1968 St. Louis Cardinals season

Offseason

• Prior to 1968 season: Luis Meléndez was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cardinals.
• February 8, 1968: Jimy Williams and Pat Corrales were traded by the Cardinals to the Cincinnati Reds for Johnny Edwards.

Regular season

Pitcher Bob Gibson won both the MVP Award and the Cy Young Award this year, with a 1.12 ERA, 22 wins, and 268 strikeouts. From June 2 to July 30, Gibson allowed only two earned runs in 92 innings pitched. For the season, opposing batters only had a batting average of .184, and an on-base percentage of .233 against Gibson. Gibson also won a Gold Glove this year, as did shortstop Dal Maxvill and outfielder Curt Flood.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day lineup

Notable transactions

• June 7, 1968: Bob Forsch was drafted by the Cardinals in the 26th round of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft.
• June 14, 1968: Ramón Hernández was purchased by the Cardinals from the Chicago Cubs.

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

1968 World Series

Main article: 1968 World Series

Although essentially the same team as the previous year, they faced a tougher American League opponent in the Detroit Tigers, who had also won their pennant easily, behind the 31-win season of Denny McLain. Even though both Gibson and McLain were league MVPs that season, another Tigers starter, Mickey Lolich, stole the show, becoming the last pitcher to date to win three complete games in a single Series. Gibson excelled again in this World Series, winning Games 1 and 4. He had 17 strikeouts in Game 1 and totaled 35 strikeouts in the Series, both still World Series records. The Cardinals advanced to a 3–1 series lead, but the Tigers completed an improbable comeback by winning the final three games of the series to claim the championship, 4 games to 3. It was St. Louis' last Series appearance until 1982, and their last Series before MLB adopted its divisional format.

AL Detroit Tigers (4) vs. NL St. Louis Cardinals (3)

Awards and honors

• Red Schoendienst, Associated Press NL Manager of the Year

Major League Baseball records

• Bob Gibson, major league record, lowest ERA in one season for a pitcher with more than 300 innings pitched (1.12)

League leaders

• Lou Brock, National League stolen base leader, 62

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Tulsa

References

References

1. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/m/melenlu01.shtml Luis Meléndez page at Baseball Reference]
2. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/w/williji03.shtml Jimy Williams page at Baseball Reference]
3. ''Baseball's Top 100: The Game's Greatest Records'', p. 25, Kerry Banks, 2010, Greystone Books, Vancouver, BC, {{ISBN. 978-1-55365-507-7
4. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/f/forscbo01.shtml Bob Forsch page at Baseball Reference]
5. [https://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hernara01.shtml Ramón Hernández page at Baseball Reference]
6. [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/hitting/hisb2nl.shtml Stolen Bases Single Season National League Leaders by Baseball Almanac]
7. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007