Lights Out: Bob Gibson

Dynasty, Adieu!

When: October 12, 1964

Where:  Yankee Stadium, New York, New York

Game Time: 2:37

Attendance: 65,633

Winning Pitcher: Bob Gibson (1-1)

Losing Pitcher: Pete Mikkelson (0-1)

Game-Winning Hit: Tim McCarver

Future Hall of Famers in the Game: Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Mickey Mantle

As a World Series pitcher, Bob Gibson had no peer in the 1960s.

He definitely had some competition. Whitey Ford won 5 games during the decade’s first 3 World Series and broke Babe Ruth’s record for consecutive scoreless innings. Sandy Koufax won 4 World Series games. And the 3 games won by Mickey Lolich during the 1968 World Series was a rare feat accomplished only through the combination of great pitching and great heart.

Bob Gibson

But none of these fine pitchers could match the greatness of Gibson in October. In 9 starts for the St. Louis Cardinals over 3 World Series, Gibson would go 7-2 with 8 complete games and a 1.89 ERA. In 81 World Series innings, Gibson struck out 92 batters.

His first unforgettable World Series start came in the fifth game of the 1964 World Series, his second start in that Series. The New York Yankees, behind their rookie pitching sensation Mel Stottlemyre, had beaten Gibson 8-3 in the second game of the Series. Though the loser, Gibson pitched better than the score indicated. Through 8 innings, he allowed just 4 runs on 8 hits, striking out 9. He left that game with the score 4-2. The Yankees scored 4 times off the Cardinals’ bullpen to walk away with an easy victory.

Gibson and Stottlemyre squared off again in Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. Both starters threw shutout ball through the first 4 innings, with Gibson striking out 5 Yankees. In the top of the fifth, Gibson singled with one out, and the next batter, Curt Flood, was safe on an error by second baseman Bobby Richardson, with Gibson advancing to second base. Lou Brock singled to right field, scoring Gibson and sending Flood to third. Bill White hit a ground ball to Richardson, who flipped the ball to shortstop Phil Linz, forcing Brock out at second but allowing Flood to score on the fielder’s choice.  Gibson and the Cardinals now led 2-0.

Tim McCarver

Gibson continued to dominate the Yankees’ hitters. He struck out 2 batters in the fifth, 2 more in the sixth and another in the seventh, his tenth in the game. Gibson went into the bottom of the ninth with his shutout intact.

Then the Yankees came back. Mickey Mantle was safe on an error by Cardinals’ shortstop Dick Groat. Gibson struck out Elston Howard and got Joe Pepitone to ground out to White at first. With 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth, Tom Treshlaunched a Gibson fastball to the seats in right-center field, tying the score and sending the game into extra innings.

Mel Stottlemyre

Stottlemyre had pitched the first 7 innings for the Yankees, and pitched brilliantly, allowing only those 2 runs (one earned) in the fifth inning. He was replaced by Hal Reniff and then Pete Mikkelsen, who came out to face the Cardinals in the top of the tenth.

White led off the inning for the Cardinals with a walk. Ken Boyer bunted toward third and beat out Mikkelsen’s throw to first. White stole third. Groat grounded to Linz at short, forcing Boyer at second while White was held at third. The next batter, Tim McCarver, worked Mikkelsen to a 3-1 count and then homered to deep right to put the Cardinals up 5-2.

Gibson wasn’t going to lose 2 leads in one day. He struck out Mike Hegan – his thirteenth strikeout of the game – and got Linz to hit a pop fly to Boyer. Bobby Richardson singled – one of a record 13 hits Richardson would get for the Series – and then Roger Maris popped up. Boyer caught it in foul territory to end the game.

It was the last Yankee at-bat in a World Series in the 1960s. It would be more than a decade until the Yankees made it back to the October classic.

It was Bob Gibson’s first World Series victory. He would win six more in his postseason career before suffering another defeat.