Best Baseball Pitchers Ever
87Pitchers
A list of the best baseball pitchers of all time would have to include Walter Johnson; Lefty Grove; Grover Cleveland Alexander; Cy Young; Warren Spahn; Christy Mathewson; Kid Nichols; Bob Feller; and Satchel Paige. Since most folks these days are not familiar with these men, I have produced a list of the best baseball pitchers since the 1960s.
JIM PALMER
Jim Palmer finished his career with the lowest lifetime Earned Run Average (2.86) of any American League pitcher since Whitey Ford (2.75) retired in 1966. Palmer pitched his entire career (1965-1984) for the Baltimore Orioles, who won six championships during that time. Palmer is the only pitcher to pitch in the World Series in three different decades. He won 20 games or more in a season eight times, on his way to a career record of 268-152. An outstanding fielder, he won 4 Gold Gloves, in addition to his 3 Cy Young Awards. He was born in New York City; moved to California at age nine; and graduated from high school in Scottsdale, Arizona. Today he is the television commentator for the Orioles. Palmer once said: "The only thing Earl (Weaver—his manager) knows about big-league pitching is that he couldn't hit it." Teammate Mike Flanagan once said of him: "Cakes (Palmer) has won two-hundred forty games, but it took a picture of him standing in his underwear to get nationally known."
SANDY KOUFAX
Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles Dodgers 1955-1966) only won 165 games (only 87 losses) and therefore cannot compare with the others on this page in career victories. His career was cut short from overuse and he retired at 30, pitching his final few seasons with arm pain. Sandy is on this list because he was an awesome pitcher. He is the youngest player (36) ever named to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Koufax was the first pitcher to win 3 Cy Young Awards and first to throw 4 no-hitters. He went 27-9 his last season with a 1.73 ERA—no left-handed pitcher has won more games or posted a lower ERA since—and won 25 games or more 3 times. Koufax, born and reared in Brooklyn, finished his career with more strikeouts (2,396) than innings pitched—the first to do so. He once said: "Pitching is the art of instilling fear." Longtime opposing manager Gene Mauch said of Koufax: "He throws a 'radio ball,' a pitch you hear, but you don't see."
BOB GIBSON
Bob Gibson was known as the meanest man in baseball when he dominated for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1959 to 1975. He is from Omaha, Nebraska, and lives there today. He is a pitching instructor for the Cardinals. Gibson has a career ERA of 2.91 and a record of 251-174. He was a great fielder, winning 9 Gold Glove Awards. Twice Gibson was the Most Valuable Player of the World Series and twice he won the Cy Young Award. In 1968, Bob posted a modern record low ERA of 1.12, while winning 22 games with 13 shutouts. He so overwhelmed batters that MLB raised the pitching mound the following year to give hitters a chance. Gibson was the first National League pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts. He once said: "In a world filled with hate, prejudice, and protest, I find that I too am filled with hate, prejudice, and protest." Hank Aaron had this to say about Bob Gibson: "Don't dig in against Bob Gibson, he'll knock you down. He'd knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him. Don't stare at him, don't smile at him, and don't talk to him. He doesn't like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don't run too slow, don't run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don't charge the mound, because he's a Gold Glove Boxer."
PEDRO MARTINEZ
Pedro Martinez is from the Dominican Republic. Still active—he pitched in the 2009 World Series—Pedro has posted the best winning percentage (.687) of any pitcher in over 50 years, with 219 wins versus only 100 losses. He has a career ERA that is a startling 2.93—pitching in the highest scoring era of baseball history. Martinez has struck far more batters (3,154) than innings pitched with few walks (760). Though of relatively small stature (5'10"), he has had a career far superior to his peers. While he has pitched for five teams, he is best known as a member of the Boston Red Sox. In 1997, Martinez became the first right-hander in 85 years to strike out over 300 batters and post an ERA under 2.00 in the same season. His best year was 1999, when he went 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA and 313 strikeouts—and he followed that with 18-6, 1.74 in 2000, winning his 3rd Cy Young Award. Former teammate Tom Glavine said this about Martinez: "Pedro’s a great competitor. He stares at hitters and pumps his fist when he pitches, but that’s all part of his competitive nature. After the game, he’s back to being humble. He’s always respectful of his opponents." Pedro Martinez: “I actually realized that I was somebody important, because I caught the attention of 60,000 people, plus the whole world watching a guy that if you reverse time back 15 years ago, I was sitting under a mango tree without 50 cents to pay for a bus.”
