- Jun 12, 2014
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Founding Member
On October 15th of 1964, Bob Gibson stood on the mound at Bush Stadium, looking down at his cleats, kicking the rubber out of frustration, and talking to himself. It was the 7th game of the World Series and Gibson was facing a legendary Yankees team. He was clinging to a two-run lead with two outs in the 9th inning.
Bob Gibson was pitching on just two days rest. In winning game five, he had gone 10 full innings. He was undoubtedly tired, his arm was probably sore, and it wasn’t doing what he asked it to. He’d just given up home runs to Clete Boyer and Phil Lintz, and now he'd fallen behind in the count to Bobby Richardson as Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle looked on from the on-deck circle and from the hole. If he lost Richardson, it could’ve been disastrous. In today’s game, Gibson would’ve been pulled 60 pitches ago. The Cardinals manager, Johnny Keane, though, knew he couldn’t take Gibson out of the game. Even an attempted trip to the mound at that point would have been met with Gibson’s infamously withering glare.
“Come on you sonofabitch,” Gibson muttered to himself, “get the –------ ball over the plate.”
Anyone who remembers Bob Gibson, knows how that story ends, of course. Maris and Mantle never saw their at-bats, and the Cardinals won the World Series. Good-bye Mr. Gibson, you were the toughest competitor the sport ever knew.
Bob Gibson was pitching on just two days rest. In winning game five, he had gone 10 full innings. He was undoubtedly tired, his arm was probably sore, and it wasn’t doing what he asked it to. He’d just given up home runs to Clete Boyer and Phil Lintz, and now he'd fallen behind in the count to Bobby Richardson as Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle looked on from the on-deck circle and from the hole. If he lost Richardson, it could’ve been disastrous. In today’s game, Gibson would’ve been pulled 60 pitches ago. The Cardinals manager, Johnny Keane, though, knew he couldn’t take Gibson out of the game. Even an attempted trip to the mound at that point would have been met with Gibson’s infamously withering glare.
“Come on you sonofabitch,” Gibson muttered to himself, “get the –------ ball over the plate.”
Anyone who remembers Bob Gibson, knows how that story ends, of course. Maris and Mantle never saw their at-bats, and the Cardinals won the World Series. Good-bye Mr. Gibson, you were the toughest competitor the sport ever knew.
