:Bob Gibson

{{About||other people with the same name|Bob Gibson (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Bob Gibson

|position=Pitcher

|image=Bob Gibson 1962.png

|caption=Gibson in 1962

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1935|11|9}}

|birth_place=Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.

|death_date = {{death date and age|2020|10|2|1935|11|9}}

|death_place = Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=April 15

|debutyear=1959

|debutteam=St. Louis Cardinals

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 3

|finalyear=1975

|finalteam=St. Louis Cardinals

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=251–174

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=2.91

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=3,117

|teams=

St. Louis Cardinals ({{mlby|1959}}–{{mlby|1975}})

|highlights=

9× All-Star (1962, 1962², 1965–1970, 1972)
2× World Series champion ({{wsy|1964}}, {{wsy|1967}})
NL MVP (1968)
2× NL Cy Young Award (1968, 1970)
2× World Series MVP (1964, 1967)
9× Gold Glove Award (1965–1973)
NL wins leader (1970)
MLB ERA leader (1968)
NL strikeout leader (1968)
Pitched a no-hitter on August 14, 1971
St. Louis Cardinals No. 45 retired
St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame
Major League Baseball All-Century Team

|hoflink = National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

|hoftype = National

|hofdate=1981

|hofvote=84.0% (first ballot)

}}

Robert Gibson (November 9, 1935{{spnd}}October 2, 2020), nicknamed "Gibby" and "Hoot", was an American baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959 to 1975. Known for his fiercely competitive nature, Gibson tallied 251 wins, 3,117 strikeouts, and a 2.91 earned run average. A nine-time All-Star and two-time World Series Champion, he won two Cy Young Awards and the 1968 National League Most Valuable Player Award.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Gibson overcame childhood illness to excel in youth sports, particularly basketball and baseball. After briefly playing with the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, he chose to pursue baseball and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He became a full-time starting pitcher in July 1961 and earned his first All-Star appearance in 1962. Gibson won 2 of 3 games he pitched in the 1964 World Series, then won 20 games in a season for the first time in 1965. Gibson also pitched three complete game victories in the 1967 World Series. He is one of four players and two pitchers to win multiple World Series MVPs.

The pinnacle of Gibson's career was 1968, during the "Year of the Pitcher", which is regarded as one of the greatest single pitching seasons of all-time; he posted a 1.12 ERA for the season and then recorded 17 strikeouts in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series. Gibson threw a no-hitter in 1971 but began experiencing swelling in his knee in subsequent seasons. At the time of his retirement in 1975, Gibson ranked second only to Walter Johnson among major-league pitchers in career strikeouts. When describing Gibson’s career, his former all-star teammate Tim McCarver jokingly remarked, "Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He always pitches when the other team doesn't score any runs.”

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, his first year of eligibility, and the Cardinals retired his uniform number 45 in September 1975, the year he retired. Gibson was later selected for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. He died of pancreatic cancer on October 2, 2020.

Early life

Gibson was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on November 9, 1935, the youngest of Victoria (née Brown) and Pack Gibson's seven children.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 11, 14. Gibson's father died of tuberculosis three months prior to Gibson's birth, and he was named "Pack Robert Gibson", in honor of his late father.{{cite web |title=Bob Gibson (SABR BioProject) |website=Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/bob-gibson/}} While he revered his father's legacy, Gibson disliked the name "Pack" and later legally dropped it.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 11.

Although afflicted by rickets and respiratory disease as a child, Gibson was active in sports, particularly baseball and basketball, in both informal and organized settings.{{cite news |title=Illness Plagued Gibson as Child |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/10/16/archives/illness-plagued-gibson-as-child-he-was-born-sick-mother-says.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 16, 1964}} Gibson's brother Josh, 15 years his senior, had a profound effect on his early life, serving as his mentor and a father figure.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 12–15. Gibson played on a number of youth basketball and baseball teams his brother coached, many of which were organized through the local YMCA.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 15–19.

Gibson attended Omaha Technical High School, where he participated on the track, basketball, and baseball teams.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 20–23. Gibson was named to the All-State basketball team during his senior year of high school by a newspaper in Lincoln, Nebraska, and soon after won a full athletic scholarship for basketball from Creighton University.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 23, 32. Indiana University had rejected him after stating their "Negro athlete quota" had already been filled.{{cite news |last1=Perry |first1=Dayn |title=Just because: Bob Gibson, basketball star |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/just-because-bob-gibson-basketball-star/ |work=CBS Sports |date=August 5, 2013}}

While at Creighton, Gibson majored in sociology, and continued to experience success playing basketball. At the end of his junior basketball season, he averaged 22 points per game, and made third team Jesuit All-American.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 36–37. As his graduation from Creighton approached, the spring of 1957 proved to be a busy time for Gibson. Aside from getting married, Gibson had garnered the interest of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team and the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 40–43.

Gibson eventually signed a deal which allowed him to play baseball in the Cardinals minor league system for the rest of the summer after which he would play for the Globetrotters for four months.{{cite news |title=Omaha Signs Bob Gibson |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-lincoln-star-omaha-signs-bob-gibson/60439194/ |work=The Lincoln Star |agency=International News Service |date=June 11, 1957}} After the four months were over, he and the Cardinals agreed that he would focus solely on baseball; he received a $3,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|3000|1957|r=-3}}}} today) signing bonus to sign with the team.

Baseball career

=Early struggles=

Gibson made his pitching debut for the Omaha Cardinals of the American Association, one of the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliates. He struggled against Triple-A hitting however, recording an earned run average of 4.29 in his first ten games, including four starts. He was reassigned to the Columbus Foxes of the South Atlantic League, the team's Single-A affiliate where his performance improved a little; making eight starts, he recorded an earned run average of 3.77 for the team.{{cite web |title=Bob Gibson Minor League Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=gibson001rob |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

The following season, he was first assigned to the Rochester Red Wings of the International League, another Triple-A affiliate of the Cardinals. He improved significantly, recording an earned run average of 2.45 in twenty games, including eleven starts. He threw seven complete games and 103 innings. The Cardinals reassigned him to Omaha where his performance slightly worsened, with an ERA of 3.31 in eleven starts, though he did record his first professional shutout.

