I may have posted this before, but it still amazes me every time I read it. In 1968, Bob Gibson had the legendary 1.12 ERA.

He completed 28 of his 34 starts, 13 of them for shutouts.

Since that time, only one person has bettered that mark even for a half season (Roger Clemmons had 1.11 in the second half in 1990).

In his first ten starts he was 3-5, despite having a 1.52 ERA.

Eleven of his 34 starts were against a Hall of Fame pitcher.

He was 22-9, and in eight of those losses the Cards scored two or fewer runs. Twice he lost 1-0.

It was an incredible season for Gibson, who was named National League MVP that year and helped lead the Cards to the pennant (lost World Series to Detroit in 7 games).

It should be noted that in 1968, Major League pitching statistics -- across the board -- were the best of any year since about 1920.

Gibson was one mean man on the mound. When asked about his penchant of throwing inside and high when batters were crowding the plate, he said he would throw at his mother if she was batting against him. Tough guy.

I have a disk that has his 17-strikeout record against Detroit. Man, he threw hard!

Wasn't he also a very good basketball player? Somehow I seem to recall that he played basketball also as a youngster.

Gibson attended Omaha Technical High School, where during his tenure he participated on the track, basketball, and baseball teams.[8] Health issues resurfaced for Gibson though, as he needed a doctor's permission to compete in high school sports because of a heart murmur that occurred in tandem with a rapid growth spurt.[9] Gibson was named to the All-State basketball team during his senior year of high school by a newspaper in Lincoln, Nebraska, and soon after won a full athletic scholarship for basketball to Creighton University.[10]

While at Creighton, Gibson majored in sociology, and continued to experience success playing basketball. At the end of Gibson's junior basketball season he averaged 22 points per game, and made third team Jesuit All-American.[
After briefly playing under contract to both the basketball Harlem Globetrotters team and the St. Louis Cardinals organization, Gibson decided to only continue playing baseball professionally.

Wow. Good job. He really was an outstanding all around athlete!