Russ Gibson
John Russell Gibson (born May 6, 1939 in Fall River, Massachusetts) is a former reserve catcher in Major League Baseball who played for two different teams between 1967 and 1972. Listed at 6' 1", 195 lb., he batted and threw right-handed.
The weak-hitting Gibson spent ten years in the minors before serving as a backup catcher for the Boston Red Sox from 1967 through 1969. As a 28-year rookie, he made his major league debut with the Red Sox on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium (April 14), catching fellow rookie Billy Rohr, who started against Whitey Ford and the Yankees. Rohr was one strike away from a no-hitter when Elston Howard drilled a two-out, ninth inning single to right-centerfield. Gibson also contributed in the Rohr's 3–0, one-hit shutout, going 2-for-4 and scoring a run. Later in the season, he hit a two-run home run at Fenway Park to defeat the Yankees, 3–1 (June 12). A member of the 1967 Impossible Dream Red Sox team, he caught the first game of that year's World Series.
Gibson enjoyed his best season in 1969, when he posted career-highs in games played (85), batting average (.251), hits (72), runs (21), home runs (3) and RBI (27). Before the 1972 season he was sold by Boston to the San Francisco Giants, playing for them until 1972.
In a six-season career, Gibson was a .228 hitter (181-for-794) with eight home runs and 78 RBI in 264 games, including 49 runs, 34 doubles, four triples, and two stolen bases.
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