(AP Photo, File)It was the summer of 1963, Bob Gibson was already well on his way to establishing himself as one of the most fearsome, intimidating pitchers in big league history.
As Rose recalls that night in St. Louis, he was playing second base when Gibson hit a double early in the game.
โHe just walks by and says, โIt was a slider, rook.โโThe baseball world and beyond was talking about the great Bob Gibson, a day after the Hall of Fame ace died at 84 in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
No way to even imagine that in this era: Nine starts in the World Series, eight complete games, including a 10-inning win over Mickey Mantle and the Yankees.
Rose, without looking it up, knew he hit .307 lifetime against Gibson, going 35 for 114.