Gibson was assigned to the Cardinals' big league roster for the start of the 1959 season, making his Major League debut on April 15 against the Los Angeles Dodgers; he pitched two innings in relief, giving up two runs, including a home run to Jim Baxes, the very first batter he faced.{{cite web |title=St. Louis Cardinals vs Los Angeles Dodgers Box Score: April 15, 1959 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN195904150.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Reassigned to their Omaha affiliate soon after, Gibson returned to the Major Leagues on July 30 to make his first career start; he earned his first Major League win the same day, a shutout against the Cincinnati Reds.{{cite news |last1=Russo |first1=Neal |title=Cards' Gibson, in First Big League Start, Shuts out Reds |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-bob-gibson-first/82512516/ |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=July 31, 1959}}{{cite web |title=St. Louis Cardinals vs Cincinnati Reds Box Score: July 30, 1959 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN195907300.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

Gibson's experience in 1960 was similar to his first season in the majors, pitching nine innings for the Cardinals before shuffling between the Cardinals and their Rochester affiliate until mid-June. After posting a 3–6 record with a 5.61 ERA for the season, Gibson traveled to Venezuela to participate in winter baseball at the conclusion of the 1960 season.{{cite web |url=http://www.pelotabinaria.com.ve/beisbol/mostrar.php?ID=gibsbob001 |title=Bob Gibson stats in Venezuela|website=Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional}} He was also sent to Puerto Rico to play for the Cangrejeros de Santurce before and after the 1961 season.{{cite web |url=https://beisbol101.com/jugador/bob-gibson/ |title=Bob Gibson stats in Puerto Rico |website=Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico}}

Cardinals manager Solly Hemus shuffled Gibson between the bullpen and the starting pitching rotation for the first half of the 1961 season.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 64–65. Years later, Gibson indicated that Hemus's racial prejudice played a major role in his misuse of Gibson, as well as of teammate Curt Flood, both of whom were told by Hemus that they would not make it as major leaguers and should try something else. Hemus was replaced as Cardinals manager in July 1961 by Johnny Keane, who had been Gibson's manager on the Omaha minor league affiliate several years prior.{{cite news |title=Book Excerpt: Bob Gibson's Experience with Racial Injustice in the 1960's |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/news/book-excerpt-bob-gibsons-experience-with-racial-injustice-in-the-1960s |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=October 4, 2020}} Keane and Gibson shared a positive professional relationship, and Keane immediately moved Gibson into the starting pitching rotation full-time. Gibson proceeded to compile an 11–6 record the remainder of the year, and posted a 3.24 ERA for the full season.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gibsobo01.shtml |title=Bob Gibson Career Statistics |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

Off the field, Gibson, along with teammates Bill White and Curt Flood, started a movement to make all players live in the same clubhouse and hotel rooms. Their campaign led the St. Louis Cardinals to become the first sports team to end segregation, three years before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.{{cite web |last1=Sands |first1=Ethan |title='After Jackie' tells story of players who pushed for progress after Robinson |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/after-jackie-documentary-bob-gibson-bill-white-curt-flood |website=MLB.com |date=June 17, 2022}}

=Breakthrough=

{{Quote box

| quote = "Don't dig in against Bob Gibson. He'll knock you down. He'd knock down his own grandmother.

Don't stare at him, don't smile at him, don't talk to him. He doesn't like it.

If you happen to hit a home run, don't run too slow and don't run too fast. If you want to celebrate get in the tunnel first.

And if he hits you, don't charge the mound because he's a Golden Gloves boxer."

| source = — Hank Aaron's advice to teammate Dusty Baker on facing Gibson.{{cite book |last1=Posnanski |first1=Joe |title=The Baseball 100 |date=2021 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-1982180584 |pages=388 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ljFAEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA388}}

| width = 35em

| align = right

| salign = left

}}

In late May of the 1962 season, Gibson pitched {{frac|22|2|3}} consecutive scoreless innings on his way to being named an All-Star for the first time.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 70–72. He was named to both All-Star Games that year, pitching two innings in the second.{{efn|Major League Baseball held two All-Star Games for the years from 1959 to 1962.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/sports/baseball/15sandomir.html?ref=sports |title=When Midsummer Had Two Classics |author=Sandomir, Richard|work=The New York Times|date=July 15, 2008}}}} Despite suffering a fractured ankle late in the season, Gibson still finished 1962 with his first 200-strikeout season.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 72–73.

The rehabilitation of Gibson's ankle was a slow process, and by May 19 of the 1963 season he had recorded only one win.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 74. Gibson then turned to rely on his slider and two different fastball pitches to reel off six straight wins prior to late July.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 75. He and all other Major League pitchers benefited from a rule change that season which expanded the strike zone.Halberstam, p. 119. Adding to his pitching performances was Gibson's offensive production, with his 20 RBIs outmatching the combined RBI output of entire pitching staffs on other National League teams.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 78. Even with Gibson's 18 wins and the extra motivation of teammate Stan Musial's impending retirement, however, the Cardinals finished six games out of first place.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 79–80.

