Gibson’s greatness on display during no-hitter

The Pittsburgh Pirates had the best offense in the National League in 1971 and went on to win the World Series that fall.

But when faced with future Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, even a lineup known as the Lumber Company struggled to get just one hit.

On Saturday, Aug. 14, 1971, in front of a crowd of 30,678 fans at Three Rivers Stadium, the 35-year-old pitched the first no-hitter of his baseball career. Gibson threw 124 pitches against the Pirates, striking out 10 and walking three against a team that scored the most runs and totaled the most hits in the NL that season.

Gibson’s no-hitter was the sixth in St. Louis Cardinals history and the first since Ray Washburn in 1968. The achievement added to Gibson’s growing list of career accolades as he reached his 200th win just 10 days prior.

“We were planning a big party for Gibson during the homestand later this month,” said a team spokesman to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “This was to honor Bob for his 200th victory (recorded Aug. 4). Now we’ll throw the same party and just get him a more impressive gift.”

Gibson was the third pitcher to have a no-hitter in the 1971 season, following those of the Cubs’ Ken Holtzman and the Phillies’ Rick Wise in June. The Cardinals would go on to win the game against Pittsburgh 11-0 and the subsequent game 6-4, sweeping the four-game series.

“This is the best game I’ve ever pitched – ever,” Gibson told the Associated Press. “It has to be the best game because it was a no-hitter, but I’ve had better stuff. I can remember three or four one-hitters where I actually pitched better.”

Over the course of his 17-year career with the Cardinals, the Omaha, Neb., native finished with an ERA of 2.91 – appearing in 528 games and winning 251. The nine-time All-Star became the second pitcher ever to reach 3,000 strikeouts, joining Walter Johnson in the exclusive club in 1974. He won two World Series titles and was named World Series MVP in 1964 and 1967. He was the recipient of two Cy Young Awards and was elected to the MLB All-Century Team in 1999.

Gibson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. He passed away on Oct. 2, 2020.

Emma Harby was the 2024 public relations intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Leadership Development