Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game

Game one of the 1968 World Series was considered to be one of the most dominating pitching performances ever seen in the Fall Classic. Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals struck out 17 Detroit Tigers in a winning performance that is chronicled in this book by the pitcher with author Lonnie Wheeler, who has assisted with several baseball books.The title is a literal description of the book as Gibson relieves the game pitch by pitch after viewing and breaking down video of the historic game. He lets the reader get inside his mind as to what his thought process was before and during the pitch and what his reactions were for the results – mostly positive of course.However, there is more to the book than just a recap of the game as stories about teammates, opponents faced on the Tigers and other tidbits of information that make for good reading. These stories are mostly Gibson’s fond memories of teammates such as Tim McCarver and Curt Flood, or showing respect for players on that Tigers team such as Al Kaline and Norm Cash. For the most part, these stories are inserted into the game summary when the subject played a key part of that moment of the game. The one exception to this is in the chapter on the eighth inning. There, a story about Gibson’s brother Josh is inserted where Bob gives credit to his brother in giving him the competitive fire he was famous for. It broke up the flow of the book, but not for long as afterward the ninth inning is recalled when Gibson set the strikeout record.Gibson is not only renowned for his talent, he was also renowned for his meanness and inside pitching. On the latter, he gave one of my favorite passages from the book when he explains the difference between pitching inside, which “implies placing the ball in the strike zone”, and coming inside, whose purpose “is to bring the ball inside often enough and aggressively enough to keep the batter from striding confidently across the plate to the side that you positively have to command; to keep him honest in other words.” So it is more appropriate to say that Gibson was famous for “coming inside” instead of “pitching inside.”A very fun and entertaining read, this book is recommended for any baseball fan who wants to learn more about this pitcher and what was going through his mind as he was completing one of the best pitched games in World Series history.

This is a fascinating work. And one that resonates with me, since I watched the 1968 World Series on TV. This book is a pitch by pitch analysis by the winning pitcher in that game--the great and formidable Bob Gibson. I can still see in my mind his wrenching and powerful pitching style. The pitch by pitch analysis comes from Gibson's memory of events and a video of the game between his St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers. And that is what makes this such a good read. Such detail!And one is reminded of quirky players (Dick McAuliffe's batting stance made me think that he could not hit at all--but he was a good hitter and a scrappy player), role players (Dal Maxvill or the Cardinals), great players (Al Kaline of the Tigers and Orlando Cepeda of the Cardnals), and winners (such as catcher for the Cards Tim McCarver). Other players of repute: Norm Cash, Bill Freehan, Mickey Stanley, Lou Brock, Curt Flood, and Roger Maris (closing out his major league career).The pitch by pitch analysis is a nice conceit in this book. One feels a certain degree of suspense as the game is described (Yeah, I already knew that the Cards won, but the book is written such as one doesn't really know how a specific at bat goes).Anther thing that makes this book such a good read is the writing style. Lonnie Wheeler is listed (in small print) as a co-author. I would guess that he did a good job in compiling, organizing, and editing Gibson's recollections. But the writing style seems to me to be in Bob Gibson's words. And the narrative is witty and also suggestive of a very smart person with a good command of English. It is quite literate (in that, reminiscent of much earlier works by ex-players such as Jim Brosnan and Jim Bouton--although Gibson may be even better).Anyhow, a terrific book, bringing back to my mind the baseball played in the 1960s. And this being one of the better World Series of that period, with a great cast of players involved.Well worth reading. . . .

Over the years, Gibson has written so many books that the ill-tempered right-hander is now known as the ill-tempered write-hander. In this one, aptly titled Pitch By Pitch, Bob Gibson takes the reader pitch-by-pitch through the Detroit Tigers’ lineup in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series.Filled with inside information from a Hall of Famer, Gibson describes each pitch and each hitter in 11 chapters. One chapter is devoted to the pregame, with a final chapter covering the postgame and the rest of the series. In between there are nine chapters describing each inning of Game 1, beginning with the visitors from Detroit batting first.This is the third book that Gibson and Wheeler have written together. Gibson’s attention to detail conveys the intensity of his competitive nature. As each player steps up to the plate, Gibson provides the reader with information about the players and the pitching, making the reader feel like he is watching the game.Pitch By Pitch is a fun read and sets up the 1968 Series nicely. Written 47 years after that classic October contest, Gibson refreshed his recollection with the aid of a DVD recording of the game and by consulting many articles from the SABR Biography Project. As a ballplayer, Bob Gibson didn’t offer many compliments about opposing players, but his book is filled with generous praise for the 1968 Tigers. It’s an excellent introduction to the history of the epic ’68 World Series.