Baseball: 1.12 ERA. Bob Gibson was so good that it led to a fundamental change in the game that made it harder for pitchers. 1968 was nicknamed “the year of the pitcher,” because in the AL, Denny McClain of the Detroit Tigers went 31-6, and in the NL, Bob Gibson of the Cardinals threw 13 shutouts, pitched every inning of all 34 games he started, and amassed an astounding 1.12 earned run average. After that season, MLB passed the “Gibson rule,” which lowered the pitcher’s mound by five inches and shrinking the strike zone to give batters a better chance.