Russ Gibson
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1967-1972)
Russ Gibson was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1972 for the Boston Red Sox and the San Francisco Giants, a span of 6 seasons. In 264 career games, he hit .228 with 181 hits, 8 home runs, and 78 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 195 lb
- Died
- 7/27/2008 in Swansea, MA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1967-04-14
- Last Game
- 1972-09-06
Full name: John Russell Gibson
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 264 | 794 | 49 | 181 | 34 | 4 | 8 | 78 | 2 | 44 | 123 | .228 | .267 | .311 | .578 | -1,765 |
Career AVG .228 vs. league average .246 across their career seasons — 7.4% below league average.
Career OBP .267 vs. league average .314 across their career seasons — 15.0% below league average.
Career SLG .311 vs. league average .363 across their career seasons — 14.3% below league average.
Career OPS .578 vs. league average .677 across their career seasons — 14.6% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | BOS | AL | 49 | 138 | 8 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 12 | 31 | .203 | .242 (-16%) | .306 (-14%) | .357 (-23%) | .663 (-19%) | -394.8 |
| 1968 | BOS | AL | 76 | 231 | 15 | 52 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 1 | 8 | 38 | .225 | .236 (-5%) | .298 (-17%) | .340 (-6%) | .638 (-11%) | -462.3 |
| 1969 | BOS | AL | 85 | 287 | 21 | 72 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 1 | 15 | 25 | .251 | .248 (+1%) | .320 (-10%) | .369 (-13%) | .689 (-12%) | -548.4 |
| 1970 | SFN | NL | 24 | 69 | 3 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 12 | .232 | .253 (-9%) | .325 (-7%) | .385 (-17%) | .711 (-13%) | -135.9 |
| 1971 | SFN | NL | 25 | 57 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 13 | .193 | .249 (-23%) | .316 (-30%) | .365 (-18%) | .682 (-24%) | -223.6 |
| 1972 | SFN | NL | 5 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .167 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 6 seasons | 264 | 794 | 49 | 181 | 34 | 4 | 8 | 78 | 2 | 44 | 123 | .228 | — | — | — | — | -1,765 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (265 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 136 | 387 | 23 | 91 | 3 | 41 | .235 |
| Away | 129 | 407 | 26 | 90 | 5 | 37 | .221 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-09-06 | SFG | SDP | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972-05-31 | SFG | LAD | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1972-05-28 | SFG | ATL | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1972-05-07 | SFG | PHI | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972-04-30 | SFG | WSN | L | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-09-21 | SFG | HOU | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-09-18 | SFG | SDP | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-09-17 | SFG | SDP | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-09-14 | SFG | LAD | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1971-09-13 | SFG | LAD | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 256 |
| First Base | 1 |
Russ Gibson: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 14, 1967 and the final game on September 6, 1972, Russ Gibson built the record summarized on this page. Club by club, the record runs the Boston Red Sox (1967 through 1969) and the San Francisco Giants (1970 to 1972). Gibson played primarily as a catcher and batted and threw right-handed. The bio adds a birth date on May 6, 1939, in Fall River, MA, USA and a listed size of 6'1" and 195 pounds. The bio records the death on July 27, 2008, in Swansea, MA, USA. On the record, Russ Gibson was born John Russell Gibson.
Across 264 games at the plate, Gibson's career line reads 181 hits in 794 at bats for a .228 average, plus 8 homers and 78 runs batted in. Gibson got on base at a .267 rate and slugged .311 (.578 OPS). Set against a .246 league average for the same years, Gibson's .228 average sits 7.4% below it. In OPS terms, Gibson's .578 stands 14.6% below the league's .677. The hits column peaks at 72, in 1969. Gibson drove in a season-high 27 runs in 1969.
Frequently Asked Questions about Russ Gibson
- What years did Russ Gibson play?
- Russ Gibson played in Major League Baseball from 1967 to 1972.
- Was Russ Gibson a pitcher?
- No. Russ Gibson was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Russ Gibson hit?
- Russ Gibson hit 8 career home runs with 181 hits.
- What teams did Russ Gibson play for?
- Russ Gibson played for 2 teams: the Boston Red Sox (1967–1969) and the San Francisco Giants (1970–1972).
- What were Russ Gibson's career stats?
- In 264 games, Russ Gibson had 181 hits, 8 home runs, 78 RBI, 49 runs, and 2 stolen bases, with a .228 batting average.
- What position did Russ Gibson play?
- Russ Gibson played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Russ Gibson and how much did he weigh?
- Russ Gibson was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 195 pounds.
- How many home runs did Russ Gibson hit each season?
- Russ Gibson's home runs by season: 1 in 1967, 3 in 1968, 3 in 1969, 0 in 1970, 1 in 1971, and 0 in 1972. His most in one season was 3, in 1968 and 1969.
- What was Russ Gibson's career batting average?
- Russ Gibson batted .228 over his career, with 181 hits in 794 at bats.
- How many RBI did Russ Gibson have?
- Russ Gibson drove in 78 runs in his career.
- Is Russ Gibson in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Russ Gibson has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.