Commentary By Rick Rodriguez
The Autobiography of Bob Gibson with Lonnie Wheeler "Stranger to the Game" is a great piece of work and for those interested in the intricacies of the era of the 1960's and baseball will find it well worth reading .I actually read the book twice! And, when I purchased the book, I was at a book signing in Berkeley, California with Bob Gibson. There, Mr. Gibson discussed many of the more 
poignant aspects of the book. He described baseball, at one point, as smaller part of the trials and tribulations of a controversial time--the 1960's!
Racism and the civil rights movement play a big role in the story, and Mr. Gibson, as a ballplayer was not immune to it. He details many incidents in the book that he as well as other players faced at the time, but also covers the unifying aspect of his team--the St. Louis Cardinals--that made it such a special team throughout that turbulent time!
I recently played golf with Les Cain, former hurler for the Detroit Tigers and a major-leaguer of the same era of Bob Gibson! Mr. Cain, corroborated many of the stories of the players of the 1960's that I shared with him from my own knowledge of the era and he shared stories of teammates of his on the Detroit Tigers. Learn more on on Les Cain here.
I also told Mr. Cain that I was reading The Autobiography of Bob Gibson with Lonnie Wheeler and a smile came over his face. Yes, he was quite familiar with the legend of Bob Gibson and while I reeled off names of other players of the era it was obvious he had great respect for Bob Gibson.
Kevin Brotzman provided these statistics on: "Bob Gibson was an eight-time All-Star, and struck out 200 batters nine times. His win totals increased each year from 1960 to 1966, topping out at 21 (he missed significant time in 1967 with a broken leg). In 13 straight seasons, he completed 10 or more games. Bob dominated in every facet of the game, even winning nine straight Gold Gloves between 1965 and 1973. He was even used as a pinch hitter on occasion; his career average was .206 with 24 home runs and 144 RBI.
Any conversation about Bob Gibson's skills begins and ends with his ridiculous 1968 season. 22 wins, 9 losses. 28 complete games, 13 shutouts. 47 consecutive scoreless innings, and two runs allowed in a span of 92 innings. 198 hits and 62 walks in 304 2/3 innings for an absurd 0.85 WHIP. His 1.12 ERA is a live-ball era record. Toss in 268 strikeouts for good measure, and you have the National League Cy Young Award winner AND Most Valuable Player. 1968 is widely known as the Year of the Pitcher, but you could cut to the chase and call it the Year of Gibson. Major League Baseball lowered the height of the pitching mound the following year to increase offense, and #45 of the Cardinals was a big reason for that.
As fantastic as Gibson was in the regular season, he was on another plane in the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. His first post season exposure came in 1964, and he was immediately up to the task. After faltering in the ninth inning of an 8-3 Game Two loss, he roared back to pick up complete-game wins in Games Five and Seven. For the Series he struck out 31 in 27 innings and took home MVP honors. But Bob's work in 1967 dwarfed the 1964 Fall Classic. Having just returned in early September from a broken leg, he allowed three total Red Sox runs in three complete game victories. 14 hits allowed vs. 26 strikeouts. Two-for-two, MVP-wise. Back for a third World Series in 1968, Gibson put an eye-popping capper on his monster season. In Game One, he struck out 17 Tigers to set a Series record. Game Four was a five-hit, ten-strikeout, 10-1 complete game victory. In Game Seven, Mickey Lolich out-dueled him in a 4-1 Tigers win. But Bob added eight more K's to set a World Series record of 35. For his post season career: 7-2, 8 CG, 1.89 ERA, 92 K/81 IP. Wow!"
As fantastic as Gibson was in the regular season, he was on another plane in the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals. His first post season exposure came in 1964, and he was immediately up to the task. After faltering in the ninth inning of an 8-3 Game Two loss, he roared back to pick up complete-game wins in Games Five and Seven. For the Series he struck out 31 in 27 innings and took home MVP honors. But Bob's work in 1967 dwarfed the 1964 Fall Classic. Having just returned in early September from a broken leg, he allowed three total Red Sox runs in three complete game victories. 14 hits allowed vs. 26 strikeouts. Two-for-two, MVP-wise. Back for a third World Series in 1968, Gibson put an eye-popping capper on his monster season. In Game One, he struck out 17 Tigers to set a Series record. Game Four was a five-hit, ten-strikeout, 10-1 complete game victory. In Game Seven, Mickey Lolich out-dueled him in a 4-1 Tigers win. But Bob added eight more K's to set a World Series record of 35. For his post season career: 7-2, 8 CG, 1.89 ERA, 92 K/81 IP. Wow!"
The Autobiography of Bob Gibson with Lonnie Wheeler is 286 pages. It is a joy to read! The authors entwine the larger issues of the era into the basic fabric of Bob Gibson's life as well as tell a story about a time when teams were more like families; players made sacrifices for each other while others held onto the ways of the past but they played with common goals. The book is detailed, relevant, pertinent, and an excellent investment of your reading time. Read more about the Author Lonnie Wheeler here. I read this book in1994 and again in 2010!
Rick Rodriguez is a Real Estate Broker & Property Manager with 27+ years of experience in the real estate business. Rick, a Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College Saint Mary's College, services the San Francisco Bay Area including the communities in the 680/580 freeway corridors, and Southern Alameda & Southern Contra Costa County. Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.
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