Beyond the Box Score: Anderson: Bob Gibson + PETCO = ???

uhh…a thread that’ll knock you down? No, no…it’s just the latest neat bit from RJ Anderson.

Bob Gibson is without a doubt one of the most talented pitchers to grace the sport, his fastball was ethereal and his pacing methodology revolutionary. Throughout Gibson’s career he relied heavily on his fastball, and so it comes as no surprise that his Achilles’ heel would be the round tripper, giving up nearly 17 per season, although not Robin Roberts’ levels - 26 per season for 19 years - but a trend that impacted the right hander none the less.

Something funny happened to his homerun rates from 1966 on, one could argue he was finally entering his prime at age 30, and that he’d had prior success, which is true, seasons of ERAs hovering slightly above and below 3 seemed to be the norm for Gibson in a very hitter friendly ballpark. In May of 1966 the Cardinals moved into Busch Stadium II - a pitcher’s park - and Gibson would see his homerun rates drop dramatically meaning less runs meaning a lower ERA, including a season with a sub-2 ERA, simply amazing.

There isn’t a question of whether Gibson benefited from changing parks - he did - but consider it a evening out of sorts, going from hitters’ to pitchers’ parks Gibson still maintained his high level of play while reaping the goods of different stadiums suited for opposite aspects of the game. I’m not going to be one to question Gibson’s accomplishments or call his great seasons frauds because of his ballpark; instead I question how good would he have been if for the longevity of his career he would’ve had a stadium like PETCO Park positioned behind him along with seven worthy fielders?