Cardinals Hall of Famer Gibson diagnosed with cancer
St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, who won both the National League MVP and Cy Young Award in 1968, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Gibson, 83, sent a letter to fellow Hall of Famers notifying them of his diagnosis, and his longtime agent Dick Zitzmann confirmed it with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Chemotherapy is expected to begin Monday in Gibson's hometown of Omaha, Neb. Gibson has been in an Omaha hospital since the start of July.
Gibson, an eight-time All-Star, played all 17 of his seasons with the Cardinals, earning 251 victories in 528 appearances (482 starts). In his career-defining 1968 season, he went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA and led the league with 13 shutouts and 268 strikeouts to lead St. Louis to the World Series.
One year later, MLB lowered the mound from 15 inches to 10 inches, in part because of Gibson's dominating season. The right-hander kept on winning, going 20-13 in 1969 with a 2.18 ERA and a league-leading 28 complete games in 35 starts.
Gibson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981 in his first year of eligibility.
--Field Level Media
