Within the span of a week, the baseball world lost two Hall of Fame pitchers; Bob Gibson and Whitey Ford. Two different personalities, but both fierce competitors on the mound.

Gibson died on Oct. 2, at age 84, after battling pancreatic cancer for more than a year.

He played 17 years in Major League Baseball, all with the St. Louis Cardinals (1959-1975). That kind of longevity with one franchise is practically unheard of these days.

Gibson was a nine-time All-Star, winning an MVP, two Cy Young Awards, two World Series MVPs, two World Series and an ERA title. His career stats included a 251-174 record, with a 2.91 ERA and he recorded 3,117 strikeouts in nearly 4,000 innings.

Gibson’s best season was 1968, and included leading the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series title. That year, Gibson had a modern MLB record 1.12 ERA with 28 complete games, 13 shutouts and 268 strikeouts in over 300 innings. He dominated in Game 1 of the World Series against the Detroit Tigers, by recording 17 strikeouts and getting the shutout victory. His performance in that game still holds the record for the most strikeouts in a World Series game.

Because of his dominance in 1968, Gibson is partially responsible for MLB lowering the height of the pitcher’s mound in 1969.

I never got to see Gibson pitch in person, only on television, as a young kid, but I did get to meet him once here in Tulsa. He was making a personal appearance at a local tire store, and although I wasn’t keen on waiting in the long line, I was determined to meet this baseball legend, for what would become the only time. The autograph on the baseball has faded, unfortunately, but like with any baseball fan who grew up admiring these players, the memories will live on.

WHITEY IS ALSO GONE

Edward Charles “Whitey” Ford, nicknamed “The Chairman of the Board,” played his entire 16-year Major League Baseball career with the New York Yankees (1950-1967). He missed two seasons, 1951 and 1952, because he was serving in the U.S. Army, during the Korean War.

Ford once said of his time in the military, “Army life was rough. Would you believe it, they actually wanted me to pitch three times a week?”

I would have been much too young to even remember watching Ford play on television, but growing up in New York, I sure heard a lot about the Yankees of that era.

In fact, the New York Yankees did a great job of honoring their great players of the past, and they would always broadcast their alumni day pregame festivities each year. Ford would always be there, alongside Berra, DiMaggio, Mantle, Marris, Rizzuto, and others.

A native of New York City, Ford had a career record of 236-106, with an ERA of 2.75. He won six World Series titles and was named to the American League All-Star team 10 times.

Ford set a World Series record with a string of 33 consecutive scoreless innings from 1960-62. The record had been previously held by Babe Ruth (29-2/3 innings). Ford still holds records for World Series games and starts (22), innings pitched (146), wins (10) and strikeouts (94).

He was named the World Series MVP and Cy Young Award winner in 1961.

The Yankees failed to make the playoffs only twice in Ford’s 16 years with the team.“You kind of took it for granted around the Yankees that there was always going to be baseball in October,” he once said in an interview.

Ford died on Oct. 8; two weeks shy of his 92nd birthday. He was the second-oldest living member of the Hall of Fame, after Tommy Lasorda, who turned 93 on Sept. 22.