Building on their late-season pennant run in 1963, the 1964 Cardinals developed a strong camaraderie that was noted for being free of the racial tension that predominated in the United States at that time.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 82–83.Halberstam, pp. 113–115. Part of this atmosphere stemmed from the integration of the team's spring training hotel in 1960, and Gibson and teammate Bill White worked to confront and stop use of racial slurs within the team.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 58–59. On August 23, the Cardinals were 11 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies and remained six-and-a-half games behind on September 21. The combination of a nine-game Cardinals winning streak and a ten-game Phillies losing streak then brought the season down to the final game. The Cardinals faced the New York Mets, and Gibson entered the game as a relief pitcher in the fifth inning. Aware that the Phillies were ahead of the Cincinnati Reds 4–0 at the time he entered the game, Gibson proceeded to pitch four innings of two-hit relief, while his teammates scored 11 runs of support to earn the victory.{{cite web |last1=King |first1=Norm |title=October 4, 1964: Cards finally get best of Mets to clinch NL pennant |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/october-4-1964-cards-finally-get-best-of-mets-to-clinch-nl-pennant/ |website=Society for American Baseball Research}}

They next faced the New York Yankees in the 1964 World Series. Gibson was matched against Yankees starting pitcher Mel Stottlemyre for three of the Series' seven games, with Gibson losing Game 2, then winning Game 5.Halberstam, pp. 322–347. In Game 7, Gibson, who only had 2 days rest, pitched into the ninth inning, where he allowed home runs to Phil Linz and Clete Boyer, making the score 7–5 Cardinals. With Ray Sadecki and Barney Schultz warming up in the Cardinal bullpen, Gibson retired Bobby Richardson for the final out, giving the Cardinals their first World Championship since 1946.Halberstam, pp. 349–350. Along with his two victories, Gibson set a new World Series record by striking out 31 batters.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 102.

Gibson made the All-Star team again in the 1965 season, and when the Cardinals were well out of the pennant race by August, attention turned to Gibson to see if he could win 20 games for the first time.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 115–116. Gibson was still looking for win number 20 on the last day of the season, a game where new Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst rested many of the regular players. Gibson still prevailed against the Houston Astros by a score of 5–2.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 116.

The 1966 season marked the opening of Busch Memorial Stadium for the Cardinals and Gibson was selected to play in the All-Star Game in front of the hometown crowd, though he did not as he was hurt at the time.{{cite news|url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/july-with-temperatures-hitting-at-the-all-star-game-a/article_e2c424a5-4f13-5000-b357-ada5015cfd38.html|title=July 12, 1966: Brand-new Busch Stadium becomes a torture chamber in 103-degree heat at All-Star Game|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|author=Hummel, Rick|date=July 12, 2019}}

The Cardinals built a {{frac|3|1|2}}-game lead prior to the 1967 season All-Star break, and Gibson pitched the seventh and eighth innings of the 1967 All-Star game. Gibson then faced the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 15, when Roberto Clemente hit a line drive off Gibson's right leg.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 135. Unaware his leg had been fractured, Gibson faced three more batters before his right fibula bone snapped above the ankle.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 136. After Gibson returned on September 7, the Cardinals secured the National League pennant on September 18, {{frac|10|1|2}} games ahead of the San Francisco Giants.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1967.shtml|title=1967 National League Team Statistics|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}Gibson and Wheeler, p. 139.

In the 1967 World Series against the Boston Red Sox, Gibson allowed only three earned runs and 14 hits over three complete-game victories in Games 1, 4 (five-hit shutout), and 7, the latter two marks tying Christy Mathewson's 1905 World Series record. Just as he had in 1964, Gibson pitched a complete-game victory in Game 7, against Cy Young winner Jim Lonborg, who pitched a one-hitter in Game 2. Gibson also contributed offensively in Game 7 by hitting a home run that made the game 3–0.Schoor, pp. 298–299.{{cite news |last1=Stout |first1=Glenn |title=When Defeat is not a Loss: The 1967 World Series |url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/when-defeat-is-not-a-loss-the-1967-world-series/ |website=Society for American Baseball Research}} Unlike his last win as World Series MVP, he finally got the endorsements that had eluded him in 1964, including endorsement and sponsorship for his asthma medication, namely Primatene mist inhaler and tablets.{{cite web |last1=Ladson |first1=Bill |title=Lessons learned from encounter with Gibson |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/lessons-learned-from-encounter-with-bob-gibson |date=October 5, 2020 |website=MLB.com}}

=1968: Year of the Pitcher=

File:Gibson and McLain - The Bob Hope Show.jpg (center) and Denny McLain (left) on The Bob Hope Show. Gibson and McLain headlined the 1968 "Year of the Pitcher" season.]]

The 1968 season became known as "The Year of the Pitcher", and Gibson was at the forefront of pitching dominance.{{cite web |last1=Tourangeau |first1=Dixie |title=Chronicling Gibby's Glory: Bob Gibson's amazing 1968 |url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/chronicling-gibbys-glory-bob-gibsons-amazing-1968/ |website=Society for American Baseball Research}} His earned run average was 1.12, a live-ball era record, as well as the major league record in 300 or more innings pitched. It was the lowest major league ERA since Dutch Leonard's 0.96 mark 54 years earlier. Additionally, Gibson threw 13 shutouts.

Gibson won all 12 starts in June and July, pitching a complete game every time, (eight of which were shutouts), and allowed only six earned runs in 108 innings pitched (a 0.50 ERA). Gibson pitched 47 consecutive scoreless innings during this stretch, at the time the fourth-longest scoreless streak in major league history. He also struck out 91 batters, and he won two consecutive NL Player of the Month awards.{{cite web|title=Major League Baseball Players of the Month|website=Baseball-Reference.com |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/mlb-players-of-the-month.shtml}} Gibson finished the season with 28 complete games out of 34 games started. Of the games he didn't complete, he was pinch-hit for, meaning Gibson was not removed from the mound for another pitcher for the entire season.

