Bob Gibson on the frustration of suffering nine losses despite posting a ridiculous 1.12 ERA in 1968: "There were a couple of times that I would win the game myself with a base hit or something and I would rub it in."
One of the craziest things about this interview is Gibson is over 80 years old. You could easily pass him off as 45 or 50. Very very impressive congnitive ability. One of the best I've ever seen in terms of thought process, speech and overall clarity.
He was one of the smartest pitchers ever if not _THE_ smartest pitcher ever. He had an incredibly intelligent mastery of psychology which he used to dominate baseball and have the best pitching season ever. He was never the biggest or the strongest pitcher, he was only 6ft 1in which is tiny, and was always pretty skinny. Yet he seemed like a terrifying giant on the mound, because of how smartly he pitched. Batters were terrified of him. He didn't even need to hit them with the ball, for them to be scared of it, scared of pissing him off.
And he was still a badass! I heard that a guy cut him off in traffic and flipped him off and Gibson followed him 10 miles and caught up with him at a gas station and threatened to kick his ass, lol. And this was when he was old like in this interview.
One of the greatest competitors to ever play baseball.I am a Cubs fan but it was a joy to see him pitch! If you look up greatness in the dictionary you will see his name there.May he rest in peace.
My first exposure to BBall in like 1965 as a 9 year old was watching this man pitch. He was the most masterful pitcher of his generation but MAN he had an edge and everyone knew it. He was an intense competitor. Loved ya Bob, RIP.
One of my fondest memories as a kid was going to Shea as a Mets fan and seeing Gibson vs Seaver. My uncle Joe would look at the pitching rotations and if it was Gibson on Saturday or Sunday that’s when we’d go because we knew that it would be Seaver going against him. Wonderful memories of watching two of baseball’s greatest facing off against each other!
Yep. I grew up in the late 50s and 60s. Gibson and Brock are two of the greats, and there are many more from that era. But, that was then and we can’t go back. I hope there will always be kids playing the game somewhere. It was a big part of my formative years.
It is always interesting listening to guys like Bob Gibson. It was truly an age gone by. The game is so different now especially when it comes to pitching. Complete games and innings pitched we're a couple of the key stats that described greatness in a picture. Some lasted a long time. Now those stats and shutouts are virtually meaningless. Many of us who lived through that era have a hard time relating to the value of pitchers today, especially Starters. Spahn, Feller, Koufax, Marichal, Gibson, Perry, Seaver, Jenkins, Carlton, Palmer, Bunning were all legends. Not quite the same anymore.
@@lamotta6 It's a tough call, but I go with Gibson because his career was longer. I could actually go with either as the best I've ever seen. Maybe throw in Nolan Ryan, Christy Mathewson, and Satchel Page right in there, too.
@@dougoverhoff7568 Nolan Ryan doesn't belong with those guys. Ryan had an incredible arm to last 27 seasons, but he lost 292 games, had a winning % of only 52.6%, and never won the Cy Young. Yes, he struck out 5,714 and pitched 7 no-hitters.
@@jamesanthony5681 Are you listening to yourself? 5714 strikeouts and 7 no-hitters! It's called the Hall of FAME. Players are inducted for being famous, because it's the hall of FAME!
Gibson spoke a wonderful piece when he talked about the team accomplishment. He recognizes the individual stuff as special but hearing the team thing was great. I never thought about him having to face the other great pitchers of his day.
How many games did Gibson win in 1968, by Lou Brock leading off, getting a walk (or hit) to first base, stealing second, getting to third on a steal or an infield out, and then scoring on a fly ball. Gibson would then pitch a complete game...I remember this happening a couple of times during 1968, and I didn't watch every game.
I still cannot believe the Tampa manager took out Snell in the 6th inning while he was pitching a gem. I wonder what would have happened if Red Schoendienst came out to pull Gibson in the 6th inning after giving up a single. Cards fan
The Great Bob Gibson! Watching him pitch, then hearing him talk in an interview like this, it's hard to believe it's the same person.., such a vicious competitor on the field, such a gentleman off the field...
what I liked about Bob Gibson's throwing. It was smooth as smooth. Great leverage combined with only his All Star --- accuracy.. he was such a great player to watch. they should have never changed the mound. why? Because there were few pitchers like Bob Gibson. So you take his time and leave it alone. He was a time period freak of nature, which you should enjoy whilst he remained in the game. You should never change the game, "because of Bob Gibson".
Lovs how Bob was always saying "team" and "we" and not using "I". That's the mark of a true teammate. He was a great player, he knew it, we all knew it, he just didn't feel it was necessary to harp on it.
When I was a kid I saw the game on NBC game of the week. Gibson struck out 8 Houston Astros in a row. One of the 8 hit a foul ball, the other 7 never made contact. The pitch was identical for all 8, fastball knee high on the outer black of the plate. The Harlem Globetrotters tried to sign him to a contract. I think he made the right choice.
I'm a Pirate fan (don't go there) and Bob Gibson was the best righthanded pitcher I ever saw. On top of that he was fun to watch, even though your team was getting their asses kicked.
At his age at the time, incredibly articulate. Sad that cancer got him, he would have done very well for a much longer time. I would LOVE to hear those "stories I can't talk about." LOL
so right about the team success being much more satisfying than personal success. a lot of b.s. is written about ball players not caring about winning or the team, but that's nonsense, players WANT TO WIN, losing sucks. of course a guy has to have a good career, if he doesn't he's out of the game, there's way too much competition for anyone to not want to play hard and win, but some guys do have their moments... i forget what teammate said it, but gibby would let you know if he didn't think you were giving 100%.
Gibson pitched more complete games in 2 weeks than most today pitch in a season. Unfortunately, CG has become a non-entity in a time of multiple relief and situational pitchers. Come out and get the ball after Gibson gives up a hit in the 6th with a two run lead? You'll need a new ball, pitcher, and probably a new job, Mr. Manager.
I prefer pitchers being able to pitch for many many more years, than purposely sabotaging your team's performance by using a very stupid old fashioned idea that pitchers should always finish the games they start. That'd be like playing basketball with one arm tied behind your back. Just because you absolutely hate the team you support, and you want them to lose as much as possible, doesn't mean that everyone else is as daft as you. Pitchers deserve to have long careers as much as anyone else. Bob Gibson has even said it himself, in other interviews, how stupid the culture was back then of pitchers always trying to pitch complete games. If the best pitcher in history, Bob Gibson, says you're incredibly daft, then I'll take his word for it. How many seasons did you play in MLB? If the answer is zero, then your opinion is meaningless.
bongo! he said it! when asked about the 1.12 and all the shutouts, he said the MOST impressive and meaningful was getting to the ws three times- a total team player as apposed to the all about me and my stats jerks today
I was in Chicago when Lou Brock played for the Cubs. It just show why the Cubs were so bad for so long. He would never have been the player he became if the Cubs had kept him though.
Bob Gibson became one of my heroes when I began following MLB closely during the spring of 1973. Hank Aaron was another of my heroes. And I was a middle-class white kid growing up in a Milwaukee suburb. My parents always taught my sister and me not to judge anyone by his or her race. AND my parents were conservative Republicans. As I remain today.
Yes and no. It's true that MLB lowered the mound after the 1968 "Year of the Pitcher" season that Gibson and Koufax dominated. But the rubber has been 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate since 1893. That's never changed.
They lowered the mound from 15 to 10 inches, effective 1969. Yaz was the only AL hitter to hit .300 with a .301 average in 1968. I remember Denny McClain winning his 30th game in Sept/1968, and Dizzy Dean congratulating him.