STEVE CARLTON
Steve Carlton, who hailed from Miami, pitched most of his career (1965-1988) for the Philadelphia Phillies. He ranks second all time in Major League Baseball for both victories (329) and strikeouts (4,136) by a left-hander. Carlton, simply known as "Lefty" by Phillies fans, was the hardest working, best-conditioned baseball player of his generation. He is the last pitcher to win 27 games in the National League (for a team that only won 59 games—an all-time record 46% of his team's wins); and last to pitch over 300 innings in a season in MLB. Carlton was the first pitcher to ever win 4 Cy Young Awards. He was a fine fielder and an excellent hitter. His 144 base-runners picked off is by the far the all time MLB record—nearly double the 2nd place total. Richie Ashburn, former great center fielder for the Phillies, said this about Carlton: "Lefty was a craftsman, an artist. He was a perfectionist. He painted a ballgame. Stroke, stroke, stroke, and when he got through (pitching a game) it was a masterpiece." A quote from Lefty: "It (not talking to the media from 1974 through the end of his career) was perfect for me at the time. It took me two years to make up my mind. I was tired of getting slammed. To me it was a slap in the face. But it [his silence] made me concentrate better. And the irony is that they wrote better without access to my quotes. It's all quotes, anyway, and it all sounds the same to me. After that they wrote better and more interesting stuff. I took it personal. I got slammed quite a bit. To pick up the paper and read about yourself getting slammed, that doesn't start your day off right."
TOM SEAVER
Tom Seaver is considered by some to be the best baseball pitcher of all time. His career spanned from 1967 to 1986, mostly with the New York Mets. His career ERA of 2.73 is the lowest of our era. Seaver, from Fresno, California, finished with a lifetime record of 311-205—including many seasons with mediocre teams—with 3,640 strikeouts and 3 Cy Young Awards. Tom received the highest ever percentage of the vote when he became eligible (five years after retirement) for election to the Hall of Fame. Tom Seaver said: "A good professional athlete must have the love of a little boy and the good players feel the kind of love for the game that they did when they were little leaguers." His teammate Cleon Jones said of "Tom Terrific": "But Tom does everything well. He's the kind of man you'd want your kids to grow up to be like. Tom's a studious player, devoted to his profession, a loyal cat, trustworthy - everything a Boy Scout's supposed to be. In fact, we call him 'Boy Scout'."
GREG MADDUX
Greg Maddux is the only pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball to win at least 15 games for 17 straight seasons. In 1995, he became the only pitcher to ever win 4 straight Cy Young Awards. Maddux, born in Texas, spent much of his childhood in Madrid before graduating from high school in Las Vegas, where he still lives today. He began his career with my beloved Chicago Cubs but is best known for his time as an Atlanta Brave. Greg Maddux has won 355 Major League games—the most in over 50 years—against 227 losses. He has only walked 999 hitters in over 5,000 innings, while posting a career ERA of 3.16 over 24 seasons (1986-2008). Maddux went 19-2 with a 1.63 ERA in 1995. He is the best fielding pitcher in baseball history, winning 18 Gold Gloves. Maddux may be the most brilliant man to ever throw a baseball. Hall of Fame hitter Wade Boggs said this about him: "It seems like he's inside your mind with you. When he knows you're not going to swing, he throws a straight one. He sees into the future. It's like he has a crystal ball hidden inside his glove." Maddux makes it sound simple: "I try to do two things: locate my fastball and change speeds. That's it. I try to keep as simple as possible. I just throw my fastball (to) both sides of the plate and change speed every now and then. There is no special food or anything like that, I just try to make quality pitches and try to be prepared each time I go out there."
RANDY JOHNSON
Randy Johnson, from California, is 6'10" and for most of his career could throw the ball 100 miles-per-hour. The Big Unit. Johnson has won five Cy Young Awards—only one baseball player has won more. He is still pitching in the Big Leagues at 46 years of age. Johnson has pitched for six teams but is best known as a Seattle Mariner. He has struck out more batters per nine innings than any pitcher in the history of the game. His 4,875 strikeouts are 2nd all time behind Nolan Ryan—tops for all left-handers. Johnson's lifetime record of 303-166 gives him one of the highest winning percentages ever (.648). Many left-handed hitters give up before they step into the batter's box. His fierce demeanor has made him the most feared pitcher since Bob Gibson. In 1995 he went 18-2—the second best record for a season in baseball history. At age 40 Johnson threw a perfect game—the oldest player ever to do so. Johnson struck out 373 batters in 2001—a feat only bested by two pitchers in the modern era. Randy Johnson once said: "I had a long conversation with Steve Carlton. He told me that on the days he pitched, he felt it was his responsibility to make everyone around him better, to lift his teammates. That's what I try to do." His longtime catcher Dan Johnson said: “He's Randy Johnson for a reason."
ROGER CLEMENS
Roger Clemens is the greatest pitcher who ever lived. Only "The Rocket" has won 7 Cy Young Awards—and he is the oldest pitcher to ever win one. While he pitched for four teams from 1984 to 2008, he is best known as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
In 1986, Roger Clemens won the Most Valuable Player Award—still today the only starting pitcher to do so since 1971.
In 1986, Roger became the first pitcher to strike out 20 batters in a game—a feat he repeated ten years later. His career record is 354-184 with a 3.13 ERA and 4,672 strikeouts.
Roger Clemens: "I am intense, no question about it. Every time I toe the rubber, it's no different for me than it was in the World Series. That might be somebody's only chance to see me pitch. They might have driven four hours to get there. I'm going to be out there if I can help it." Derek Jeter said about Clemens: "Roger is in another world when he's pitching. He's there, but he's not there."
