The St. Louis Cardinals' right-hander won 22 games and lost nine, with a miniscule 1.12 earned run average. Gibson completed 28 of 34 starts, with 268 strikeouts against 62 walks.
The Year of the Pitcher
Some other hurlers had terrific seasons during what sportswriters have dubbed The Year of the Pitcher. The LA Dodgers' Don Drysdale, for example, threw 58 2/3 scoreless innings. Denny McLain became the last pitcher to win 30 games, going 31 and 6 for the Detroit Tigers.
But Gibson still dominated '68.
For example, he won 15 in a row, with 10 shutouts, between May 28 and August 24. And in 96 and two-thirds innings between June 2 and July 30, Gibson surrendered exactly two earned runs.
"It's like having a night off out there when he's pitching," said Cardinal shortstop Dal Maxvill.
At his best, as in '68, Gibson had fantastic stuff.
His cut fastball drove the best batters bananas. It came in at roughly 96-98 mph. At the last second -- just when most hitters began to swing -- the pitch broke about six inches laterally, jumping away from right-handed batters and abruptly toward lefties. And Gibson had another fastball, just as swift as the cutter, which broke downward.
Gibson's slider, thrown at three-quarters of the fastball's speed with a bigger break, was no more hittable. He also had a backdoor slider, which acted like a startlingly swift screwball. And by '68, Gibson's control was such that he could almost always put his pitches where he wanted.
He had another weapon: intimidation. He regularly brushed back and sometimes hit batters who tried to claim the outside corner.
"That part of the plate belongs to me," Gibson explained, none too gently, to his former teammate Bill White after drilling him in the elbow.
Once on the mound, Gibson maintained a fierce pace to keep the opposition off balance. He wanted no discussions with his catcher, infielders or anybody else, no matter what.
Gibson in the 1968 World Series
Gibson was the Cards' first pitcher in the '68 World Series against the Tigers on Oct. 2. After he rang up a strikeout late in the game, St. Louis catcher Tim McCarver kept the ball while pointing to the scoreboard.
"Throw the &*@# ball back, will you?" Gibson yelled at his catcher. "C'mon, c'mon, let's go!"
But McCarver was adamant and the Cardinal fans were rocking Busch Stadium with their applause, so the pitcher finally glanced at the scoreboard. It read:
"Gibson's 15 strikeouts in one game ties the all-time World Series record held by Sandy Koufax."
After grudgingly tipping his cap, Gibson put it back on and struck out two more.
"I've never seen major-league hitters overmatched that way," recalled Cardinal third baseman Mike Shannon. "It was like watching a big-league pitcher against Little League batters."
The Tigers ultimately beat the Cardinals in seven games. A tired Gibson, making his third start after winning two, lost the final against Detroit's Mickey Lolich. But he finished the Series with 35 strikeouts and a 1.67 ERA, plus the Tigers' praise.
"He doesn't remind me of anybody,' said second baseman Dick McAuliffe. "He's all by himself."
And McLain, whom Gibson defeated in Game One, said simply: "I was awed. I was awed."
Gibson's 1968 Season Endures
Nearly 41 years later, some writers consider Gibson's 1968 season the best in major-league history. The Hall of Famer (he was elected in 1981, his first year of eligibility) doesn't claim it as such, though he is a proud man who has never been accused of false modesty.
He does, however, make two pertinent observations about that year in his autobiography:
"In the summer of 1968, I mastered my craft."
"I will say this much: I had my ^%$@# together in 1968."
Sources:
Roger Angell, Once More Around the Park: A Baseball Reader. New York: Ballantine Books, 1991.
Jonah Keri, "Forty years later, Gibson's 1.12 ERA remains magic number," ESPN.com, Feb. 7, 2008.
Bob Gibson with Lonnie Wheeler, Stranger to the Game: The Autobiography of Bob Gibson. Viking Penguin: New York, 1994.
