Legendary St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Bob Gibson has passed away after his year-long battle with pancreatic cancer, reports St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Gibson, who led 17 MLB seasons as the Cardinals star pitcher from 1959 to 1975, was 84-years-old. The Nebraska native was a nine-time All-Star and double World Series champ. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981 and celebrated for his fierce on-field agility. He also recorded 17 strikeouts in 1968's Game 1 of the World Series.
"Hoot" not only became a household name during his baseball tenure but was also marked a modern-day standard with a run average of 1.12 and nabbing 255 game outings of his 528 career starts. Additionally, he won two Cy Young Awards and the 1968 National League MVP accolade. Gibson retired his mitt in 1975, pivoting to a role as pitching coach for former teammate Joe Torre. He also served as a special instructor coach for the Cardinals and was later picked for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team (1999).
To date, Gibson is considered the best Cardinals player ever.