Gibson won the National League MVP Award. With Denny McLain winning the American League's Most Valuable Player award, 1968 remains, to date, the only year both MVP Awards went to pitchers, with McLain compiling a 31–6 record for the Detroit Tigers.{{cite web |title=MLB Most Valuable Player MVP Award Winners |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/mvp.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

Gibson lost nine games against 22 wins, despite his record-setting low 1.12 ERA, as the feeble batting throughout baseball included his own team. The 1968 Cardinals had one .300 hitter, while the team-leading home run and RBI totals were just 16 and 79, respectively.{{cite web |title=1968 St. Louis Cardinals Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/STL/1968.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Of his nine losses, two were 1–0 games, one of which was against San Francisco Giants pitcher Gaylord Perry's no-hitter on September 17. The Giants' run in that game came on a first-inning home run by light-hitting Ron Hunt, one of only 11 that Gibson allowed in {{frac|304|2|3}} innings.{{cite web |title=St. Louis Cardinals vs San Francisco Giants Box Score: September 17, 1968 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN196809170.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

In Game 1 of the 1968 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, Gibson struck out 17 batters, setting a World Series record for strikeouts in one game and breaking Sandy Koufax's record of 15 set in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series.{{cite web |title=World Series Single Game Pitching Records |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/rb_ws5.shtml |website=Baseball Almanac}} He also joined Ed Walsh as the only pitchers to strike out at least one batter in each inning of a World Series game, Walsh having done so in Game 3 of the 1906 World Series. After allowing a leadoff single to Mickey Stanley in the ninth inning, Gibson finished the game by striking out Tiger sluggers Al Kaline, Norm Cash, and Willie Horton in succession.{{cite web |last1=Watkins |first1=John |title=October 2, 1968: Bob Gibson strikes out 17 to set World Series record |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/october-2-1968-bob-gibson-strikes-out-17-to-set-world-series-record/ |website=Society for American Baseball Research}}

Gibson next pitched in Game 4, winning the game by a score of 10–1, beating Tigers' ace Denny McLain.Feldmann, p. 2. The teams continued to battle each other, setting the stage for another winner-take-all Game 7 in St. Louis on October 10, 1968.Feldmann, p. 1. In this game Gibson was matched against Tigers pitcher Mickey Lolich and the two proceeded to hold their opponents scoreless for the first six innings. In the top of the seventh, Gibson retired the first two batters before allowing two consecutive singles.Schoor, p. 303. Detroit batter Jim Northrup then hit a two-run triple over the head of center fielder Curt Flood, leading to Detroit's Series win.Feldmann, pp. 1–3.

The overall pitching statistics in the 1968 season, led by Gibson and McLain's record-setting performances, are often cited as one of the reasons for Major League Baseball's decision to alter pitching-related rules. Sometimes known as the "Gibson rules", Major League Baseball lowered the pitcher's mound in 1969 from {{convert|15|in}} to {{convert|10|in}} – though teams had rarely followed this rule nor was it enforced by the league – and reduced the height of the strike zone from the batter's armpits to the jersey letters.{{cite news |title=Gibson Left His Mark: A Lower Mound |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/sports/baseball/19gibson.html |work=The New York Times |date=September 18, 2008}}

=Final years=

Aside from the rule changes set to take effect in 1969, cultural and monetary influences increasingly began impacting baseball, as evidenced by nine players from the Cardinals' 1968 roster who had not reported by the first week of spring training due to the status of their contracts.Feldmann, p. 11. On February 4, 1969, Gibson appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and said the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) had suggested players consider striking before the upcoming season began.Feldmann, p. 10. Gibson himself had no immediate contract worries, as the $125,000 salary Gibson requested for 1969 was agreed to by team owner Gussie Busch and the Cardinals, setting a new franchise record for the highest single-season salary.Feldmann, pp. 12,14.

Despite the significant rule changes, Gibson's status as one of the league's best pitchers was not immediately affected. In 1969, he went 20–13 with a 2.18 ERA, 4 shutouts, and 28 complete games. On May 12, 1969, Gibson struck out three batters on nine pitches in the seventh inning of a 6–2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN196905120.shtml|title=Los Angeles Dodgers vs St. Louis Cardinals Box Score: May 12, 1969 |website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Gibson became the ninth National League pitcher and the 15th pitcher in Major League history to throw an immaculate inning. After pitching into the tenth inning of the July 4 game against the Cubs, Gibson was removed from a game without finishing an inning for the first time in more than 60 consecutive starts, a streak spanning two years.Feldmann, p. 31. Gibson set another mark, on August 16, when he became the third pitcher in Major League history to reach the 200-strikeout plateau in seven different seasons.

Gibson experienced an up-and-down 1970 season, marked at the low point by a July slump where he resorted to experimenting with a knuckleball for the first time in his career.Feldmann, p. 80. Just as quickly, Gibson returned to form, starting a streak of seven wins on July 28, and pitching all 14 innings of a 5–4 win against the San Diego Padres on August 12. He would go on to win his fourth and final NL Player of the Month award for August (6–0, 2.31 ERA, 55 SO).Feldmann, p. 81. Gibson won 23 games in 1970, and was once again named the NL Cy Young Award winner.

Gibson achieved two highlights in August 1971. On the 4th, he defeated the Giants 7–2 at Busch Memorial Stadium for his 200th career victory. Ten days later, he threw a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates, beating the eventual World Champions by a score of 11–0 at Three Rivers Stadium.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT197108140.shtml |title=St. Louis Cardinals vs Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score: August 14, 1971 |website=Baseball-Reference.com}} Along the way, he registered 10 strikeouts, including the game's final out. Gibson also drove in three runs, one on a fifth-inning sacrifice fly and two on an eighth-inning single, to help his own cause. The no-hitter was the first in Pittsburgh since Nick Maddox at Exposition Park in 1907; none had been pitched in the 62-year history of Three Rivers Stadium's predecessor, Forbes Field.{{cite web |last1=Wolf |first1=Gregory |title=August 14, 1971: Bob Gibson fires his first no-hitter for Cardinals |url=https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/august-14-1971-bob-gibson-fires-his-first-no-hitter-for-cardinals/ |website=Society for American Baseball Research}}

Gibson started the 1972 season by going 0–5. However, he would end the season with 19 wins and recording his ninth and final 200-strikeout season. He also made his final All-Star appearance. On June 21, against the San Diego Padres, he broke Jesse Haines's club record for most wins.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 235–237.

