On November 9, 1935, a baseball legend was born in Omaha: Bob Gibson. Yes, Monday marks the 80th birthday for the Hall of Fame Cardinals great.
Gibson would spend all 17 years of his big-league career with the Cardinals, going 251-174 with a 2.91 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 3,117 strikeouts in 3,884 1/3 innings. He would win the Cy Young in 1968 and 1970 while also taking home the MVP in 1968.
An eight-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glover, Gibson was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, getting 84 percent of the vote in 1981.
Speaking of which, that season goes down in baseball history thanks to Gibson's ridiculous 1.12 ERA. He also had 28 complete games and 13 shutouts that season. He led the league in ERA, shutouts, strikeouts (268), WHIP (0.85) and several advanced metrics (FIP, for example). It truly was one of the greatest seasons a pitcher has ever enjoyed.
Gibson didn't just dominante in the regular season. He was the World Series MVP in both 1964 and 1967. In nine career postseason starts, he was 7-2 with a 1.89 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 81 innings. Yes, 81 innings in nine postseason starts. The only time Gibson didn't complete a postseason start was Game 2 of the 1964 World Series, when he worked eight innings. Next time out, he'd complete the game in 10 innings.
Perhaps his best effort? In Game 1 of the 1968 World Series, Gibson threw a five-hit shutout with 17 strikeouts.
It's amazing to say, but Gibson's postseason performances probably outshine his regular-season career, which was one of the best ever.
Here's a birthday video, courtesy of the Cardinals:
Happy birthday, Bob!
