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NO STAT IS SAFE. NO ERA IS FORGOTTEN.
VOL. 1, NO. 17 · JUNE 22, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
ISSUE #017 · EXPANSION
Bob Gibson — 1.12 ERA And
The Rule Change It Caused
On October 2, 1968, Bob Gibson struck out 17 Tigers in a World Series Game 1 shutout — the WS record
📅 THIS DATE IN
BASEBALL still stands.
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
HE WAS SO DOMINANT THAT MLB CHANGED THE RULES SPECIFICALLY TO STOP IT.
1.12 ERA In 1968. Baseball Lowered The Mound The
Following Season Because Of Him.
BOB GIBSON 1968 WALTER JOHNSON 1913 PEDRO MARTINEZ 2000
DWIGHT GOODEN 1985 GREG MADDUX 1995 LEAGUE ERA 1968
Gibson posted a 1.12 ERA in 1968 — the lowest by any starter with 300+ innings in the live-ball era. He
went 22-9 with 268 K and 13 shutouts. After the season, MLB lowered the mound from 15 inches to 10 and
reduced the strike zone. Both changes targeted pitcher dominance. Gibson was the reason they had to
act.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
VS Detroit Tigers OCTOBER 2, 1968
17 5 0 W 4-0
IP K HITS ALLOWED ER RESULT
WS Game 1 — 17 K Record
WORLD SERIES GAME 1: 17 STRIKEOUTS, THE RECORD STILL STANDS
In Game 1 of the 1968 World Series, Gibson struck out 17 Detroit hitters in a complete game shutout — a
World Series record that has never been broken. His opponent was Denny McLain, the AL Cy Young winner
who had gone 31-6 that season. Gibson made it look like the regular season. He allowed 5 hits and no runs
across all 9 innings. It was the greatest World Series pitching performance in history, in a season when every
start he made was historic.
ERA VS ERA 03
Greatest Single Pitching Season — Gibson 1968 vs Pedro 2000?
BOB GIBSON 1968 PEDRO MARTINEZ 2000
ERA ERA
SHUTOUTS VS ERA+
13 291 — highest ever
WS PERFORMANCE WHIP
17 K, Game 1 shutout 0.74
Gibson's 1.12 is lower in raw numbers. Pedro's ERA+ of 291 is the highest single-season mark in baseball
history — he was 191% better than league average in the peak steroid era. The honest answer: both are
legitimate claims. The debate is unresolvable. Pick your framework.
Greatest single-season pitching performance ever?
GIBSON 1968 — 1.12 ERA PEDRO 2000 — 291 ERA+ KOUFAX 1963 — 1.88 ERA JOHNSON 1913 — 1.14 ERA
THE COLDEST MOMENT 04
GIBSON'S ON-MOUND COMPETITIVENESS
He Once Hit A Batter And Struck Out The Next
Three While Staring Into The Dugout.
Gibson was the most ferociously competitive pitcher of his era. He pitched inside without
apology. After hitting a batter — intentional or otherwise — he reportedly stared directly at the
opposing dugout and struck out the next three hitters without shifting his gaze once. His own
Cardinals teammates say they were afraid of him during starts. Catcher Tim McCarver said
Gibson was the only pitcher he caught where he felt like he was working for the pitcher, not the
other way around.
The hitter has eight-tenths of a second to decide whether to swing. I have the other
eight-tenths.
— BOB GIBSON
THE STAT VAULT 05
1968 ERA SHUTOUTS IN 1968
Lowest by any starter with 300+ IP in the In a single season. Five consecutive. The
live-ball era. The Year of the Pitcher. mound was lowered the next year.
YEAR MLB CHANGED THE RULES
STRIKEOUTS IN WS GAME 1
17 1969 Mound lowered 15 to 10 inches. Strike
Against Detroit. October 2, 1968. Still the
zone shrank. Both targeting pitcher
World Series single-game record.
dominance.
251 CAREER WINS
Won 20+ games five times. 1968 was historic. The rest of the career was elite.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Curt Flood
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS · 1956-1971
3X ALL-STAR · .293 BA · 7 GOLD GLOVES
Refused A Trade, Lost His Career, Created Free Agency. Not In The HOF.
Curt Flood was a Gold Glove CF and Gibson's Cardinals teammate who refused a 1969 trade to Philadelphia
and challenged the reserve clause — the rule that bound players to teams forever. He lost (Flood v. Kuhn,
1972), sacrificed his career, and the players who came after won free agency in 1975. He died in 1997. He's
not in the Hall of Fame.
THE CONNECTION:
Flood was Gibson's teammate on the Cardinals dynasty. Gibson got the rings. Flood got the lawsuit.
Every MLB player since 1975 earns more because of what Curt Flood gave up.
COMING NEXT MONDAY
Next Monday: Mickey Mantle won the Triple Crown at 24. His first major knee surgery was at 20.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player from any era who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
All Eras. All Stats. No Debate.
Every Monday. No exceptions.