It is a good thing for the St. Louis Cardinals that they still have right-hander Sonny Gray. On Wednesday, he came through in a big way and managed to etch his place among other St. Louis greats, per
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Gray joins the likes of the great Bob Gibson as one of a handful of Cardinals pitchers to have back-to-back 200-strikeout seasons. The other names on that list include Adam Wainwright and Jose DeLeon. On Wednesday, the moment came in the fifth inning with his 6th strikeout against the San Francisco Giants.
Altogether, Gray finished with seven strikeouts in seven innings pitched.
However, the Cardinals lost 4-3. In the process, they were officially eliminated from the playoffs. Now they are heading into an offseason that will prioritize rebuilding.
As a result, Gray has 201 strikeouts with a 14-8 record and a 4.28 ERA. Last year, he finished with 203 strikeouts with a 13-9 record and a 3.84 ERA.
In 2009 and 2010, Wainwright had back-to-back 200-strikeout seasons. The first time around, he had 215 strikeouts. Afterward, he followed up with 213 strikeouts the following year. In the 1980s, DeLeon had his back-to-back seasons in 1988 (208) and 1989 (201).
Bob Gibson set the model for Cardinals pitchers
Before the others, it was none other than Bob Gibson who became the standard-bearer for excellence on the mound in St. Louis. In the 1960s, he was the sure-fire fireballer who helped put the Cardinals back on the map since their heyday in the 1930s and 1940s.
For eleven consecutive years, Gibson has 200 strikeout seasons, 1962-1972. In 1968, he had his most dominant season with 268 strikeouts plus a 1.12 ERA, resulting in the NL Cy Young and MVP awards.
In 1970, Gibson had his highest strikeout total with 274. Along the way, he led the Cardinals to two World Series titles in 1964 and 1967.
In 1981, Gibson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
