1. Bob Gibson
9 GS, 7-2, 1.89 ERA, 81.0 IP, 8 CG (2 SHO), 92 K’s
Gibson brought home the World Series MVP honors in each of his first two trips to the Fall Classic and it wasn’t even fair.
In the 1964 series against the Yankees, Gibson went 2-1 with two complete games while striking out 31 batters in 27 innings of work.
He returned to the great stage in 1967 where he tossed three complete games — including a Game 7 win on two day’s rest —against the Boston Red Sox to fuel the Cardinals to three of their four total victories in the series.
As great as those accomplishments are, Gibson’s best was yet to come.
In Game 1 of the 1968 World Series, against the Detroit Tigers, the 1981 Hall Of Fame inductee struck out 17 batters which still, to this day, stands as a postseason record.
Overall, Gibson’s display was just unimaginable. Eight shutouts in nine total starts, the record for most K’s in a playoff game and takes the throne as ESNY’s best playoff pitcher in the history of major league baseball.
What do you think, fans? Was our list of the greatest starting pitchers to ever take the mound during postseason play accurate? Is there anything you would change? Let your voices be heard in the comments below.
Christian Kouroupakis covers the New York Yankees for ESNY. Interact with him and view his daily work by “liking” his facebook page and follow him on Twitter. All statistics are courtesy of Baseball Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Don’t hesitate to shoot him an email with any questions, criticisms, or concerns.
