Fansided

Top 25 MLB pitching seasons of all time

By Joshua Sadlock

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 26: Jake Arrieta
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 26: Jake Arrieta /
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ST. LOUIS, MO – CIRCA 1960’s: Pitcher Bob Gibson #45 of the St. Louis Cardinals follows through on a pitch circa late 1960’s during a Major League Baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. Gibson played for the Cardinals from 1959-75. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO – CIRCA 1960’s: Pitcher Bob Gibson #45 of the St. Louis Cardinals follows through on a pitch circa late 1960’s during a Major League Baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. Gibson played for the Cardinals from 1959-75. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

3. Bob Gibson, 1968

  • The Numbers: 22-9, 1.12 ERA, 13 shutouts, 268 strikeouts, 258 ERA+, NL Cy Young, NL MVP

Pitching still dominated baseball in 1968, the final year before the league was forced to lower the mound and give hitters a chance. Even in that year of suppressed offense, Bob Gibson stood out with an all-time great season. Gibson’s full-season ERA of 1.12 is a modern record that will never be broken by a starting pitcher. To make it even better, he threw over 300 innings.

It was not a good time to be a hitter in 1968, and there is no denying that when thinking about Gibson’s season, but he was still two-and-a-half times better than the rest of the league. No one has come within four-tenths of Gibson’s record in the modern era.

In 11 starts from June 6 to July 30, Gibson went 11-0 with 11 complete games and eight shutouts, good for an ERA of 0.27. He held opponents to a .163/.201/.190 line and had 83 strikeouts. Gibson’s year ended in the World Series, where he set a record in Game 1 with 17 strikeouts. The lowered mound will make it impossible for any starting pitcher to produce a season like Bob Gibson’s in 1968.

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