George Gibson (baseball)

For other people named George Gibson, see George Gibson (disambiguation).

George Gibson
Catcher / Manager
Born: (1880-07-22)July 22, 1880
London, Ontario, Canada
Died: January 25, 1967(1967-01-25) (aged 86)
London, Ontario, Canada
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 2, 1905, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Last MLB appearance
August 20, 1918, for the New York Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average.236
Home runs15
Runs batted in346
Games managed759
Managerial record413–344
Winning %.546
Teams
As player
As manager
Career highlights and awards
Member of the Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1987

George C. Gibson (July 22, 1880 – January 25, 1967), nicknamed Mooney, was a Canadian professional baseball player, coach, scout, and manager.[1] He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1905 to 1918, most prominently for the Pittsburgh Pirates where he played the bulk of his career and was a member of the 1909 World Series winning team. Gibson spent the final two years of his career as a player-coach for the New York Giants. He later became a minor league manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs before returning to the major leagues as a manager for the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs.[2]

Gibson played during a period in baseball history known as the Dead-ball era and, was regarded as one of the National League's premier catchers because of his impressive defensive skills and his strong, accurate throwing arm.[3][4] He was also known for his smart pitch-calling and his ability to hold runners on base.[5] His reputation as a defensive stand out is enhanced because of the era in which he played. In the deadball era, catchers played a huge defensive role, given the large number of bunts and stolen base attempts, as well as the difficulty of handling the spitball pitchers who dominated pitching staffs.[6] He had to catch every type of pitch imaginable, such as shine balls, spitballs, knuckleballs, and emory balls.[6]

Gibson was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1958, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 and the London Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.[5][7][8]

  1. ^ "George Gibson at Baseball Reference". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  2. ^ "George Gibson manager statistics". Baseball Reference. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  3. ^ George Gibson at the SABR Baseball Biography Project , by Trey Strecker, Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  4. ^ "Gibson, Premier Catcher". The Evening News. June 13, 1910. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "George Gibson at Canada's Sports Hall of Fame". sportshall.ca. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Vass, George (May 2005). "For Catchers, The Name of the Game is Defense". Baseball Digest. Retrieved August 23, 2010.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "George Gibson at The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame". londonsportshalloffame.com. July 30, 2009. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  8. ^ "George Mooney Gibson | The London Sports Hall of Fame". londonsportshalloffame.com. Retrieved March 20, 2020.