Gibson channels deep-rooted competitive nature in first win

TAMPA—The Rays faithful were bringing it.

Behind a five-homer effort from their offense and a four-run comeback two innings prior, Tampa Bay had all the momentum entering the bottom of the ninth in a 10-10, exhilarating ballgame against their state-mates. A sellout crowd of 10,046 at George M. Steinbrenner Field took to their feet, waving baby blue Evan Longoria giveaway shirts as rally towels while "Let's Go Rays" chants echoed throughout the stadium. If you closed your eyes and just listened, it’d be difficult to believe that Saturday afternoon’s game between the Rays and visiting Marlins was in a minor league ballpark.

Desperately needing outs with two elite bats looming in Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero and his team in the midst of a draining five-game swoon, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough put his faith in southpaw Cade Gibson, who entered the bout with only nine major league appearances under his belt.

"Cade has thrown the ball extremely well to this point. He's been up here and been in some tough spots, and it doesn't faze him," McCullough proclaimed postgame when asked of his decision to go with the lesser-experienced Gibson. "He throws strikes. You knew he was gonna go out there and pound the zone."

If anything, the raucous mob in the stands aided the rookie rather than fluster him.

"[During the game] I was like, ‘this crowd's electric right now,’” Gibson told Fish On First postgame. “When you're in the industry of this and being a competitor, you want the ball in that situation.”

Channeling his competitive mindset, Gibson displayed incredible maturity and composure in the ninth (and eventual tenth).

Following a 1-2-3, six-pitch first frame that moderately muted fans, fellow rookie Heriberto Hernández provided Gibson with a one-run lead heading into extra innings. Two sensational plays up the middle from Xavier Edwards later, Gibson was chasing just a single out to secure his first big league victory. A swinging strikeout of Josh Lowe provoked a passionate scream and fist pump from the Ruston, Louisiana native.

“I love it. That gives me confidence to go out there and execute,” a grateful Gibson said when asked what it meant to get the nod from his skipper. “I fully trust in my arsenal to get the job done…I'm grateful for the opportunity and that they trusted me in that moment.”

For Gibson, that fierce state of mind has been ingrained from his time at Louisiana Tech, where he attended from 2021-22, succeeding a two-year stint at NAIA LSU-Shreveport.

“I didn't have any siblings growing up, so I didn't get to compete with anybody like that. But I've just kind of had it my whole life. I just love being in the arena and getting after it,” said Gibson with a smirk. “I think at Louisiana Tech, my coaching staff there, they really instilled it in me. They're just fiery competitors. They want to win at all costs. They're kind of old school in the way that they don't look at the numbers as much. They just want to win the ballgame. However you do it, it doesn't matter. Just go win.”

In his redshirt senior year back home in northern Louisiana, Gibson garnered second-team All-Conference USA honors following a 93/19 K/BB, 4.87 ERA campaign as a weekend starter. Miami’s front office was impressed enough to select Gibson with the 292nd pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.

The ex-Bulldog’s passionate way of playing the game has led to extraordinary success thus far in the bigs.

With his first win now in the books, plus another scoreless inning on Sunday, Gibson boasts a minuscule 1.00 ERA in 11 outings since his late April call-up. That mark is the lowest among all 21 Marlins pitchers who have appeared in a game this season. Even in a small sample, it's a stunning development for somebody who wasn't even invited to big league spring training this year.

Gibson specifically credited the assistance he has received from Marlins coaches on his offspeed offerings.

“When I needed to evacuate the zone, need to get it down—whether it be a curveball or sweeper—I need to get it off, or a fastball, I needed to get above the zone," remembered Gibson. "So, I just think it's just knowing where to put the pitches in certain situations that they've really honed in on."

As McCullough continues his closer-by-committee approach, Gibson’s appearances by inning will likely continue to vary. However, the young left-hander’s recent outing confirmed that, no matter what situation, what opponent or what ballpark it’s in, he will be as fearless and cutthroat as any arm coming out of his 'pen.