George Gibson was the first Canadian to appear in the World Series.
Gibson was no Kirk Gibson, though. He hit just .236 lifetime.
For the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates, he had 52 RBIs and a .265 batting average. But the Pirates were going to the World Series against the Detroit Tigers.
Wish a Series like this could have taken place when Al Kaline and Roberto Clemente were on those teams. That would have been an awesome Series, with two of the finest right fielders, ever.
But this Series was Honus Wagner vs Ty Cobb. Doesn't get much better than that!
But it didn't quite turn out to be and equal affair.
Cobb hit just .231 compared to Wagner's .333, ouch!
RBI-wise, Cobb did drive in 5 runs, but Wagner had 6. Runs scored was a close one too, 4-3 in favour of The Flying Dutchman.
Which leads us to a crucial stat here.
See Cobb and Wagner were both lightning fast, so it was to be interesting to see them on the basepaths. Wagner stole 6 bases and was caught 2 times. Cobb only stole 2 bases and was caught 1 time. Hey, who is the catcher for the Pirates?
That would be George Gibson. The reason you are reading this!
In the top of the 5th inning of game 1, Cobb swiped second off Gibson. But he was ultimately left stranded. He was held hitless on the afternoon, reaching base via a fielder's choice and a walk. He did, however, score the Tigers' only run. The Pirates won 4-1 on this day (October 8, 1909).
Our Canadian boy drove in the winning run with a double in the bottom of the 5th! It was his only hit of the day. But he then scored an insurance run. Take that, Ty!
But Cobb and the Tigers won easily in game 2, 7-2. Cobb got a hit, a walk and stole another base. Would you believe that Gibson (and the men he caught) would make sure he never stole another base this Series?
Game 3 was a wild one, 8-6 for the Pirates. Gibson was held hitless and Cobb had 2 hits and 2 RBIs. Good thing he didn't steal a base. Actually, no one on the Tigers stole a base off him. George Moriarty (Hey, where is Sherlock Holmes?) tried and failed in the 8th. Wagner was also caught in this game, if it matters.
Game 4 was all Detroit again, 5-0. And again, Cobb got 2 RBIs. But a huge moment came in the bottom of the first inning.
Cobb, having been hit by a pitch, was on first.
And gunning for second on an attempted steal. But he took off before the pitch!
And Pittsburgh starter, Lefty Leifield (a lefty, of course), had him right where he wanted him!
Lefty fired to first basemen Bill Abstein. But Abstein was just the wrong man at this moment. And his error allowed Cobb to reach second. But Cobb, who was stranded at second, must have know the gig is up.
Game 5 saw Gibson single and score in the bottom of the second. In the 8th, he singled in a run, stole a base, and was then caught stealing. But the RBI put the Pirates up, 8-4. The game had been close however, until the bottom of the 7th. In fact, it had been tied at 3. But now the Pirates were up 3 games to 2. Just one more win and the Gibson gets a World Series ring!
Or lose two games and some...suffering!
Cobb, by the way did get a hit in game 5, and his average wasn't too bad at this point. Actually, it was .278.
But the Tigers clearly needed more from him on the basepaths for him in this Series. Gibson was doing it all!
Gibson and Cobb each got a hit in game 6, but it was the Tigers who won 5-3. And for the 3rd time in the Series, it was tied. It was on to the winner-take-all game 7!
It was all the Pirates, as they took it 8-0.
Pittsburgh starter Babe Adams went the distance, and shutout the Tigers on just 6 hits and 1 walk. It was his third win of the Series against no losses. And a tidy ERA of just 1.33. I think he resembles another Gibson. No, not his batter mate!
I'd say, Bob Gibson!
But how about George? Well, he managed just 1 hit on this afternoon. But Ty Cobb was held hitless.
Cobb had appeared in three straight World Series, and had lost them all. Although only 22 years old at the time, he would never play in another World Series.
Gibson himself would never play in a World Series. But he had put Canada on the World Series map. And he got a World Series ring.
References
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, 2005. Print. PP. 27-28.
Kendall, Brian. "Mooney Gibson Puts The Breaks On Ty Cobb." Great Moments In Canadian Baseball. Lester, 1995. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.
Gibson was no Kirk Gibson, though. He hit just .236 lifetime.
