​Why Bob Gibson’s record-breaking 1968 might be the GOAT pitching season (SN Archives) originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.This article, ‘Gibson’s Bandwagon Is Getting A Bit Crowded’ by Neal Russo, originally ran as the cover story in the October 19, 1968 issue of The Sporting News.ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The fourth game of the World Series had ended. Dizzy Dean was in the right setting, for Tiger Stadium also was the scene of some of the greatest moments, in the 1934 World Series.Diz was reminded of his forecast before the 1968 Series, And he was reminded that, for the umpteenth time, he had made good on a boast or a prediction.Dean had said that the Tigers couldn’t beat Bob Gibson and Diz definitely was right in the first and fourth games of the October classic. In the opener, Gibby became the only Cardinal pitcher besides Dean to strike out as many as 17 men in one game. Gibson pitched a five-hitter, winning, 4-0. And in the fourth contest, the one with all that rain and stalling and speeding up, Gibson struck out ten in winning a six-hitter, 10-1.After that second triumph, Dean bellowed, “I’ve been saying for the last five years that Gibson is the best pitcher in baseball, bar none:”SN ARCHIVES:Access every SN issue since 1886, for freeDiz, never a shrinking violet, and using the present tense, added, “Great pitchers like Gibson and me never fool around with the hitters. We both like to throw the ball with something on it. And we don’t pitch to spots. When you pitch to spots and go for the corners, you take something away from your power pitch.”Gibson pitches to the hitters’ power, just as Dean did. “One on one,” Gibson calls it.Before the Series, Dean was so high on Gibson that he said, “If I was Mayo Smith, I wouldn’t pitch Denny McLain against Gibson. Bob just loves those free swingers on the Detroit ball club.”Eddie Sawyer, a former Phillies’ manager, concurred with Dean.“You just sacrifice a pitcher when you send him up against Gibson,” Sawyer said.BASEBALL’S GREATEST PLAYERSHow we picked 140 players | The Immortals | The ArtistsSize of Park ImmaterialAnother observer, Bob Scheffing, who has been around quite a long time, has seen many greats on the mound in both major leagues.“That Gibson is the best pitcher I’ve ever seen,” Scheffing said. “Gibson keeps coming after you. He’s always good when it counts. And it doesn’t matter to him how small the park is.”Still another man on the Gibson bandwagon is Bobby Bragan.The Tigers’ Willie Horton stalled while at bat in the rain-marred fourth game of the Series. He wandered to the dugout to wipe his bat and knock the mud from his shoes.“Did you notice how Gibson stalked that man Horton as he walked to the dugout?” Bragan asked. “I had my eyes on Gibson and his eyes followed Horton all the way back. Gibson was standing there as if to say, ‘C’mon, Willie, get in there and take the last