Well, I did say we’d revisit this theme again and now seems like the perfect time. Hard to believe we lost two Hall of Fame pitchers within a week of one another.
We lost Bob Gibson on October 2nd of this year to pancreatic cancer. He didn’t lose many decisions. In a post on July 13th I chronicled a couple of his “amazing stats”. Bob was a 6-foot 2 inch, 195lbs right-handed pitcher and batter who made is major league debut on April 15, 1959 and pitched his last game on September 3, 1975, all 17 years with the Saint Louis Cardinals. His career win / lose record was 251-174, Earned Run Average 2.91 and had a total of 3,117 Strike Outs.
He was a giving, caring, competitive man who during his playing career had to endure taunts and slights because of his race. He rose above these to achieve his deserved trip to Cooperstown as he was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1981. He also left a great legacy as a human being.
Amazing Stat: In the last 40 seasons, there have been no players to do one of the following:
-Pitch 300 or more innings
-Have a sub-1.50 ERA
-Throw 25+ complete games
Bob Gibson did all three in 1968 (304.2 IP, 1.12 ERA, 28 CG).
BONUS - Funny Bob Gibson Story: On September 3, 1975, in the 7th inning of his final MLB game, Bob gave a up a bases-load homer run to Peter LaCock who had never hit a “Grand Slam” in his career (even dating back to high school). He calmly got the next batter to ground out and Mike Wallace replaced Gibson pitching in the 8th. 15 years later in an “Old-Timers” game LaCock comes up to bat with Bob Feller pitching. Gibson leaves the bench replacing Feller and warms up. He drills LaCock with his first pitch. Apparently, Bob had a good memory! The two would also later coach together on the St. Louis Cardinals staff.
Rest in Peace Bob Gibson.
Edward “Whitey” Ford was a left-handed pitcher for the New York Yankees. He was nicknamed “The Chairman of the Board”. He played in the majors from July 1, 1950 to May 21, 1967. He missed the 1951 and 52 seasons while serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was 5’10 and weighted 178lbs. He also batted left-handed. He finished his career with 236 wins / 106 losses, a 2.75 Earned Run Average. In 498 games / 3170.1 Innings Pitched he compiled 1956 Strike Outs. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. We lost Whitey on October 8th of this year at the age of 91.
Amazing Stat: In 1961 Whitey went 25-4. There were no stolen bases against him that year. But wait, in 1958, 1959 and 1964, he also allowed no stolen bases. In fact, in his career he only allowed 30 stolen bases total.
Rest in Peace Whitey Ford.
~ Coach Mike
We lost Bob Gibson on October 2nd of this year to pancreatic cancer. He didn’t lose many decisions. In a post on July 13th I chronicled a couple of his “amazing stats”. Bob was a 6-foot 2 inch, 195lbs right-handed pitcher and batter who made is major league debut on April 15, 1959 and pitched his last game on September 3, 1975, all 17 years with the Saint Louis Cardinals. His career win / lose record was 251-174, Earned Run Average 2.91 and had a total of 3,117 Strike Outs.
He was a giving, caring, competitive man who during his playing career had to endure taunts and slights because of his race. He rose above these to achieve his deserved trip to Cooperstown as he was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1981. He also left a great legacy as a human being.
Amazing Stat: In the last 40 seasons, there have been no players to do one of the following:
-Pitch 300 or more innings
-Have a sub-1.50 ERA
-Throw 25+ complete games
Bob Gibson did all three in 1968 (304.2 IP, 1.12 ERA, 28 CG).
BONUS - Funny Bob Gibson Story: On September 3, 1975, in the 7th inning of his final MLB game, Bob gave a up a bases-load homer run to Peter LaCock who had never hit a “Grand Slam” in his career (even dating back to high school). He calmly got the next batter to ground out and Mike Wallace replaced Gibson pitching in the 8th. 15 years later in an “Old-Timers” game LaCock comes up to bat with Bob Feller pitching. Gibson leaves the bench replacing Feller and warms up. He drills LaCock with his first pitch. Apparently, Bob had a good memory! The two would also later coach together on the St. Louis Cardinals staff.
Rest in Peace Bob Gibson.
Edward “Whitey” Ford was a left-handed pitcher for the New York Yankees. He was nicknamed “The Chairman of the Board”. He played in the majors from July 1, 1950 to May 21, 1967. He missed the 1951 and 52 seasons while serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was 5’10 and weighted 178lbs. He also batted left-handed. He finished his career with 236 wins / 106 losses, a 2.75 Earned Run Average. In 498 games / 3170.1 Innings Pitched he compiled 1956 Strike Outs. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. We lost Whitey on October 8th of this year at the age of 91.
Amazing Stat: In 1961 Whitey went 25-4. There were no stolen bases against him that year. But wait, in 1958, 1959 and 1964, he also allowed no stolen bases. In fact, in his career he only allowed 30 stolen bases total.
Rest in Peace Whitey Ford.
~ Coach Mike
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