For the 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates, he had 52 RBIs and a .265 batting average. But the Pirates were going to the World Series against the Detroit Tigers.
Wish a Series like this could have taken place when Al Kaline and Roberto Clemente were on those teams. That would have been an awesome Series, with two of the finest right fielders, ever.
But this Series was Honus Wagner vs Ty Cobb. Doesn't get much better than that!
But it didn't quite turn out to be and equal affair.
Cobb hit just .231 compared to Wagner's .333, ouch!
RBI-wise, Cobb did drive in 5 runs, but Wagner had 6. Runs scored was a close one too, 4-3 in favour of The Flying Dutchman.
Which leads us to a crucial stat here.
See Cobb and Wagner were both lightning fast, so it was to be interesting to see them on the basepaths. Wagner stole 6 bases and was caught 2 times. Cobb only stole 2 bases and was caught 1 time. Hey, who is the catcher for the Pirates?
That would be George Gibson. The reason you are reading this!
In the top of the 5th inning of game 1, Cobb swiped second off Gibson. But he was ultimately left stranded. He was held hitless on the afternoon, reaching base via a fielder's choice and a walk. He did, however, score the Tigers' only run. The Pirates won 4-1 on this day (October 8, 1909).
Our Canadian boy drove in the winning run with a double in the bottom of the 5th! It was his only hit of the day. But he then scored an insurance run. Take that, Ty!
But Cobb and the Tigers won easily in game 2, 7-2. Cobb got a hit, a walk and stole another base. Would you believe that Gibson (and the men he caught) would make sure he never stole another base this Series?
Game 3 was a wild one, 8-6 for the Pirates. Gibson was held hitless and Cobb had 2 hits and 2 RBIs. Good thing he didn't steal a base. Actually, no one on the Tigers stole a base off him. George Moriarty (Hey, where is Sherlock Holmes?) tried and failed in the 8th. Wagner was also caught in this game, if it matters.
Game 4 was all Detroit again, 5-0. And again, Cobb got 2 RBIs. But a huge moment came in the bottom of the first inning.
Cobb, having been hit by a pitch, was on first.
And gunning for second on an attempted steal. But he took off before the pitch!
And Pittsburgh starter, Lefty Leifield (a lefty, of course), had him right where he wanted him!
Lefty fired to first basemen Bill Abstein. But Abstein was just the wrong man at this moment. And his error allowed Cobb to reach second. But Cobb, who was stranded at second, must have know the gig is up.
Game 5 saw Gibson single and score in the bottom of the second. In the 8th, he singled in a run, stole a base, and was then caught stealing. But the RBI put the Pirates up, 8-4. The game had been close however, until the bottom of the 7th. In fact, it had been tied at 3. But now the Pirates were up 3 games to 2. Just one more win and the Gibson gets a World Series ring!
Or lose two games and some...suffering!
Cobb, by the way did get a hit in game 5, and his average wasn't too bad at this point. Actually, it was .278.
But the Tigers clearly needed more from him on the basepaths for him in this Series. Gibson was doing it all!
Gibson and Cobb each got a hit in game 6, but it was the Tigers who won 5-3. And for the 3rd time in the Series, it was tied. It was on to the winner-take-all game 7!
It was all the Pirates, as they took it 8-0.
Pittsburgh starter Babe Adams went the distance, and shutout the Tigers on just 6 hits and 1 walk. It was his third win of the Series against no losses. And a tidy ERA of just 1.33. I think he resembles another Gibson. No, not his batter mate!
I'd say, Bob Gibson!
But how about George? Well, he managed just 1 hit on this afternoon. But Ty Cobb was held hitless.
Cobb had appeared in three straight World Series, and had lost them all. Although only 22 years old at the time, he would never play in another World Series.
Gibson himself would never play in a World Series. But he had put Canada on the World Series map. And he got a World Series ring.
References
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, 2005. Print. PP. 27-28.
Kendall, Brian. "Mooney Gibson Puts The Breaks On Ty Cobb." Great Moments In Canadian Baseball. Lester, 1995. Print.
Neft,
David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St.
Martin's Press, 1992. Print.
Nemec,
David, and Scott Flatow. Great Baseball Feats, Facts & Firsts.
Toronto: Signet (Penguin Group), 2010. Print.
Nemec,
David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major
League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications
International, 1993. Print.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 29 Sept. 2013.
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