- Russ Gibson
John Russell Gibson (
May 6 1939 –July 27 2008 ) was an American reservecatcher inMajor League Baseball who played for theBoston Red Sox andSan Francisco Giants between by|1967 and by|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 atYankee Stadium onApril 14 , catching fellow rookieBilly Rohr , who started againstWhitey Ford and theNew York Yankees . Rohr was one strike away from ano-hitter whenElston Howard looped a two-out, ninth inning single to right-center field. Gibson also contributed in the Rohr's 3–0, one-hitshutout , going 2-for-4 and scoring a run. Later in the season, onJune 12 he hit a two-runhome run atFenway 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 theSt. 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 withJerry Moses andTom 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 base s.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 managerDick Williams was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame .ee also
*
The Impossible Dream (1967) References
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1967/B04140NYA1967.htm April 14, 1967 Box Score]
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1967/B06120BOS1967.htm June 12, 1967 Box Score]
* [http://www.heraldnews.com/news/local_news/x2043517618/Russ-Gibson-dies-at-69 "Russ Gibson dies at 69," "Fall River Herald News", July 28, 2008]External links
*baseball-reference|id=g/gibsoru01
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Russ_Gibson_1939 BaseballLibrary]
* [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/G/Pgibsr102.htm Retrosheet]
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