Bob Gibson, baseball player, 1959-1975

Bob Gibson

⭐ Hall of Fame 1981

Born: 11/9/1935 in Omaha, NE, USA

Died: 10/2/2020 in Omaha, NE, USA

MLB Debut: 1959-04-15 | Final Game: 1975-09-03

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 189 lbs

Full name: Robert Gibson

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Biography

Bob Gibson was a dominant pitcher whose career spanned from 1959 to 1975, during which he established himself as one of the most formidable talents in Major League Baseball. Born in 1935, Gibson played his entire professional career with the St. Louis Cardinals, amassing a record of 251 wins against 174 losses, and finishing with a remarkable earned run average (ERA) of 2.91. His prowess on the mound was underscored by his impressive strikeout total of 3,117, showcasing his ability to overpower batters. Gibson's career was marked by his fierce competitiveness and a no-nonsense pitching style, which made him a standout during an era characterized by a shift in offensive strategies. Throughout his career, Gibson received numerous accolades, including two Cy Young Awards and two World Series MVP awards, highlighting his exceptional performance in the postseason. He was selected as an All-Star on eight occasions, demonstrating his consistent excellence and popularity within the game. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981, Gibson's legacy extends beyond his statistics; he was a trailblazer for African American athletes in baseball and a key figure in the narratives of both the Civil Rights Movement and the changing landscape of the sport. His impact on the game and his status as a cultural icon remain significant, as he is remembered not only for his achievements but also for the intensity and passion he brought to the mound.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
251 174 528 482 255 56 6 3884.3 3279 1258 257 1336 3117 2.91 0

Career ERA 2.91 vs. league average 3.60 across their career seasons — 19.1% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1959 STL NL 3 5 13 9 2 1 0 75.7 77 28 39 48 3.33 3.90 (+15%) -
1960 STL NL 3 6 27 12 2 0 0 86.7 97 54 48 69 5.61 3.82 (-47%) -
1961 STL NL 13 12 35 27 10 2 1 211.3 186 76 119 166 3.24 4.03 (+20%) -
1962 STL NL 15 13 32 30 15 5 1 233.7 174 74 95 208 2.85 3.96 (+28%) -
1963 STL NL 18 9 36 33 14 2 0 254.7 224 96 96 204 3.39 3.46 (+2%) -
1964 STL NL 19 12 40 36 17 2 1 287.3 250 96 86 245 3.01 3.58 (+16%) -
1965 STL NL 20 12 38 36 20 6 1 299.0 243 102 103 270 3.07 3.50 (+12%) -
1966 STL NL 21 12 35 35 20 5 0 280.3 210 76 78 225 2.44 3.52 (+31%) -
1967 STL NL 13 7 24 24 10 2 0 175.3 151 58 40 147 2.98 3.30 (+10%) -
1968 STL NL 22 9 34 34 28 13 0 304.7 198 38 62 268 1.12 2.98 (+62%) -
1969 STL NL 20 13 35 35 28 4 0 314.0 251 76 95 269 2.18 3.61 (+40%) -
1970 STL NL 23 7 34 34 23 3 0 294.0 262 102 88 274 3.12 3.89 (+20%) -
1971 STL NL 16 13 31 31 20 5 0 245.7 215 83 76 185 3.04 3.47 (+12%) -
1972 STL NL 19 11 34 34 23 4 0 278.0 226 76 88 208 2.46 3.26 (+25%) -
1973 STL NL 12 10 25 25 13 1 0 195.0 159 60 57 142 2.77 3.75 (+26%) -
1974 STL NL 11 13 33 33 9 1 0 240.0 236 102 104 129 3.83 3.63 (-5%) -
1975 STL NL 3 10 22 14 1 0 2 109.0 120 61 62 60 5.04 3.71 (-36%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
596 1328 132 274 44 5 24 144 13 63 415 0.206 0.243 0.301 0.545 -4205.8

Career AVG .206 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — 17.7% below league average.

Career OBP .243 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 23.4% below league average.

