[foreverfree]

Bob Gibson he wasn't in the heat of a pennant race or in the post-season, overall.

Except in 1964, when he won the pennant clincher in relief on the season's final day (eliminating the Phillies and Reds) as well as game 7 of the WS; and 1967, when he went 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA as the Cards beat the BoSox in seven; and 1968, when he struck out 17 Tigers in the WS opener (Detroit went on to win that Series).

Nolan Ryan's only WS appearance was with the Mets, when he mopped up Gary Gentry's game 3 victory over the Orioles (the game where Tommie Agee made two circus catches to end Baltimore rallies).

foreverfree

[BluesDuke]

I think you misunderstood the extract you quoted. By saying "Bob Gibson he wasn't," I was saying Mr. Ryan, you're no Bob Gibson. Bob Gibson was very much Bob Gibson down the 1964 stretch.

Nolan Ryan was actually a better postseason pitcher than he was a pennant race pitcher. (Remember - he was in three League Championship Series and one division series.) But Greg Maddux is a better pennant race pitcher than he's been a postseason pitcher. Which is one major reason why they don't hit the top ten all time and Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson do. And, to be perfectly honest, if I had a World Series pitching staff of Koufax, Gibson and Ryan and I come to a game seven, the man I most desperately want on that mound for that seventh game is going to be Koufax. I don't argue with an 0.97 lifetime World Series earned run average (Gibson was almost a point higher, believe it or not). And it's no disgrace to either Bob Gibson or Nolan Ryan to say sorry, guys, but I'm going with Koufax for the money game - whether it's the game that nails the pennant or the game that nails the Series.