During the summer of 1974, Gibson felt hopeful he could put together a winning streak, but he continually encountered swelling in his knee.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 244. Despite his struggles, on July 17 of that season, he became the second pitcher in Major League Baseball history, after Walter Johnson, to strike out more than 3,000 batters and the first to do so in the National League; the strikeout victim was César Gerónimo of the Cincinnati Reds.{{cite web |last1=Kivette |first1=Andrew |title=Bob Gibson becomes the second pitcher to record 3,000 strikeouts |url=https://baseballhall.org/discover/bob-gibson-throws-3000th-strikeout |website=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum}}

In January 1975, Gibson announced he would retire at the end of the 1975 season, admitting later on that he only continued to play baseball in order to cope with his recent divorce from his ex-wife, Charline.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 245. During his final season, Gibson went 3–10 with a 5.04 earned run average.

Career overall

=Statistics and achievements=

From 1963 to 1970, Gibson posted a win–loss record of 156–81, for a .658 winning percentage. He won nine Gold Glove Awards, the National League Cy Young Award in 1968 and 1970, and the National League MVP Award in 1968.{{cite web |title=MLB Cy Young Award Winners |website=Baseball-Reference.com |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/cya.shtml}} His 1.12 earned run average and 13 shutouts in 1968 are both records in the live-ball era.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/SHO_leagues.shtml|title=Yearly League Leaders & Records for Shutouts|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/espn/blackhistory2008/columns/story?page=keri/080221|title=Forty years later, Gibson's 1.12 ERA remains magic number|date=February 7, 2008|website=ESPN.com |author=Keri, Jonah}}

In his career, Gibson had a win-loss record of 251–174 with an ERA of 2.91. Across 482 games started, he pitched 56 shutouts and 255 complete games, striking out 3,117 batters in {{frac|3,884|1|3}} innings pitched. He holds the Cardinals franchise pitching records for wins, games started, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, and strikeouts.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/all-time-leaders|title = St. Louis Cardinals – All-Time Leaders |website = MLB.com}}

As a hitter, he had a lifetime batting average of .206 with 24 home runs and 144 runs batted in. Gibson was sometimes used by the Cardinals as a pinch-hitter, and in 1970 he hit .303 for the season in 109 at-bats, which was over 100 points higher than teammate Dal Maxvill.

Gibson is considered one of the greatest postseason pitchers in baseball history. Across three World Series and nine games started, he had a record of 7–2 with a 1.89 ERA and 92 strikeouts.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/WS_pitching.shtml |title=All-time and Single-Season World Series Pitching Leaders|website=Baseball-Reference.com}} He became the second player, after Sandy Koufax, to win two World Series MVP awards, receiving the honor in 1964 and 1967.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/postmvp.shtml|title=MLB Postseason Willie Mays World Series MVP Awards|website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

In {{wsy|1964}}, he set a World Series record for most strikeouts in a seven-game World Series with 31, a record he broke in {{wsy|1968}} when he recorded 35, including a record 17 strikeouts in Game 1.{{cite web |title=World Series Pitching Records |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/rb_ws6.shtml |website=Baseball Almanac}} Additionally, Gibson is one of two pitchers, the other being Dave McNally, to hit two home runs in World Series play, hitting one each in the {{wsy|1967}} and 1968 World Series.{{cite web |title=World Series Single Game Hitting Records |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/rb_ws2.shtml |website=Baseball Almanac}}

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align:center;"

! Category !! {{Abbr|W|Wins}} !! {{Abbr|L|Losses}} !! {{Abbr|ERA|Earned run average}} !! {{Abbr|GS|Games started}} !! {{Abbr|CG|Complete games}} !! {{Abbr|SHO|Shutouts}} !! {{Abbr|SV|Saves}} !! {{Abbr|IP|Innings pitched}} !! {{Abbr|H|Hits allowed}} !! {{Abbr|R|Runs allowed}} !! {{Abbr|ER|Earned runs allowed}} !! {{Abbr|HR|Home runs allowed}} !! {{Abbr|BB|Base on balls}} !! {{Abbr|IBB|Intentional base on balls}} !! {{Abbr|SO|Strikeouts}} !! {{Abbr|HBP|Hit batsman}} !! {{Abbr|WHIP|Walks plus hits per inning pitched}} !! {{Abbr|FIP|Fielding independent pitching}} !! {{Abbr|ERA+|Adjusted ERA}} !! {{Abbr|H/9|Hits allowed per nine innings pitched}} !! {{Abbr|SO/9|Strikeouts per nine innings pitched}} !! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

Total

251

174

2.91

482

255

3,884.1

3,279

1,420

1,258

257

1,336

118

3,117

102

1.188

2.89

127

7.6

7.2

=Pitching style and reputation=

{{Quote box

| quote = "Bob Gibson pitches as though he's double parked."

| source = — Vin Scully{{cite web |title=Bob Gibson Quotes |website=Baseball Almanac |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/quotes/bob_gibson_quotes.shtml}}

| width = 26em

| align = right

}}

Gibson was a quick worker on the mound with an explosive delivery, falling towards first base each time he released the ball. He relied on pinpoint control and had a low, three-quarter arm angle. His repertoire consisted of a slider and both a two-seam fastball and a four-seam fastball.

