Gibson's 1.12 ERA one of baseball's greatest feats, mysteries

So I'm sitting in the dugout talking with Joe Torre about something that happened 40 years ago when his All-Star catcher, Russell Martin, walks by.

Dusty Baker on Gibson's '68 season: 'You almost had to pitch a shutout to beat him.' (US Presswire)

"Hey Russell, did you know that Bob Gibson had a 1.12 ERA back in '68 and still lost nine games?" Torre asks.

Martin pauses, digests the thought and then, confounded, comes back with a really revealing question.

"They make a lot of errors behind him?" Martin asks.

Forty years ago, Gibson produced one of the most incredible pitching performances ever, a season so dominating that the only aspect more impressive than the raw statistics is the fact that he single-handedly changed the game.

It was a season so unique and extraordinary that, viewed from a 40-year distance and today's landscape, it's nearly as incomprehensible as physics to a roomful of Labrador Retrievers.

No, Gibson didn't lose nine games that summer because his St. Louis Cardinals couldn't field.

The reason he lost nine games is because he pitched 304 2/3 innings in '68, racking up 28 complete games. Start after start, he worked into the late innings, with games on the line and decisions being earned.

It's no wonder Martin wondered about the errors. Today's pitching is utterly different, both in performance and approach. The 20-game winner is a diminishing species today because so many starters yield to bullpens by the sixth or seventh inning, and the game can be decided sometimes after that.

Gibson? His singular achievement in 1968 stands out even as simply one line on a Hall of Fame resume, the masterpiece in a roomful of classics.

"A 1.12 ERA ... that's not one bad start," Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker says. "That's just unbelievable. One thing you knew, when he was on the mound that day, your batting average was going to take a beating.

"And equally as devastating, as soon as you gave up two runs as a pitcher, it was game (over). You almost had to pitch a shutout to beat him.

"And what's so amazing were the hitters he was facing. That era probably had more Hall of Famers per capita than any other. Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Billy Williams, Joe Morgan, Pete Rose ... and guys like Joe Torre and Jimmy Wynn."