What Happened to the Complete Game?
In 1968, Bob Gibson, a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals started 34 games. He finished the season with 22 wins and 9 loses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 1.12 and 13 shutouts. He had 268 strikeouts. He was one of the best pitchers ever in the major leagues.
Most amazingly, he had 28 complete games in that season – he finished 28 of the 34 games he started. Last year the National League (NL) had a total of 17 complete games while the American League (AL) had 25 complete games – both less than Gibson’s total by himself in 1968. Where did the complete game go?
The...