Bob Gibson, Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher, dies at 84

Bob Gibson, the Hall of Fame pitcher who spent his entire 17-year Major League Baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals, died Friday, the Cardinals announced. He was 84. Gibson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2019.

The right-hander is widely considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time. A clubhouse leader in St. Louis, Gibson was both feared and respected by his opponents. Hank Aaron once, speaking of Gibson's penchant for brushing back hitters to assert command of an at-bat, said "he'd knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him." While his fierce reputation was well-earned, The Athletic's Joe Posnanski penned a piece earlier this year in which Gibson said his intense on-field persona was the result of "just trying to survive" in the big leagues. "People don't know what it was like to be a young Black pitcher in those days," he said.

The numbers prove just how good he was on the mound. He tallied 251 wins and 3,117 strikeouts, and finished with a 2.91 ERA while winning two Cy Youngs (he was only the second Black pitcher to earn the award), nine Gold Gloves, and an MVP, a rarity for a pitcher. Gibson led the Cardinals to two World Series championships in 1964 and 1967, winning the MVP both times. Including the Cardinals' 1968 Fall Classic defeat against the Detroit Tigers, Gibson made nine World Series starts, all of which were complete games. His career postseason ERA was 1.89. His 1968 season, in which he compiled a 1.12 ERA and pitched 13 shutouts, is one of the most successful ever.

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Gibson's death comes just weeks after his teammate Lou Brock and contemporary pitching great Tom Seaver, both Hall of Famers, passed away. Read more at ESPN and The New York Times.