not so lucky in the fourth.

                Julian Javier and Curt Flood opened that inning with back-to-back singles. Moments later, Orlando Cepeda hit his 14^th home run of the season and the Birds were up 3-0. The inning was far from over. Veale retired one man before allowing a single to Tim McCarver, unleashing a wild pitch that moved McCarver over, then walked Dal Maxvill. Bob Gibson stepped to the plate and helped his own cause by knocking a single into left that brought both McCarver and Maxvill around to score. Veale found himself in a 5-0 hole before striking out Lou Brock and retiring Javier on a ground out. The Cardinals had batted around.

                Cepeda walked in the fifth, moved to third on a single by Mike Shannon, then scored when McCarver hit into a fielder’s choice. That ended Veale’s day, and with the 5-0 cushion, one would imagine Gibson was feeling pretty damn good. Cepeda added to his RBI totals with a single that plated Javier in the fifth. Later, Javier added to his RBI totals with a home run in the eighth. It was 8-zip. The offense had come alive, and Bob Gibson did what Bob Gibson did; He shut his opponent down.

                Not one Pirates player reached second base that day. They could hardly get a ball in play. Gibson allowed just four hits, and half of those four were credited to Manny Mota. Matty Alou and Gary Kolb were lucky enough to scratch hits off of the nearly untouchable Bob Gibson. As mentioned before, he had struck out 14, future hall-of-famer Willie Stargell falling victim to Gibby twice.  Two hours and twenty minutes after the first pitch was thrown, Gibson was right where he belonged… back in the win column.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT196808280.shtml

Sources included: Baseballreference.com, The Pittsburgh Press, The Southeast Missourian, The St. Joseph Gazette, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Celebrate '68: Gibson Loses For the First Time Since Late May

                On August 24, 1968, falling 6-4 to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch, Bob Gibson took a loss for the first time since the 28^th of May. Despite the loss, Gibson recorded his 22^nd complete game of the season, and struck out a season high 15 men. Unfortunately for him and the Redbirds, a home run by Willie Stargell and two errors would lead to the loss. Only three of the six runs that the Pirates scored were charged to Gibson.

            The Cardinals jumped out to a 1-0 lead after they opened the bottom of the first with four consecutive singles, which plated Lou Brock. Pittsburgh’s starter Bob Moose had flown in from North Carolina the night before from a stint with the Marine Corps reserves. He arrived after midnight and had to take the ball for a 1:15pm start. As it turned out, that may not have been a good move by the Pirates management, as Moose lasted just three and two thirds.

Moose began the fourth by surrendering a double to Orlando Cepeda, who scored when Mike Shannon came through with a one out single. Shannon moved over to second on a two out single by Dal Maxvill and scored when Gibson punched a single into right. That spelled the end for Moose. He handed the ball off to Luke Walker, who did not retire a single man. Gibson stole second on him, and moments later, Lou Brock drew a walk. Pittsburgh’s manager went to his pen once again, calling on Tommie Sisk who threw a wild pitch, bringing Maxvill dashing home. The score was 4-0 Cardinals, and with Bob Gibson on the bump, it probably seemed like they were well on their way to victory. However, nine innings of baseball must be played, and on this day the lead would not stand.

Gibson was flying through the lineup. He walked the first man he faced and set down 15 men in a row. That string of men ended in the sixth when Jerry May singled to open the fifth. Gibson set the next three men he faced down as the single to May seemingly did not phase him.

Then came the seventh. The inning opened with a grounder towards Cepeda that the first baseman could not handle, which would prove to be a costly error. Roberto Clemente, who had already struck out three times, singled and moved Alou over to third. Moments later, Willie Stargell jumped on a Gibson pitch that got over Lou Brock’s head and sailed over the wall in left. Just like that, the score was 4-3, and there was a ballgame at Busch. Gibson did not mess around with the next three batters. In fact, he struck out all three of them.

The Buc’s tied things up in the eighth after Freddie Patek got on base with a one out walk. He was moved over to third when Maury Wills doubled, then scored on a sac fly by Matty Alou. That play was contested by the Cardinals, as the throw home by Roger Maris to Johnny Edwards looked like an out.  When the home plate umpire, Mell Steiner, threw up the safe call, players flew his direction. The call stood, though, and the game was knotted at four all. Gibson ended the eighth with a strikeout of Clemente, but the damage had been done.

Stargell opened up the ninth with a double. Gary Kolb came in to run for him, just before another error led the way to the loss. The error came when Donn Clendenon bounced a ball to short. It looked like Kolb was hung out to dry, but Maxvill’s throw to third ended up hitting Kolb on the helmet. Instead of an out, Kolb scored and Clendenon dashed to second. Gibson and the Redbirds were down 5-4. That score became 6-4 when Gene Ally singled in the final tally of the ballgame. Neither run was charged to Gibson, but the loss was.  After the Cardinals failed to rally in the bottom of the ninth, his record went to 18-6. His ERA rose from 1.00 to 1.07.

As mentioned before, the loss was his first since May 28^th when the Giants came out on top with a score of 3-1. He had won 12 consecutive decisions from June 2^nd to July 30^th. The Cardinals lost when he started on August 4^th, but fell in 13 innings, after he had pitched 11 of them. He rattled off three more wins in a row after that game, running his streak to 15 wins since the beginning of June; achieving an absolutely astounding feat.  The loss did not stop Bob Gibson. Four days later he would face the Pirates again, and the outcome would be a much better one for the man who was on the road to 1.12.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196808240.shtml

Sources included: Les Biederman of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Toledo Blade, The Sarasota Herald, as well as Baseballreference.com

Celebrate '68: Gibson Did It Again

            On August 19, 1968, “Bob Gibson did it again.”  He won his 18^th game of the campaign, tossed his 21^st complete game, and recorded his 10^th shutout of the season. Gibson allowed just two hits during the 2-0 victory over the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. The shutout matched a franchise record that had been set by Mort Cooper in 1942. The win was also Gibson’s 15^th straight win. He had not been beaten since May 28^th as he owned the mound in St. Louis and everywhere else the team traveled.

