Bob Gibson's pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals earned him a dominant place in baseball history. The 6 [.minute] 1 [.second] right-hander used an overwhelming fastball and a peerless array of breaking pitches to strike fear in the hearts of National League batters throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. Gibson reserved his finest performances for the biggest games, outshining all competitors in the three World Series in which he pitched.

Bob Gibson

A frail child who suffered from a heart murmur, Gibson was encouraged to pursue sports by his older brother, a YMCA athletic director. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1957 for $4000, but did not crack the team's starting rotation until 1961. His breakthrough season came in 1963, when he went 18-9, and the Cardinals emerged as a contender for the National League pennant.

Gibson earned a reputation as the ultimate big game pitcher by winning...