Bob Gibson Stats

Bob Gibson was born on Saturday, November 9, 1935, in Omaha, Nebraska. Gibson was 23 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 15, 1959, with the St. Louis Cardinals. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Bob Gibson baseball stats page.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher I ever saw. He always pitches when the other team doesn't score any runs." - McCarver, Tim. Catcher / Teammate. Baseball Players of the 1950s: A Biographical Dictionary of All 1,560 Major Leaguers. Marazzi, Rich. Author. McFarland Publishing. 30 November 2009. Page 129. [Bob Gibson Quotes]

Bob Gibson

Bob 'Hoot' Gibson Autograph on a 1961 Topps Baseball Card (#211 | <a href='../baseball_cards/baseball_cards_oneset.php?s=1961top01' title='1961 Topps Baseball Card Checklist'>Checklist</a>)

Bob 'Hoot' Gibson Autograph on a 1961 Topps Baseball Card (#211 | Checklist)

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Birth Name:   Robert Gibson
Nickname:   Bob or Gibby or Hoot
Born On:   11-09-1935  (Scorpio)
Place of Birth Data Born In:   Omaha, Nebraska
Year of Death Data Died On:   10-02-2020 (1,000 Oldest Living)
Place of Death Data Died In:   Omaha, Nebraska
Cemetery:   Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery, Omaha, Nebraska
High School:   Technical High School (Omaha, NE)
College:   Creighton University
Batting Stances Chart Bats:   Right   Throwing Arms Chart Throws:   Right
Player Height Chart Height:   6-02   Player Weight Chart Weight:   195
First Game:   04-15-1959 (Age 23)
Last Game:   09-03-1975
Draft:   Not Applicable / Signing Bonus = $1,000

Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson Pitching Stats

1959 24 Cardinals 13 9 3 3 5 .375 3.33 2 1 0 75.2 333 77 28 35 4 39 2 48 4 1 0 -
1960 25 Cardinals 27 12 3 3 6 .333 5.61 2 0 0 86.2 399 97 54 61 7 48 6 69 3 1 0 -
1961 26 Cardinals 35 27 3 13 12 .520 3.24 10 2 1 211.1 916 186 76 91 13 119 7 166 8 6 1 -
1962 27 Cardinals 32 30 2 15 13 .536 2.85 15 5 1 233.2 967 174 74 84 15 95 9 208 11 10 0 -
1963 28 Cardinals 36 33 2 18 9 .667 3.39 14 2 0 254.2 1,088 224 96 110 19 96 1 204 6 13 1 -
1964 29 Cardinals 40 36 3 19 12 .613 3.01 17 2 1 287.1 1,191 250 96 106 25 86 9 245 6 9 0 -
1965 30 Cardinals 38 36 1 20 12 .625 3.07 20 6 1 299.0 1,233 243 102 110 34 103 6 270 8 11 1 -
1966 31 Cardinals 35 35 0 21 12 .636 2.44 20 5 0 280.1 1,119 210 76 90 20 78 5 225 12 5 0 0
1967 32 Cardinals 24 24 0 13 7 .650 2.98 10 2 0 175.1 703 151 58 62 10 40 3 147 3 3 1 0
1968 33 Cardinals 34 34 0 22 9 .710 1.12 28 13 0 304.2 1,161 198 38 49 11 62 6 268 4 7 0 0
1969 34 Cardinals 35 35 0 20 13 .606 2.18 28 4 0 314.0 1,270 251 76 84 12 95 7 269 4 10 2 0
1970 35 Cardinals 34 34 0 23 7 .767 3.12 23 3 0 294.0 1,213 262 102 111 13 88 9 274 5 4 1 0
1971 36 Cardinals 31 31 0 16 13 .552 3.04 20 5 0 245.2 1,026 215 83 96 14 76 11 185 10 7 0 0
1972 37 Cardinals 34 34 0 19 11 .633 2.46 23 4 0 278.0 1,119 226 76 83 14 88 11 208 10 3 2 0
1973 38 Cardinals 25 25 0 12 10 .545 2.77 13 1 0 195.0 790 159 60 71 12 57 6 142 6 3 1 0
1974 39 Cardinals 33 33 0 11 13 .458 3.83 9 1 0 240.0 1,041 236 102 111 24 104 14 129 2 5 3 0
1975 40 Cardinals 22 14 4 3 10 .231 5.04 1 0 2 109.0 499 120 61 66 10 62 6 60 6 4 0 -
17 Years 528 482 21 251 174 .591 2.91 255 56 6 3,884.1 16,068 3,279 1,258 1,420 257 1,336 118 3,117 108 102 13 0

Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson Hitting Stats

1959 24 Cardinals 21 26 1 3 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 10 1 0 0 0 .115 .115 .192
1960 25 Cardinals 40 28 4 5 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 1 0 0 0 .179 .179 .214
1961 26 Cardinals 40 66 4 13 5 0 1 0 10 3 0 23 3 2 1 1 .197 .236 .318
1962 27 Cardinals 42 76 11 20 0 0 2 0 5 4 0 28 6 1 3 1 .263 .321 .342
1963 28 Cardinals 41 87 12 18 3 1 3 0 20 8 0 35 5 0 0 1 .207 .274 .368
1964 29 Cardinals 40 96 8 15 3 1 0 0 4 3 0 38 6 1 1 0 .156 .188 .208
1965 30 Cardinals 42 104 14 25 2 0 5 1 19 3 0 26 8 3 1 0 .240 .261 .404
1966 31 Cardinals 46 100 11 20 4 0 1 0 8 3 0 35 7 1 0 0 .200 .221 .270
1967 32 Cardinals 27 60 7 8 0 0 0 0 3 8 0 26 6 0 0 0 .133 .235 .133
1968 33 Cardinals 35 94 3 16 5 0 0 0 6 7 0 32 7 1 1 1 .170 .233 .223
1969 34 Cardinals 37 118 11 29 6 0 1 0 8 3 0 36 5 1 0 1 .246 .262 .322
1970 35 Cardinals 40 109 14 33 3 1 2 0 19 8 0 25 6 1 0 4 .303 .347 .404
1971 36 Cardinals 31 87 5 15 0 1 2 0 10 3 0 24 2 2 1 2 .172 .204 .264
1972 37 Cardinals 34 103 12 20 6 0 5 0 12 1 0 25 2 0 0 0 .194 .202 .398
1973 38 Cardinals 25 65 8 12 0 0 2 1 8 3 0 17 2 1 0 1 .185 .217 .277
1974 39 Cardinals 33 81 6 17 4 1 0 0 6 3 0 19 1 2 0 1 .210 .233 .284
1975 40 Cardinals 22 28 1 5 0 0 0 0 4 3 0 9 4 2 0 0 .179 .242 .179
17 Years 596 1,328 132 274 44 5 24 2 144 63 0 415 72 18 8 13 .206 .243 .301

Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson Fielding Stats

1959 Cardinals P 13 9 227 18 1.4 16 6 10 2 2 n/a n/a n/a .889 1.90
1960 Cardinals P 27 12 260 21 0.8 21 7 14 0 3 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.18
1961 Cardinals P 35 27 634 51 1.5 49 14 35 2 4 n/a n/a n/a .961 2.09
1962 Cardinals P 32 30 701 56 1.8 53 18 35 3 6 n/a n/a n/a .946 2.04
1963 Cardinals P 36 33 764 60 1.7 55 27 28 5 0 n/a n/a n/a .917 1.94
1964 Cardinals P 40 36 862 66 1.7 60 24 36 6 4 n/a n/a n/a .909 1.88
1965 Cardinals P 38 36 897 63 1.7 60 27 33 3 1 n/a n/a n/a .952 1.81
1966 Cardinals P 35 35 841 56 1.6 54 26 28 2 4 n/a n/a n/a .964 1.73
1967 Cardinals P 24 24 526 42 1.8 42 19 23 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 1.000 2.16
1968 Cardinals P 34 34 914 50 1.5 49 21 28 1 2 n/a n/a n/a .980 1.45
1969 Cardinals P 35 35 942 56 1.6 53 21 32 3 5 n/a n/a n/a .946 1.52
1970 Cardinals P 34 34 882 58 1.7 54 22 32 4 3 n/a n/a n/a .931 1.65
1971 Cardinals P 31 31 737 52 1.7 49 10 39 3 1 n/a n/a n/a .942 1.80
1972 Cardinals P 34 34 834 59 1.7 58 12 46 1 3 n/a n/a n/a .983 1.88
1973 Cardinals P 25 25 585 37 1.5 35 11 24 2 2 n/a n/a n/a .946 1.62
1974 Cardinals P 33 33 720 48 1.5 46 20 26 2 4 n/a n/a n/a .958 1.73
1975 Cardinals P 22 14 327 24 1.1 21 6 15 3 2 n/a n/a n/a .875 1.73
P Totals 528 482 11,653 817 1.5 775 291 484 42 46 n/a n/a n/a .949 1.80
17 Years 528 482 11,653 817 1.5 775 291 484 42 46 n/a n/a n/a .949 1.80

Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson Miscellaneous Stats

1959 Cardinals 0 0 .000 0 8 n/a 0.0 2.6 26.0 1.23 5.71 4.64
1960 Cardinals 0 0 .000 0 13 n/a 0.0 4.0 28.0 1.44 7.17 4.98
1961 Cardinals 0 0 .000 0 5 n/a 66.0 2.9 6.6 1.39 7.07 5.07
1962 Cardinals 0 0 .000 0 11 n/a 38.0 2.7 15.2 2.19 8.01 3.66
1963 Cardinals 0 0 .000 1 4 n/a 29.0 2.5 4.4 2.13 7.21 3.39
1964 Cardinals 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 2.5 24.0 2.85 7.67 2.69
1965 Cardinals 2 0 1.000 1 3 n/a 20.8 4.0 5.5 2.62 8.13 3.10
1966 Cardinals 3 2 .600 6 5 n/a 100.0 2.9 12.5 2.88 7.22 2.50
1967 Cardinals 0 0 .000 0 3 n/a 0.0 2.3 20.0 3.68 7.55 2.05
1968 Cardinals 1 1 .500 0 1 n/a 0.0 2.9 15.7 4.32 7.92 1.83
1969 Cardinals 5 2 .714 1 1 n/a 118.0 3.3 14.8 2.83 7.71 2.72
1970 Cardinals 0 2 .000 5 1 n/a 54.5 4.4 5.7 3.11 8.39 2.69
1971 Cardinals 1 0 1.000 0 0 n/a 43.5 3.6 8.7 2.43 6.78 2.78
1972 Cardinals 0 1 .000 0 0 n/a 20.6 4.1 8.6 2.36 6.73 2.85
1973 Cardinals 1 1 .500 0 0 n/a 32.5 3.8 8.1 2.49 6.55 2.63
1974 Cardinals 0 1 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 4.3 13.5 1.24 4.84 3.90
1975 Cardinals 0 0 .000 0 0 n/a 0.0 3.1 7.0 0.97 4.95 5.12
17 Years 13 10 .565 14 55 n/a 55.3 3.2 9.2 2.33 7.22 3.10

Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson Miscellaneous Items of Interest

1959 St. Louis Cardinals 58 $3,300.00 - -
1960 St. Louis Cardinals 31 $3,500.00 - -
1961 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $5,500.00 - -
1962 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $15,000.00 Stats -
1963 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $25,000.00 - -
1964 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $30,000.00 - Stats
1965 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $40,000.00 Stats -
1966 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $50,000.00 Stats -
1967 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $60,000.00 Stats Stats
1968 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $85,000.00 Stats Stats
1969 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $125,000.00 Stats -
1970 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $125,000.00 Stats -
1971 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $150,000.00 - -
1972 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $150,000.00 Stats -
1973 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $160,000.00 - -
1974 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $160,000.00 - -
1975 St. Louis Cardinals 45 $175,000.00 - -

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Robert Gibson was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959-1975). Bob, his nickname, won the 1968 and 1970 National League Cy Young Award — the first St. Louis Cardinals pitcher to win a Cy Young, as well as the first Red Bird to win it twice.

