1968 All Over Again

In 1968, the Detroit Tigers’ Denny McLain won 31 games and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Bob Gibson set a modern mark with an earned run average of 1.12. McLain and Gibson won their league’s Most Valuable Player and Cy Young Awards that season. Pitchers were so successful in 1968, which became known as the year of the pitcher,Los Angeles Angels Hats, that the mound was lowered to 10 inches, from 15, the next season in an attempt to level the playing field for hitters.
Although it is still early, Kansas City’s Zack Greinke may be making a run at Gibson’s E.R.A. record. When Greinke gave up six hits and one run in a complete-game victory over the Tigers last Tuesday,Cheap 2011 New Arrival, his E.R.A. actually rose to 0.84, from 0.82. He also bettered his record to 8-1.
Gibson was 3-5 with a 1.52 E.R.A through his first 10 starts in ’68. Gibson,Metal Mulisha Hats, however, went on to win 15 games in a row (all complete games) on his way to a 22-9 record, but at no point was his E.R.A. as low as Greinke’s is now. At its lowest, after Gibson’s first start, it was 0.96.
Greinke is scheduled to pitch Sunday afternoon against the Chicago White Sox.
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Permalink Bob Gibson, Denny McLain, Zack Greinke Related Posts From Bats After Brewers Debut, a Relaxed Greinke Meets the Media Could Crawford and Greinke Be the Yankees’ Plan B?In Fantasy Baseball,Rockstar Energy hats Sale, Reality Sets In The Lessons of the Cy Young AwardsMy Bad: Royals Won’t Win the A.L. Central Previous Post
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Promoting Trouble 7 Comments 1. May 30, 2009 9:41 pm
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1968, the year Yastrzemski led the AL in batting with a .301 average.
The season after which the mound was lowered from 15 inches to 10.
The year before “Ball Four”.
The year that preceded the true “modern era”, the era of divisional baseball and multi-level post season.
The last pure season.
— Walt Bennett 2. May 30, 2009 10:25 pm
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Walt, Iis a season in which so few runs were scored supposed to be better? Nothing wrong with offense. Also,Cheap Famous Hats, plenty of players in that “pure” season were loaded up with amphetamines.
— Jake S 3. May 30, 2009 10:56 pm
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Listen to Jake,Chicago Cubs Hats sale, hatin’ on ‘68!
— Walt Bennett 4. May 30, 2009 10:59 pm
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I don’t hate 1968, I just dislike holding up any era of baseball as “pure.” You don’t think that during the 20’s some people weren’t pining for the dead ball era?
— Jake S 5. May 30, 2009 11:03 pm
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What does Yastrzemski’s batting average have to do with purity of anything?
Does that mean the year before when he hit .326 it wasn’t as pure? Let’s get the purity spectrum defined here.
— Chris D 6. May 30,San Diego Padres Hats, 2009 11:24 pm
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“1968, the year Yastrzemski led the AL in batting with a .301 average. …
The last pure season.— Walt Bennett”
Pure boredom. The strike zone was increased in 1963 to curb the excesses in offense caused by expansion in 1961-2. The pitching caught up and overwhelmed the hitting by 1968. 1968 featured unusual, even freakish, pitching achievements by Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, Gaylord Perry & Ray Washburn, Joe Hoerner,cheap Tampa Bay Rays Hats, Don Wilson, Denny McClain, Luis Tiant, Catfish Hunter,Cheap Monster Energy Hats, and Mickey Lolich. The AL had an overall slugging average of .340, the lowest since the dead-ball era), and an all-time low batting average of .231. I don’t understand why you object to tinkering with the mound height while being so accepting of messing with the strike zone.
— Gary 7. May 31, 2009 12:15 pm
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lol
I absolutely love the passion my comment stirred up.
My point was simply this: since 1968, every change made to the game has been to get more offense. Sorry, but some of us loved those 1-0 games back in the day more than we do a 9-8 slugfest at CBP.
After 1968 the mound was lowered by 5 inches, a radical change indeed. Yes, the expanded strike zone was a problem; why not just shrink it a little?
And there is no denying what divisional baseball did. Let’s face it: those 1968 races were over by Labor Day. Divisional baseball let more teams compete til the end of the season, and doubled the number of playoff teams. The wild card later came along to make sure that all but a handful of teams would have something to chase in September, keeping more fans interested and improving attendance and ratings.
Somewhere in there, baseball went from game to product. The first night World Series game was played in 1971 and it was considered an outrage. Phil Mushnick at the Post probably still rails at the thought of all those east coast kids going to bed before the game even starts.
True, the game has always been subject to tinkering, but mainly to maintain a competitive balance. It can be argued that the changes since 1968 have primarily been made to tilt the balance in favor of more and more offense.
That’s how I see it, anyway.
But I just love all this passion!
— Walt Bennett Add your comments...
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