Bob Gibson (gibsobo02)

Robert Louis Gibson

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
• School Bloomsburg State College
• High School Springfield (PA) High School
• Debut April 13, 1983
• Final Game July 25, 1987
• Born June 19, 1957 in Philadelphia, PA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Bob Gibson pitched five years in the majors, most notably getting 11 saves for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1985.

Gibson is (through 2008) one of two major league pitchers out of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, with the other being Matt Karchner. The two had almost the same ERA in the big leagues.

Gibson was signed as a free agent in 1979 and spent 1979 to 1982 in the minors. His ERA dropped each year as he was converted to a reliever and got experience. In 1982, split between two teams in AA and AAA ball, he had a 2.06 ERA with 20 saves and a 7-3 record. The next year he was in the majors.

Bob made his major league debut in April of 1983, and appeared in 27 games that year with the Brewers, a team which had just come off a season in 1982 when it went to the World Series. The 1983 Brewers finished only fifth although they had an 87-75 record. Gibson's ERA was a bit better than the team ERA, and he was one of five relievers on the team who had at least 25 appearances. He was the same age as teammate Paul Molitor.

In 1984 his ERA of 4.96 was not as good at the major league level, and he spent some time in AAA ball, primarily as a starter. He then came back in 1985 to spend the whole season in the majors, posting an ERA of 3.90, the same ERA he had in 1983.

In 1986 he struggled again in the majors,, with an ERA of 4.73, and he spent more time as a minor league starter, this time going 10-4 for the Vancouver Canadians. After the season he was drafted in the 1986 Rule V Draft by the Chicago White Sox, but was released on March 30, 1987 and signed as a free agent with the New York Mets organization. His major league career ended with one final appearance with the Mets in July while pitching most of the season for the Tidewater Tides as a starter with a record of 11-7.

He pitched 10 games in 1988 with the Rochester Red Wings, with an excellent ERA of 1.21 in 10 games. That got him a contract to play in Japan, where he pitched for the Yakult Swallows. He went 7-11, 4.87 in 23 starts during the 1988 season.