He was a fierce competitor who was known to throw brushback pitches to establish dominance over the strike-zone and intimidate the batter, similar to his contemporary and fellow Hall of Famer Don Drysdale.{{cite news |last1=Engelhardt |first1=Gordon |title=Nobody was more competitive than Cardinals legend Bob Gibson |url=https://www.courierpress.com/story/sports/2020/10/03/no-one-more-competitive-than-cardinals-legend-gibson/3602867001/ |work=Evansville Courier & Press |date=October 3, 2020}} However, he rarely hit batters deliberately; compared to Drysdale, who hit 154 batters in his career, Gibson hit only 102 despite facing more batters. Additionally, Drysdale led the league in hit batsmen five times, while Gibson never did; only once did he finish in the top three.{{Cite web |title=Don Drysdale Career Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/drysddo01.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com}}

While he gained a reputation for being intimidating, Gibson often pushed back on stories by contemporaries about him as being exaggerated, saying that he made no concerted effort to be intimidating. He once joked that the only reason he glared while pitching was because of his poor eyesight and inability to see the catcher's signals clearly as he did not wear glasses while pitching.{{cite web |url=https://medium.com/joeblogs/is-that-all-i-did-4ecf70059113 |title=Is That All I Did? |last=Posnanski |first=Joe |website=MLBlogs Network |date=June 10, 2010}}

Gibson was also known to avoid fraternizing with opposing players. At the 1965 All-Star Game, Milwaukee Braves catcher Joe Torre caught Gibson in the 9th inning; afterwards, when he complimented Gibson's pitching, the latter ignored him and merely got dressed and left. He could also, on occasion, be brusque with his teammates, particularly his catchers. When Tim McCarver once went to the mound for a conference, Gibson brushed him off, saying "The only thing you know about pitching is that it's hard to hit."{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/classic/biography/s/Gibson_Bob.html |website=ESPN.com |title=Gibson was mound intimidator |author=Schwartz, Larry}}

Post-playing career

File:Bob Gibson crop.JPG in 2010]]

Before Gibson returned to his home in Omaha at the end of the 1975 season, Cardinals general manager Bing Devine offered him an undefined job that was contingent on approval from higher-ranking club officials.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 249–250. Unsure of his future career path, Gibson declined the offer. The Cardinals never brought him another offer again. He would later say of the exchange: "I've often thought how different my life would have been if I had said 'yes' that day."

After his retirement, Gibson used the motor home the Cardinals had given him as a retirement gift to travel across the western United States during the 1975 offseason. Returning to Omaha, he served as chairman of the board of directors for the Community National Bank, a local bank which served the city's African-American community. At one point the principal investor in the radio station KOWH. He also started "Gibson's Spirits and Sustenance" restaurant, sometimes working twelve-hour days as its owner/operator.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 257–259.

For a brief period Gibson was a television color commentator for the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association.

Gibson returned to baseball in 1981 after accepting a coaching job with Joe Torre, who was then manager of the New York Mets. Torre termed Gibson's position "attitude coach", the first such title in Major League history.{{cite magazine |last1=Britton |first1=Tim |title=Remembering the year Bob Gibson was the Mets' 'attitude coach' |url=https://theathletic.com/2139643/2020/10/16/bob-gibson-mets/ |magazine=The Athletic |date=October 16, 2020}} After Torre and his coaching staff were let go at the end of the 1981 season, Torre moved on to manage the Atlanta Braves in 1982, hiring Gibson as a pitching coach.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 263–264. The Braves proceeded to challenge for the National League pennant for the first time since 1969, ultimately losing to the Cardinals in the 1982 National League Championship Series.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 264–267. Gibson remained with Torre on the Braves' coaching staff until the end of the 1984 season.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 268–269.

Gibson then took to hosting a pre- and postgame show for Cardinals baseball games on radio station KMOX from 1985 until 1989.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 271–272. He also served as color commentator for baseball games on ESPN in 1990 but declined an option to continue the position over concerns he would have to spend too much time away from his family.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 272. In 1995, Gibson again served as pitching coach on a Torre-led staff, this time returning to the Cardinals.

In 2009, with the help of sportswriter Lonnie Wheeler, he and fellow Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson wrote a book titled Sixty Feet, Six Inches: A Hall of Fame Pitcher & a Hall of Fame Hitter Talk About How the Game Is Played.{{cite web |title=Reggie Jackson And Bob Gibson Talk Baseball |url=https://www.npr.org/2010/04/09/125730957/reggie-jackson-and-bob-gibson-talk-baseball |work=NPR |date=April 9, 2010}} Gibson wrote another book, also with Wheeler, titled Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game; it was published in 2015 and described Game 1 of the 1968 World Series from his point of view.{{cite news |title='Pitch By Pitch,' Bob Gibson Shares His Life In The Game |url=https://www.npr.org/2015/10/27/452163671/pitch-by-pitch-bob-gibson-shares-his-life-in-the-game |work=NPR |date=October 27, 2015}}

Honors

{{MLBBioRet

|Image = CardsRetired45.PNG

|Name = Bob Gibson

|Number = 45

|Team = St. Louis Cardinals

|Year = 1975

|}}

Gibson's jersey number 45 was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals on September 1, 1975.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/cardinals/history/retired-numbers|title=Cardinals Retired Numbers|website=MLB.com}} In 1981, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot.{{cite news |last1=Durso |first1=Joseph |title=Gibson Elected to Hall of Fame |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/16/sports/gibson-elected-to-hall-of-fame.html |work=The New York Times |date=January 16, 1981}}

In 1999, he was ranked number 31 on The Sporting News{{'}} list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.{{cite magazine|title=The Sporting News Selects Baseball's 100 Greatest Players|magazine=The Sporting News|date=April 26, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050416222917/http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-31.html |archive-date=April 16, 2005 |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/baseball/100/index-31.html}}{{cite web|title=The All-Century Team|website=MLB.com|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_history_moreinfo.jsp|access-date=February 15, 2007|archive-date=January 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119065808/http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_history_moreinfo.jsp|url-status=live}} In 2020, The Athletic ranked Gibson at number 45 on its "Baseball 100" list, complied by sportswriter Joe Posnanski.{{cite magazine |last1=Posnanski |first1=Joe |title=The Baseball 100: No. 45, Bob Gibson |url=https://theathletic.com/1578309/2020/02/11/the-baseball-100-no-45-bob-gibson/ |magazine=The Athletic |date=January 17, 2020}}