Career SLG .301 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — 19.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.545 vs. league average 0.691 across their career seasons — 21.2% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1959 STL NL 21 26 1 3 2 0 0 1 0 0 10 0.115 — — — — 0.0
1960 STL NL 40 28 4 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 7 0.179 — — — — 0.0
1961 STL NL 40 66 4 13 5 0 1 10 0 3 23 0.197 .258 (-24%) .328 (-28%) .399 (-20%) .727 (-24%) -307.6
1962 STL NL 42 76 11 20 0 0 2 5 0 4 28 0.263 .257 (+2%) .326 (-1%) .393 (-13%) .719 (-8%) -86.2
1963 STL NL 41 87 12 18 3 1 3 20 0 8 35 0.207 .246 (-16%) .308 (-11%) .371 (-1%) .680 (-6%) -92.4
1964 STL NL 40 96 8 15 3 1 0 4 0 3 38 0.156 .250 (-38%) .312 (-40%) .377 (-45%) .690 (-43%) -691.8
1965 STL NL 42 104 14 25 2 0 5 19 2 3 26 0.240 .245 (-2%) .310 (-16%) .371 (+9%) .682 (-3%) -99.2
1966 STL NL 46 100 11 20 4 0 1 8 3 3 35 0.200 .248 (-20%) .309 (-29%) .376 (-28%) .685 (-28%) -488.8
1967 STL NL 27 60 7 8 0 0 0 3 0 8 26 0.133 .242 (-45%) .306 (-23%) .357 (-63%) .663 (-44%) -386.6
1968 STL NL 35 94 3 16 5 0 0 6 1 7 32 0.170 .236 (-28%) .298 (-22%) .340 (-34%) .638 (-29%) -410.9
1969 STL NL 37 118 11 29 6 0 1 8 5 3 36 0.246 .248 (-1%) .320 (-18%) .369 (-13%) .689 (-15%) -332.2
1970 STL NL 40 109 14 33 3 1 2 19 0 8 25 0.303 .253 (+19%) .325 (+7%) .385 (+5%) .711 (+6%) 95.9
1971 STL NL 31 87 5 15 0 1 2 10 1 3 24 0.172 .249 (-31%) .316 (-36%) .365 (-28%) .682 (-31%) -472.8
1972 STL NL 34 103 12 20 6 0 5 12 0 1 25 0.194 .243 (-20%) .310 (-35%) .353 (+12%) .664 (-10%) -219.7
1973 STL NL 25 65 8 12 0 0 2 8 1 3 17 0.185 .256 (-28%) .325 (-33%) .378 (-27%) .703 (-30%) -333.0
1974 STL NL 33 81 6 17 4 1 0 6 0 3 19 0.210 .256 (-18%) .324 (-28%) .369 (-23%) .693 (-26%) -380.6
1975 STL NL 22 28 1 5 0 0 0 4 0 3 9 0.179 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
9 28 4 4 0 0 2 3 2 7 0.143

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1968 WS SLN 3 8 2 1 0 0 1 2 1 2 0.125
1967 WS SLN 3 11 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 2 0.091
1964 WS SLN 3 9 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.222

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
7 2 9 9 0 81.0 55 17 17 92 1.89

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1968 WS SLN 2 1 3 3 0 27.0 18 5 4 35 1.67
1967 WS SLN 3 0 3 3 0 27.0 14 3 5 26 1.00
1964 WS SLN 2 1 3 3 0 27.0 23 9 8 31 3.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 528 482 291 484 42 46

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1959 SLN P 13 9 6 10 2 2
1960 SLN P 27 12 7 14 0 3
1961 SLN P 35 27 14 35 2 4
1962 SLN P 32 30 18 35 3 6
1963 SLN P 36 33 27 28 5 0
1964 SLN P 40 36 24 36 6 4
1965 SLN P 38 36 27 33 3 1
1966 SLN P 35 35 26 28 2 4
1967 SLN P 24 24 19 23 0 0
1968 SLN P 34 34 21 28 1 2
1969 SLN P 35 35 21 32 3 5
1970 SLN P 34 34 22 32 4 3
1971 SLN P 31 31 10 39 3 1
1972 SLN P 34 34 12 46 1 3
1973 SLN P 25 25 11 24 2 2
1974 SLN P 33 33 20 26 2 4
1975 SLN P 22 14 6 15 3 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 528

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1973 Gold Glove P
1972 Gold Glove P
1971 Gold Glove P
1970 Cy Young Award
1970 Gold Glove P
1970 TSN All-Star RHP
1970 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1969 Gold Glove P
1968 Cy Young Award
1968 Gold Glove P
1968 Most Valuable Player
1968 TSN All-Star P
1968 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1967 Gold Glove P
1967 World Series MVP
1966 Gold Glove P
1965 Gold Glove P
1964 Babe Ruth Award P
1964 World Series MVP

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Creighton University Omaha NE 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1972 Cy Young Award NL 9th 3.0 120 0
1971 Cy Young Award NL 5th 3.0 120 0
1971 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 3.0 336 0
1970 Cy Young Award NL 1st 118.0 120 23
1970 Most Valuable Player NL 4th 110.0 336 0
1969 Most Valuable Player NL 30th 2.0 336 0
1968 Cy Young Award NL 1st 20.0 20 20
1968 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 242.0 280 14
1967 Most Valuable Player NL 22th 5.0 280 0
1964 Most Valuable Player NL 23th 2.0 280 0