Bob Gibson Rookie Card | Baseball Almanac

Bob Gibson Rookie Card | 1959 Topps Baseball Card (#514 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library

Bob Gibson had a 1.12 earned run average (ERA) in 1968, the lowest ERA by a Cy Young Award winning starting pitcher. The next closest starting pitcher from the National League was Dwight Gooden, who had a 1.53 ERA in 1985. The next closest starting pitcher from the American League was Ron Guidry, who had a 1.74 ERA in 1978. Even if we compare Gibson's ERA to closers who have won, it is still the second lowest ever recorded by a Cy Young Award winner, behind Rollie Fingers, who had a 1.04 ERA in 1981.

When Bob Gibson took the field on April 15, 1959, he became the first St. Louis Cardinals player to wear #58. When he hung up his cleats on September 3, 1975, he became the last St. Louis Cardinals player to use #45 — the team retired it that same year! Let's take a look at some additional numbers of interest as they relate to one of the most dominant strikeout pitchers in baseball history:

3: Bob Gibson threw exactly three strikes to Len Gabrielson (out #1), exactly three pitches to Paul Popovich (out #2), then exactly three pitches to John Miller (out #3), during the seventh inning of a game played on May 12, 1969, the first known Immaculate Inning (9 Pitches - 9 Strikes - 3 Outs) in Cardinals history.

5: Bob Gibson won twenty-or-more games five times (1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970) in St. Louis, the most 20-win seasons by a Cardinals pitcher in team history. Second most was Dizzy Dean, who had four (1933-1936), followed by six Cards who each had three (Jumbo McGinnis, Bob Caruthers, Dave Foutz, Silver King, Jesse Haines and Mort Cooper).

9: Bob Gibson was clearly a dominating force on the mound. Often forgotten is how incredibly smooth he was off the mound, capturing nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards (1965-1973), the most in the National League until Greg Maddux won his tenth straight in 1999, a streak he continued through 2002, 13 consecutive Gold Gloves, and finishing his hall of fame career with eighteen total.

17: Bob Gibson struck out twelve hitters fourteen times, thirteen hitters ten times, fourteen hitters three times, fifteen hitters twice, sixteen hitters once, and on October 2, 1968, during Game 1 of the 1968 World Series, he struck out a career high seventeen batters, the most hitters ever during a World Series game. [World Series Single Game Pitching Records]

3,000: Bob Gibson was the second pitcher in baseball history to join the 3,000 Strikeouts Club, joining hall of famer Walter Johnson. Bob Gibson was the first National League pitcher to strikeout 3,000 batters and entered the "club" on July 17, 1974, at Busch Stadium, thanks in part to Cesar Geronimo.

3,117: Bob Gibson finished his career with 3,117 strikeouts, second most in baseball history at the time of his retirement, behind Walter Johnson (3,508 strikeouts). [Top 1,000 Career Strikeouts]

Bob Gibson Hall of Fame Plaque

Bob Gibson | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1981 (HOF)

The National Baseball Hall of Fame wrote, "Bob Gibson may well have been the most intimidating pitcher in history." Inducted in 1981, the Bob Gibson Biography (link) goes on to say, "1968 has come to be known as 'The Year of the Pitcher,' and Bob Gibson was certainly the pitcher of the year" and gives partial credit to the mound being lowered to Gibson, "in the ultimate compliment, baseball actually lowered the mound the following season, because pitchers, led by Gibson, were dominating hitters and games were historically low-scoring."