No doubt, Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson was one of a kind. He was the dominating pitcher no batter wanted to face. We lost Gibby to pancreatic cancer on Friday only days after another Cardinal fan favorite, Lou Brock passed away.
In the year 1968, Gibson had the year that was off the charts. With a record of 22-9, Gibby submitted an ERA of 1.12. He completed 28 games, 13 of them for shutouts. That can only make us wonder “How could he lose nine games?”. If you look at his game log, you’ll find he had a rough start to the season and even lost four straight in May despite keeping his ERA low.
For his efforts in 1968, he took home the NL Cy Young award and the MVP. His St. Louis Cardinals won the National League championship and took the Tigers seven games in the World Series before losing the last game.
| Split | W | L | W-L% | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 Totals | 22 | 9 | .710 | 1.12 | 34 | 34 | 28 | 13 | 304.2 | 198 | 49 | 38 | 11 | 62 | 268 |
Gibby’s card with the coveted A&B pitchers grade above was published in 2010. I posted Gibson’s original 1968 APBA card previously when he was rated as an A&C XZ. His hitting card is slightly diminished from the original card as well.
The big question is which card would you rather have. The secondary grade after the “A” is so minimal. In a full replay, it may come into play a handful of times. The “Z” is a huge advantage, however.
It’s worth noting that Gibson did pinch run (and scored!) once in 1968. That fast rating is fully deserved.
Bob Gibson averaged 19 wins from 1963-1972. He won the Cy Young award in 1970 in addition to 1968. It’s hard to believe that he was only the second pitcher to reach 3000 strikeouts.
Nothing like watching some old footage of one of the best. RIP Gibby
Thx to Doug Sky for the card!
Nice job, Tom. I was sorry to see he passed. I’m from the Detroit area and have vague recollections of the 1968 World Series (I was only 5 years old).
We’re losing way too many of our childhood heroes. I was a couple of years too late for 1968, but being a stat junkie, that 1.12 ERA was BOB GIBSON. No one else was worthy of that honor. On the A&B rating, in the master game his rating is a 25 which turns zeros into sevens, basically turning extra base hits into long singles.