Bob Gibson's pitch variety

[bccardsfan]

I remember Gibby didn't waste a lot of pitches. If he had you down in the count, the next pitch was most likely going to be at the knees on the black. None of this going fishing for two pitches to see if a hitter will swing at a terrible pitch. Also, he pitched like he was double parked. Jack Buck put a watch on him and it was about 9 secs between pitches. He was also a gold glove fielder, despite falling off the mound after every pitch. Yes, 1.12.... still hard to fathom.

[bccardsfan]

... and really, the last Cardinal pitcher I have seen with that sort of bulldog mentality was Chris Carpenter. When he stared down Brendan Ryan... that said it all. This team needs that sort of competitors on it and a manager who fosters that attitude in my book

[NYCardsFan]

Pitching Ninja: 22 Seconds of Bob Gibson’s Wicked Sliders from a home plate view.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDj6Z_Cu ... hare_sheet

[ScotchMIrish]

Looking at the internet fastball, slider curve. Not sure if the fastball was 4 seam or 2 seam.

I remember reading somewhere that Gibson used both a 2 seamer and a 4 seamer.

That could be. I watched him warm up a couple times and he had movement on his fastball.

[HOUCARD]

Gibson's most intimidating pitch wasn't mentioned .. the 'brushback ' If somehow you managed to get a bloop Texas leaguer popup hit , you better be ready the next at bat to get a high fastball under the chin area and bail out quick. In those days, there were no warnings about pitches like that .
Thus players facing Gibby never got too dug in with their feet in the batters box. You had to be ready for anything. He was one of most menacing pitchers of his era.
I was 20 years old when Gibby had that all-time record 1.12 ERA for the 1968 season . Never has been broken to this day and it's bee 57 years now.
It was truly mind blowing plus remember that he wasn't pitching for 6 or 7 innings or even 8 like guys today He had that 1.12 going thru the lineup 3 times in games and doing that in hot St. Louis summer weather too. He had 28 complete games in 34 starts that year.
You will never see that again . People ooh and ahhh today when a couple complete games get pitched in the majors in an entire season. Gibson did it 28 times in one season !

They lowered the pitching mound because of his dominance. The really amazing part of the 1968 season, to me, was he lost 9 games.

[kscardsfan]

I always thought his windup had a lot to do with his success. Just enough motion to get the batter mesmerized.

[rockondlouie]

... and really, the last Cardinal pitcher I have seen with that sort of bulldog mentality was Chris Carpenter. When he stared down Brendan Ryan... that said it all. This team needs that sort of competitors on it and a manager who fosters that attitude in my book

BINGO bcc

C. Carp is the closest thing we've seen here to Gibby.

Two of the toughest s.........o.......b's we've ever seen on the mound.

Both carried the Cardinals to two WS titles too!

As to his pitch variety, Gibby was almost exclusively a Fastball/Slider pitcher.

[bccardsfan]

Pitching Ninja: 22 Seconds of Bob Gibson’s Wicked Sliders from a home plate view.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDj6Z_Cu ... hare_sheet

Thanks for posting that! Brought back memories of watching him pitch. Still my all time favourite pitcher, and I did get to see a lot of great ones.

[tgharris]

I remember hearing McCarver say (can't remember the program) that there was a stretch in '68 when Gibson could throw any pitch that he wanted, to a spot within a half a ball width of where he wanted it.

[okcardfan]

Everyone's memories of Gibby relying on two main pitches is what my memory was too. I was 21 in '68 and thought I remembered Gibby's arsenal. I was actually wondering about Liam Doyle when Gibby's name popped up in my aging brain.

Before I came back to look at the CT responses to my OP, I realized I could ask my good friend chatGPT the same question about Bob Gibson. I should have done that at first.

What an avalanche of information chatGPT put forth about the success of two-pitch starters and the problems with trying to make guys "expand the pitching arsenal," which include losing velocity in the FB and other "hard" pitches, lowering the quality of other pitches, loss of control (and "command," if that's different), and injuries, all of which just ruins many a young pitcher, plain and simple.

Chatgpt lists many highly successful starters from the past and present who were or are primarily two-pitch pitchers.

So, how many superior pitches does Liam Doyle have right now?

[okcardfan]

Everyone's memories of Gibby relying on two main pitches is what my memory was too. I was 21 in '68 and thought I remembered Gibby's arsenal. I was actually wondering about Liam Doyle when Gibby's name popped up in my aging brain.

Before I came back to look at the CT responses to my OP, I realized I could ask my good friend chatGPT the same question about Bob Gibson. I should have done that at first.

What an avalanche of information chatGPT put forth about the success of two-pitch starters and the problems with trying to make guys "expand the pitching arsenal," which include losing velocity in the FB and other "hard" pitches, lowering the quality of other pitches, loss of control (and "command," if that's different), and injuries, all of which just ruins many a young pitcher, plain and simple.

Chatgpt lists many highly successful starters from the past and present who were or are primarily two-pitch pitchers.

So, how many superior pitches does Liam Doyle have right now?

[fullswing]

I remember watching a video with Gibson pitching and when the ball left his hand, it was going straight for the batter’s head. The batter dropped the bat and bailed. It ended up low and outside and called a ball.

[OldRed]

Question: Wo here is actually old enough to have seen Gibson pitch his entire career?

[okcardfan]

Question: Wo here is actually old enough to have seen Gibson pitch his entire career?

Me
Born Dec '46. Skipped frosh calculus class to watch a game of the '64 World Series. I'd been listening to the Cardinals radio broadcasts on KCRC radio in Enid, OK, since 58 or 59, when listening to Harry, Garagiola, Buddy Blatner, Hal Smith (a former Cards catcher whose health problem [heart?] moved him to the radio booth for a short time), and Jack Buck of course. So I heard almost all of Gibby's games til I got drafted and sent to Nam in 69.

[OldRed]

"(Hank Aaron told me) 'Don't dig in against Bob Gibson, he'll knock you down. He'd knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him. Don't stare at him, don't smile at him, don't talk to him. He doesn't like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don't run too slow, don't run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don't charge the mound, because he's a Gold Glove boxer.' I'm like, '(bleep), what about my 17-game hitting streak?' That was the night it ended."
- Dusty Baker on Bob Gibson

[casey1024]

I was 11 years old in 1968 and that was one of the best summers of my life! I would camp out in the back yard in my pup tent when the Cards were on the coast and the games did not start till 9:30. The matchups were Drysdale(LA), Marichal(SF) every time. I listened to every game on my trusty transistor radio. God I was a lucky kid! I'm so thankful for my childhood, parents, 6 siblings and my life long love.....the Cardinals! We were poor....but we had everything! OK.....enough of that......I ask you all to look up the stats of the games greatest sluggers and hitters from that era. Willie Mays for instance did not strike out 100 times in a season until late in his career. Look at Stan the Man......and Rose hardly ever struck out! Then consider that this ultra human Gibson struck out hitters at a rate that would be at the top today in the "K" era. The man still holds the WS record for "Ks" in a WS game to this day. I ran home from school that day in time to watch Bob strike out the side in the 9th to set the record and pitch a 4-0 shutout against the Tigers. I believe, if memory does not fail me, it was Willie Horton. Norm Cash and Al Kaline who were the Tigers 3 sluggers. My heart spills Cardinal Red to this day!