Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson dead at 84

Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, an intense competitor with the St. Louis Cardinals who set a World Series record with 17 strikeouts and had a 1.12 ERA during 1968′s Year of the Pitcher, died Friday. He was 84.

Gibson died in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, under hospice care after fighting pancreatic cancer for more than a year, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Gibson is the second St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer to die in the past month. Outfielder Lou Brock died Sept. 6.

Gibson’s death came on the 52nd anniversary of his greatest game, a record 17-strikeout performance against the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series.

The right-hander was a two-time Cy Young Award winner and was named to nine All-Star teams. He pitched 17 seasons for the Cardinals, carving out a 251-174 record and a 2.91 ERA. Gibson had 56 shutouts and struck out 3,117 batters.

Gibson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1981.

In World Series play, Gibson dominated, going 7-2 with a 1.89 ERA, 92 strikeouts and two shutouts.

Also adept with a bat, Gibson smashed 24 home runs.

In Omaha, Gibson starred in baseball, basketball and track in high school, the Post-Dispatch reported. He also played baseball and basketball for Creighton University before joining the Harlem Globetrotters for one year.

After a shaky start to his major league career, Gibson put together 14 consecutive seasons of 10 wins or more. He won 20 or more games five times and 19 games twice.

In 1968, Gibson put together what has arguably been called the best season by a pitcher since the deadball ERA. Gibson went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA and tossed 13 shutouts. In addition to leading the league in ERA and shutouts, Gibson also topped the National League with 268 strikeouts.

Gibson won the NL Cy Young Award in 1968 and again in 1970, when he led the NL with 23 victories.

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