The news became public Saturday evening when Hall of Famer Jack Morris, broadcasting a Minnesota Twins game, spoke of it, having received his notification.
Gibson, a staple at the Cardinals’ opening-day ceremonies and who had a St. Louis street, Bob Gibson Way, named after him this year, ranks first in many pitching categories for the club. He won 251 games, completed 255, threw 56 shutouts, pitched 3,885 1/3 innings and had 3,117 strikeouts. All are club records. He also threw a no-hitter in 1971 and, most significantly, posted a record-setting earned run average of 1.12 in 1968. The next year, Major League Baseball lowered the height of the pitching mound from 15 inches to 10, trying to increase hitting.