The first account of this mythical version first appeared in the 1948 book, Pitchin' Man, nearly two years after Gibson's death, and was told in its more familiar form in his 1962 autobiography, Maybe I'll Pitch Forever, 20 years after the fact, and would be repeated and embellished by many others (most notably Buck O'Neil) in the years since.
The first account of this mythical version appeared in 1948 in a book titled "Pitchin' Man" nearly two years after Gibson's death. It was later presented in a more familiar form in his autobiography, "Maybe I'll Pitch Forever," twenty years after the fact. This story has been repeated and embellished by many others, notably Buck O'Neil, over the years.