St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, (pictured), has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer
St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, local media reported on Saturday.
Gibson, 83, sent a letter to fellow Hall of Famers notifying them of his diagnosis and that he will not be attending the annual induction ceremony on July 21, according to reports.
The letter was made public on Saturday and reported by multiple outlets including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Gibson’s longtime agent, Dick Zitzmann, said he visited Gibson at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and he has now been hospitalized in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
Gibson was diagnosed several weeks ago and is expected to begin chemotherapy on Monday in Omaha, according to his longtime agent Zitzmann.
He revealed that he spoke to Gibson and that his chemotherapy is likely to begin on Monday in Omaha.
‘All we do now is pray. We all know what a competitor he is,’ said Zitzmann.
He finished his career as a two-time World Series champion with 251 total wins. He is pictured above at the height of his fame with the St. Louis Cardinals in March 1968
Cardinals broadcaster Mike Shannon played with Gibson for a total of eight years and said he was incredibly strong.
He told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: ‘He’s a tough SOB and he’s in good shape. There’s no reason why he can’t beat it.
‘I wouldn’t bet against that sucker and I don’t think many people will, either.’
Gibson played all 17 of his seasons with the Cardinals and won both the National League MVP and Cy Young Award in 1968.
One year later, Major League Baseball lowered the mound from 15 inches to 10 inches, partially brought on by Gibson’s dominating season.
‘Get well soon, Bob. All of Cardinal Nation is behind you!,’ the Cardinals said in a post on Twitter.
He finished his career as a two-time World Series champion with 251 total wins.
Bob Gibson won 251 games and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981
Gibson celebrates with his teammates after pitching a 3-hit ball game to win the 1967 World Series, beating the Red Sox in the 7th game 7-2
Gibson was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981 and retired following the 1975 season.
Gibson revealed he had heart problems when he was a young player and possibly had a heart attack at 32, Sporting News reported.
He said last year: ‘We were in Houston and I had cramps in the top of my stomach that hurt so bad that I couldn’t get out of bed.
‘I didn’t know what it was and it lasted half a day. It would start in the front and go all the way to the back. I thought it was indigestion.
Bob Gibson, (right), receives his World Series ring from manager Tony LaRussa, (center), and Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty, (left), during a ceremony before the game against the New York Mets at Busch Stadium in April 2007
The St. Louis Cardinals issued a tweet saying they hoped Gibson has a speedy recovery
He added: ‘Twenty years later, I had a checkup and some doctor ticked me off when he said, “Have you ever had a heart attack?, the EKG looks like you’ve had a heart attack.”
‘I walked out of his office and never went back. I said it’s too late to tell me now, you’re going to cause another one.
‘I got to thinking about that. I was (32) but I said I wonder if that’s what it could have been. It hurt so bad that I was down on my knees.’
Gibson is considered one of the Cardinals’ best pitchers. In his 17-season career, he won 251 games, threw 56 shutouts, pitched 3,885 1/3 innings, had 3,117 strikeouts and finished 255 games.