Gibson was named as one of (then) thirteen "Black Aces", a select few African-American pitchers who had a 20-win season in the Major Leagues, by former pitcher Mudcat Grant in a book he had authored called The Black Aces: Baseball's Only African-American Twenty-Game Winners.{{cite web |url=https://theathletic.com/5273672/2024/02/18/black-aces-baseball-pitching-mlb/ |title=The Black Aces: A baseball pitching fraternity with a multitude of storylines |website=The Athletic |date=February 18, 2024}}

In 2022, as part of their SN Rushmore project, The Sporting News named Gibson on their "St. Louis Mount Rushmore of Sports", along with fellow Cardinals Stan Musial and Albert Pujols, and St. Louis Blues hockey player Brett Hull.{{cite news |last1=Fagan |first1=Ryan |title=St. Louis' GOAT Mountain of sports: Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Brett Hull and Bob Gibson voted best of the best |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/st-louis-stan-musial-albert-pujols-brett-hull-and-bob-gibson/zdobrgzwoe4e60whrb1u5iui |work=The Sporting News |date=July 26, 2022}}

He has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.{{cite web|url=https://stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductee/bob-gibson/|title=Bob Gibson |website=St. Louis Walk of Fame}} A bronze statue of Gibson by Harry Weber is located in front of Busch Stadium, commemorating Gibson along with other St. Louis Cardinals greats.{{cite news |title=Statue will honor Gibson's sports contributions |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/141887680/?terms=Statue%20will%20honor%20Gibson%27s%20sports%20contributions&match=1 |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=February 23, 1998 |url-access=registration}} Another statue of Gibson was unveiled outside of Werner Park in Gibson's home city, Omaha, Nebraska, in 2013.{{cite news |title=Bob Gibson statue unveiled at Werber Park |newspaper=Omaha World-Herald |date=April 11, 2013 |author=White, Rob |url=https://omaha.com/sports/bob-gibson-statue-unveiled-at-werner-park/article_f1bd6dbf-2963-547d-b7ea-f7b247fa7ad5.html}} The street on the north side of Rosenblatt Stadium, former home of the College World Series in his hometown of Omaha, is named Bob Gibson Boulevard.

In January 2014, the Cardinals announced Gibson as among 22 former players and personnel who made up the inaugural class of St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.{{cite news |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/multimedia/2014-st-louis-cardinals-hall-of-fame-induction/image_8482617b-0f69-5a67-a44b-df932b9eb4bc.html |title=2014 St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=January 18, 2014 }}

Personal life

Gibson was married twice and was the father of three children. With his first wife, Charline (née Johnson), he had a son named Ray{{efn|Ray was born Renee Gibson; he was assigned female at birth and came out as a trans man in his fifties.{{cite web |author=Schhultz, Ken |url=https://www.outsports.com/2022/3/16/22927354/ray-gibson-transgender-son-bob-gibson-baseball-hall-of-fame-st-louis-cardinals |title=Ray Gibson opens up about coming out as the transgender son of a Baseball Hall of Famer |date=March 16, 2022 |website=Outsports}}{{cite news |author=Bahrampour, Tara |title=In middle age, they realized they were trans: 'A lightbulb went off'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/05/25/transgender-adults-coming-out-poll/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 25, 2023}}}} and a daughter named Annette.Gibson and Wheeler, pp. 48, 55. With his second wife, Wendy (née Nelson), he had a son named Christopher.Gibson and Wheeler, p. 258.

During his teenage years, Gibson's eyesight deteriorated severely and necessitated the use eyeglasses. However, he never wore glasses when in uniform or while pitching; catcher Tim McCarver would paint his finger nails to enable Gibson to be able to see signs. Gibson's former teammate Bill White, while with the San Francisco Giants, recalled taking Gibson to meet Willie Mays; Mays did not immediately recognize Gibson as the latter was wearing his glasses at the time.{{cite news |last1=Nightengale |first1=Bob |title=More than a legend: Bob Gibson's death leaves baseball world in mourning |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2020/10/03/bob-gibson-death-cardinals-mlb-baseball/3610804001/ |access-date=July 10, 2024 |work=USA Today |date=October 10, 2023}}

During his career and in retirement, Gibson continued to live in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. This was due to a discriminatory housing policy in St. Louis during his playing career which made it extremely difficult for him to buy a house in the city.{{cite news |last1=Chatelain |first1=Dirk |title=Some folks in west Omaha didn't want to live next to a black family — even Bob Gibson's |url=https://omaha.com/sports/some-folks-in-west-omaha-didnt-want-to-live-next-to-a-black-family-even/article_3e3401f2-6d51-59e0-8d28-465ebaa785ac.html |work=Omaha World-Herald |date=July 6, 2019}}

Gibson hosted an annual golf tournament in Omaha for 12 years, called the 'Bob Gibson All-Star Classic', raising millions of dollars for local and national charities.{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/bob-gibson-named-lifetime-achievement-honoree-c288678270 |title=MLBPAA announces Bob Gibson as Lifetime Achievement Award honoree |website=MLB.com}} He also sat on the Board of Directors of the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.), an organization that provides aid to retired, financially struggling former ballplayers.{{cite web |url= http://www.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/mlb_official_story_headline.jsp?story_page=bat_home |website=MLB.com |title= Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.) |access-date= December 1, 2020 |archive-date= October 19, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211019223930/http://www.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/mlb_official_story_headline.jsp?story_page=bat_home |url-status= live }}

In 2002, Gibson was involved in a road rage incident with a man named Miguel Sanchez. Both Gibson and Sanchez were cited by the police for third-degree assault after they got into a fistfight at a gas station.{{cite web |title=Police cite Gibson and other driver with assault |url=https://a.espncdn.com/mlb/news/2002/0219/1336767.html |website=ESPN |agency=Associated Press}}