            Ron Davis played an unlikely hero for the Redbirds after Red Schoendienst penciled him into center. Davis had been acquired in mid-June and was giving Curt Flood a breather. He did not find himself in the starting lineup much.  However, he made the most of it on that day. His first RBI came in the second after Phillies starter Woodie Fryman walked Mike Shannon, who moved to second on the first of three hits by Tim McCarver, before Davis came through with an RBI single.

            Meanwhile, Gibson was mowing them down. He had ten strikeouts through seven innings before Davis struck again with an RBI in the eighth. John Boozer had taken over pitching duties for the Phils in the third and had been effective throughout the game, until Phil Gagliano tripled to lead off the eighth. Boozer set Orlando Cepeda and Shannon down in succession, then issued an intentional pass to McCarver just to pitch to Davis. The move backfired as Davis came through again with a single that scored Bobby Tolan who had pinch run for Gagliano.

            Gibson, who had allowed his first hit of the game in the sixth, went into the bottom of the eighth with just one hit allowed on his side of the scoreboard. That one hit was by none other than the pitcher, Boozer. With that said, he did surrender his second hit during that inning. He had walked a man before Johnny Callison singled, putting men at second and third with two outs. Gibson retired the next man, then went out in the top of the ninth and led things off with a single. Nothing came of the base knock, but quite frankly Gibson did not need any more run support. He opened the bottom of the ninth by getting Cookie Rojas to fly out. The next man up, John Briggs popped out, then Gibson recorded the last out of the ballgame by striking out Dick Allen. He had struck eleven men out on the day. Dick Allen owned four of those strikeouts while Gibson’s ex-teammate and friend Bill White owned three.

            Gibson’s ERA dropped to 1.00 after the shutout. His dominance was far from over, as he led the way to the National League Flag. St. Louis and the rest of the nation knew the name Bob Gibson and when it came up I am sure that heads were shook in disbelief when the words were said, “Bob Gibson did it again.”

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI196808190.shtml

Sources included: The Victoria Advocate, The St. Joseph Gazette, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Baseballreference.com

I would also like to add that something I truly enjoy is writing about a guy like Ron Davis. We will forever remember the names of Bob Gibson, Ozzie Smith, Jim Edmonds, David Freese, and many others who have shined during the regular season and postseason. However, the men who are unsung heroes are often forgotten. Those guys that are fourth outfielders, defensive replacements, pinch runners, or even a mop up guy that takes some lumps when his team is getting blown out. When a team wins a division, a pennant, or a championship, each and every man who contributes to the team is a piece of a puzzle that made it happen. All too often, so many of the unsung heroes are forgotten, but on days like today it is my pleasure to sing a little bit of praise on their behalf. Respect.

Celebrate '68: Gibson Halts The Cubs At Wrigley

            On August 14, 1968, Bob Gibson recorded his 17^th win, and 20^th complete game of the season, by beating the Cubs 3-1 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The victory put an end to a string of seven straight victories over the Cardinals for the Cubs who had enjoyed crowds of more than 30,000 in each game of the three-game series. It was Gibson’s 14^th straight victory. He had not been beaten since the 28^th of May.

            Gibson went head-to-head with Joe Niekro that afternoon. The Cubs hurler looked like he was going to get through three innings with no score on the board, instead he watched his centerfielder Adolfo Phillips drop a fly ball that came off of Roger Maris’ bat. The error was costly. Maris scampered to second while Phillip recovered, and moments later he crossed the plate when Orlando Cepeda came through with a double.

            The Cards jumped ahead 2-0 in the fourth after Julian Javier came up big with a one out triple, then scored on a single by Dal Maxvill. That run would prove to be the game winner, as the Cubs scored in the bottom of the inning on an RBI by Jim Hickman. Cepeda padded the lead by knocking another run in during the seventh, and from there it was all Bob Gibson.

            A few runners would reach base for the Cubs the rest of the way, however, they would not reach home plate. With that said, the fans in Chicago may have been on the edge of their seats in the bottom of the ninth. Ernie Banks opened the inning with a single. Gibson retired the next two men, but he surrendered another single to Hickman, which put a man on at first and third. Cubs Manager Leo Durocher called on Dick Nen to pinch hit for the pitcher. He was the last hope for the Cubs, and that hope was lost when Gibson struck him out looking.

            Gibson’s ERA sat at 1.04 at the beginning of the day and it remained at that mark after he surrendered the one run. The Cardinals skipper Red Shoendienst joked that Gibson must have slipped since he gave up a run. The legendary Ernie Banks who had managed to get a hit off Gibson said, “That Gibson is really something. He doesn’t fiddle with his hat, or rub his uniform, or nothing. He just takes the ball, dares you to step into the batter’s box, and then hums it right by you.” Those who faced Gibson that season would have to get used to that hum as he made his way to the legendary mark of 1.12.

Check out the box score here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN196808140.shtml

Sources included: The Southeast Missourian, The Pittsburgh Press, The St. Joseph Gazette, The St. Petersburg Times, The Schenectady Gazette, The Victoria Advocate, and Baseballreference.com

 The artwork accompanying the article was done by G.T. Johnson. A print of this work can be purchased here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/BOB-GIBSON-ST-LOUIS-CARDINALS-ART-PRINT-/351969376367