On July 15, 1967, St. Louis Cardinals ace Bob Gibson suffers a broken leg when he is struck by a line drive hit by another future Hall of Famer, Roberto Clemente. Incredibly, Gibson pitches to two more batters before leaving the game. St. Louis Cardinals will lose the game to Pittsburgh 6 – 3. Gibson will be sidelined until Labor Day.
July 15, 1967 – Roberto Clemente vs Bob Gibson:
“We were ahead 1-0 when my old pal Clemente led off the fourth with the Pirates’ first hit – a line drive off my right shin.
I couldn’t get up right away, and Bob Bauman rushed out to check my leg and spray ethyl chloride on it. I said, ‘I hate to tell you, Doc, but you’re spraying the wrong place.’ He advised me to take a look, and I saw what he saw – a dent in the skin the shape of a baseball. It was odd that I couldn’t feel where I had been struck, but since I couldn’t feel it, I wasn’t particularly worried. I told Doc to put a little tape on it and let me get back to work.
Willie Stargell was the next batter, and I walked him. Then Bill Mazeroski popped out, and the count was three and two on Donn Clendenon when I tried to put a little extra on the payoff pitch and collapsed.
The fibula bone had snapped above the ankle. I was taken to Jewish Hospital, my leg was put in a cast, and I was out of the pennant race for nearly eight weeks..”