=Illness and death=

In July 2019, Gibson's longtime agent Dick Zitzmann announced that Gibson had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer several weeks earlier and was due to begin chemotherapy.{{cite news |author=Hummel, Rick |url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinal-beat/cards-hall-of-famer-gibson-being-treated-for-pancreatic-cancer/article_46a09769-7e70-5a86-9bc2-fea2d7748b64.html |title=Cards' Hall of Famer Gibson being treated for pancreatic cancer |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=July 19, 2019 }} He died on October 2, 2020, at age 84, under hospice care after fighting cancer for more than a year.{{cite news |last=Hummel |first=Rick |url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-hall-of-famer-bob-gibson-dies-at-84-after-bout-with-cancer/article_90a0dff7-bee3-5a81-9eb0-91663f29fb4d.html |title=Cardinals Hall of Famer Bob Gibson dies at 84 after bout with cancer |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=October 3, 2020}}

Following his death, Cardinal fans paid their respect to Gibson at his statue at Busch Stadium.{{cite news |title=Memorial For Hall Of Famer Bob Gibson Grows At Busch Stadium |url=https://www.upi.com/News_Photos/view/upi/dc91c5ab3f0436aed9e666e6996c537c/Memorial-For-Hall-Of-Famer-Bob-Gibson-Grows-At-Busch-Stadium/ |work=United Press International |date=October 3, 2020}} The following season, the team honored Gibson by wearing a "45" memorial patch on their uniforms and holding "Bob Gibson Day" on August 22, with former teammates and his family attending the pregame memorial ceremony.{{cite news |last1=Silver |first1=Zachary |title=Cards to honor Bob Gibson, Lou Brock |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/cardinals-to-honor-bob-gibson-lou-brock |work=MLB.com |date=July 22, 2021}}

Gibson's funeral was held privately in Omaha, Nebraska, with only his immediate surviving family attending. His body was interred at Evergreen Memorial Park in Omaha.{{cite news |last1=Hummel |first1=Rick |title=Bob Gibson services will be private in Omaha |url=https://www.stltoday.com/print/sports-section/bob-gibson-services-will-be-private-in-omaha/article_47daf032-edd3-5331-ac52-3e16f7dde19b.html |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=October 5, 2020}}

Notes

References

=Book sources=

{{cite book |last=Schoor |first=Gene |title=The History of the World Series: The Complete Chronology of America's Greatest Sports Tradition |year=1990 |publisher=William Morrow and Company |isbn=978-0688079956 |ref=Sch90 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofworld00scho}}
{{cite book |author1=Gibson, Bob |author2=Wheeler, Lonnie |title=Stranger To The Game: The Autobiography of Bob Gibson |year=1994 |publisher=Viking Press |isbn=978-0670847945 |ref=Gib94 |url=https://archive.org/details/strangertogame00gibs}}
{{cite book |last=Halberstam |first=David |title=October 1964 |year=1994 |publisher=Villard |isbn=978-0679415602 |ref=Hal94 |url=https://archive.org/details/october196400halb_0 }}
{{cite book | last=Feldmann | first=Doug | title=Gibson's Last Stand: The Rise, Fall, and Near Misses of the St. Louis Cardinals, 1969–1975 |year=2011 |publisher=University of Missouri Press | isbn=978-0826219503 |ref=Fel11}}

=Articles=

{{cite magazine |author=Angell, Roger |title=Bob Gibson Keeps His Distance |magazine=The New Yorker |date=September 22, 1980 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1980/09/22/distance}}
{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1993/07/19/128970/the-season-of-high-heat-in-the-tumultuous-summer-of-1968-pitchers-denny-mclain-and-bob-gibson-set-baseball-ablaze |title=The Season of High Heat |author=Rushin, Steve |date=July 19, 1993 |magazine=Sports Illustrated}}

=Books=

{{cite book |author1=Gibson, Bob |author2=Pepe, Phil |title=From Ghetto to Glory: The Story of Bob Gibson |year=1968 |publisher=Popular Library |isbn=978-0133318500 |url=https://archive.org/details/fromghettotoglor00gibs |ref=Gib68}}
{{cite book |last=Pappu |first=Sridhar |title=The Year Of The Pitcher: Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, and the End of Baseball's Golden Age |year=2017 |isbn=978-1328557285 |publisher=HarperCollins |url=https://archive.org/details/yearofpitcherbob0000papp}}
{{cite book |title=One Nation Under Baseball: How the 1960s Collided with the National Pastime |chapter=Chapter 15: Bob Gibson's Experience with Racial Injustice in the 1960's |author1=Florio, John |author2=Shapiro, Ousie |year=2017 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-1496214065 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/onenationunderba0000flor/page/138/mode/2up}}

External links

{{Baseballstats|mlb=114756|espn=22014|br=g/gibsobo01|fangraphs=1004662|brm=gibson001rob|retro=G/Pgibsb101}}
{{bbhof|gibson-bob}}
{{sabrbio|34500d95}}
{{IMDb name|id=0974081|name=Bob Gibson}}
{{Find a Grave|216288987}}

{{Succession box

| before = Ernie Broglio
Curt Simmons

| title = St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day
Starting Pitcher

| years = 1965
1967–1975

| after = Curt Simmons
Lynn McGlothen

}}

{{succession box |title=No-hitter pitcher | before=Rick Wise |years=August 14, 1971 |after=Burt Hooton}}

{{succession box | before = Frank Robinson
Don Drysdale
Bill Singer | title = Major League Baseball Player of the Month| years = September 1964
June & July 1968
August 1970| after = Joe Torre
Pete Rose
Willie Stargell}}

{{succession box | title=Atlanta Braves pitching coach | before=Cloyd Boyer | years=1982–1984 | after= Leo Mazzone}}

{{succession box | title=St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach | before=Joe Coleman | years=1995 | after= Dave Duncan}}

{{Navboxes|list1=