Baseball: Master on the Mound

One battle does not a campaign make, nor a single game a World Series. But for a record crowd of 54,692 at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium—and millions more who watched on TV—last week’s 1968 Series opener between the home town Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers settled one question, at least for the moment: Who is the best pitcher in baseball?

Going into the game, Detroit’s Deny McLain fairly oozed confidence. “I want to humiliate the Cardinals,” said Denny, whose regular-season record of 31-6 makes him the big leagues’ biggest winner in 34 years. “If that’s the way he feels, he’ll get his chance,” retorted the Cardinals’ Bob Gibson, 32, whose 22 victories this season included 13 shutouts and whose earned-run average of 1.12 was the lowest ever in the National League.

Humiliation was the word. But it was Gibson who did the humiliating, with a virtuoso performance unmatched in the 65-year history of the Series. For McLain, the contest was over quickly; uncharacteristically erratic, he walked three batters, gave up three hits and three runs, and retired to the showers after five innings. “I wish I were Jewish,” he said glumly, reflecting on the fact that the game was being played on Yom Kippur. “Then I wouldn’t have had to pitch today.” Religion might have helped Denny. Nothing could have helped Detroit.

Certain that the powerhitting Tigers would be looking for fastballs and swinging freely, Gibson shrewdly mixed up his pitches, alternating sliders and slow curves with his “hummer.” By the end of the eighth inning, 14 Tigers had gone down on strikes. When Gibson took the mound in the ninth, only one strikeout stood between him and Sandy Koufax’s World Series record. He got that, and more. Detroit Outfielder Al Kaline nailed futilely at a fastball. First Baseman Norm Cash missed a slider by a mile. Then, with a final flourish, Gibson slipped another slider past Outfielder Willie Horton and stalked off the field with a five-hit 4-0 victory and a new Series mark of 17 strikeouts.

The Tigers were awed, and they admitted it. Loser McLain praised Gibson for “the best pitching performance I’ve ever seen,” and Detroit Manager Mayo Smith sighed: “When a pitcher is like that, the hitters are just not going to get him.” But the Tigers were not about to give up. “We’ll be back tomorrow,” promised Manager Smith. And back they were, pounding four Cardinal pitchers for 13 hits and three home runs, staking Lefthander Mickey Lolich to an 8-1 victory that evened up the Series at one game apiece. Two days later, in Detroit, the Cards unlimbered their own big bats, cracking 2 homers and winning 7-3.

Curiously enough, especially since they now were trailing in the Series 2-1, the Tigers actually seemed cheerful about the prospect of facing Gibson in the fourth game. “Let’s see him do it again, in our park,” challenged First Baseman Cash. Added McLain “Gibson’s had his turn. Now it’s mine.”