Russ Gibson
Russ Gibson | |
---|---|
Catcher | |
Born: Fall River, Massachusetts | May 6, 1939|
Died: July 27, 2008 Swansea, Massachusetts | (aged 69)|
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
debut | |
April 14, 1967, for the Boston Red Sox | |
Last appearance | |
September 6, 1972, for the San Francisco Giants | |
Career statistics | |
Batting average | .228 |
Home runs | 8 |
Run batted in | 78 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
John Russell Gibson (May 6, 1939 – July 27, 2008) was an American reserve catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants between 1967 and 1972. Listed at 6' 1", 195 lb., he batted and threw right-handed. Gibson was born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts, and was a graduate of B.M.C. Durfee High School, where he was a three-sport star, including playing forward for the 1956 New England championship basketball team.
Gibson spent ten years in the minors before serving as a backup catcher for his hometown team, the Red Sox, from 1967 through 1969. As a 28-year-old rookie, he made his major league debut with the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on April 14, catching fellow rookie Billy Rohr, who started against Whitey Ford and the New York Yankees. Rohr was one strike away from a no-hitter when Elston Howard looped a two-out, ninth inning single to right-center field. Gibson also contributed in the Rohr's 3–0, one-hit shutout, going 2–for–4 and scoring a run. Later in the season, on June 12 he hit a two-run home run at Fenway Park to defeat the Yankees 3–1.
A member of the 1967 "Impossible Dream" Red Sox team, he caught the first game of that year's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Coincidentally, Gibson would be replaced by Howard late that season, and would continue to platoon with Howard through the 1968 season. 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 runs batted in (27), as he platooned with Jerry Moses and Tom Satriano. Before the 1970 season he was sold by Boston to the 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. Gibson had resided in Swansea, Massachusetts since 1982, and died there at age 69 after a long illness, on the same day that his 1967 manager Dick Williams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
See also
References
- April 14, 1967 Box Score*June 12, 1967 Box Score*"Russ Gibson dies at 69," Fall River Herald News, July 28, 2008
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, BaseballLibrary, and Retrosheet
- 1939 births
- 2008 deaths
- Baseball players from Massachusetts
- Boston Red Sox players
- Corning Red Sox players
- Lafayette Red Sox players
- Major League Baseball catchers
- People from Fall River, Massachusetts
- Phoenix Giants players
- Pittsfield Red Sox players
- Raleigh Capitals players
- San Francisco Giants players
- Seattle Rainiers players
- Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players
- Waterloo Hawks (baseball) players
- Winston-Salem Red Sox players
- York White Roses players