PITCHERS
Other pitchers I considered for inclusion include: Whitey Ford; Gaylord Perry; Robin Roberts; Juan Marichal; Ferguson Jenkins of my beloved Cubs; Nolan Ryan, the all time strikeout leader; Phil Niekro; Don Sutton; and Tommy John. I did not include any relief pitchers in this survey, believing they are of a special category that I may address later.
I have previously published many Hubs about baseball including The Chicago Cubs; and Baseball in America.
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King James:
Congratulations on yet another fine Hub. Alas, I'm not a big baseball fan, although I did hear a fascinating recounting of Mark Frost's new book, "Game Six" on the Rusty Humphries Show earlier this evening.
Some pretty intense rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox, apparently. Here's the link to the NYT book review:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/books/review/Ara
Enjoy!
Nice hub Sir Writer. I use to enjoy baseball, following the Detroit Tigers, and I remember several players you have listed. Thanks for the walk through memory lane.
Truth From Truth— Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed it. And you win the Grand Prize Game! as my first visitor!
ArchDynamics— Thank you! Your comments and that link are most welcome.
RevLady— From Detroit you must remember Denny McLain—the only pitcher of the modern era to win 30 games. And World Series hero Mickey Lolich.
You really did an excellent job on this hub, James. Your love for baseball (and of course your Cubs) certainly shines through here. Thanks for sharing this with all of us. I don't think you did any injustice to any other pitchers All these guys should be mentioned as among the very best ever.
P.S. Would it be possible to mention Mariano Rivera?
Man, I would love to have legs like Mrs. Clemens!
All those other guys have funny looks on their faces while they are throwing the ball!
:)
James,
You compiled an excellent list of pitchers. I'm glad that Casey Stengell didn't start Whitey Ford in the first game of the 1960 World Series against my Pirates. It was a strategic mistake that problbly cost the Yankees the series.
I have to read thoroughly because they are all new to me. Thanks for the hub, I am lucky it was all written and for me to read, I watched basketball ever since I was still in the Phils, but not baseball, now I know...
Maita
A nice hub about a sport that you and many other Americans obviously love. Still, I'm glad that that particular piece of American culture has not been successfully exported to Australia.
I am sorry, James, but this time I have to desert you. Baseball doesn't mean a thing to me. I am a football fan and skiing but both only an armchair fan. I forgot horse riding that again armchair. I am sure you have done, as always a solid job on your Baseball hub.
James So many to choose from! Every year experts argue about who desrves the Cy Young award, every decade many great pitchers come and go, so over 50 years that list of 'Best' pitchers ever, can be long and still debatable.
You indeed have covered most of the best of that hat time period..
Wonder if the Babe could have hit Cliff Lee!
dohn121— Thank you. I do love baseball. You're welcome. It was my pleasure to put this together. I will, of course, write about Mariano when I do a Hub about the greatest closers in history, of which he might be number one.
Where is Cy Young ? After all they did name the award after him !
advisor4qb— I'd love to have a woman with legs like Mrs. Clemens!! You're quite the wit! Yes, they do have funny looks on their faces. Keen eye, you. Thanks for coming.
Tom Whitworth— That's the Bill Mazeroski series, right? Whitey Ford was great. He was a finalist for this list but didn't quite make it. And I tried real hard to get Fergy in there, but alas, couldn't do it. :-)
prettydarkhorse— To me, baseball is the greatest game ever invented. It involves much strategy. It is a thinking person's game. Once you get to know it, you can understand the game within the game. You are welcome and thank you.
Sorry missed the opening paragraph James !
Nemingha— You may be surprised to know that there are eight Australians in the Major Leagues. Still, I know Cricket is big over there, right? Some say Baseball is a derivative of Cricket. Especially since it is not your cup of tea, I appreciate this visit.
Hello, hello,— You haven't deserted me! Here you are! :)
Thank you for coming even though it has no interest for you. This small sacrifice on your part reminds me of the Widow's Mite.
greatAmerican— I think the Babe could have hit anybody. You can't teach the innate talent the Babe had. Other than Willie Mays, I think he was the best ballplayer ever—and never had a strength coach! :) I'm well pleased you came to see me today.
tony0724— NO worries, brother. Just as at a funeral, the important thing is that you came. :-)
Nice work James, this is my favorite sport. I remember Sandy Koufax! I like it!!
sherrylou57— Thank you. Sandy was incredible! I appreciate you taking the time to visit my humble Hub. :)
James I love ya bro so I do not mean to nitpik , but should,nt Satchel Paige be on the honorable mention list ?
Great posting on the thinking person's game. As a lifelong Bosox fan, I grew to love many of the pitchers you included like Palmer, Gibson who was largely responsible for preventing the Red Sox from winning it all in '67, and Roger Clemens of course. Keep up the good work.
nice list!
I am curious though, if your list would change when taking steroids into account. Specifically Clemens.
Also, I'm surprised that nolan ryan only made it to honorable mention. That guy was almost untouchable.
Looking forward to more! Closers will be interesting
Great list James, but being bias to Milwaukee, you forgot Warren Spahn. Although he missed three years of his career fighting in Germany during WWII, and one year because Casey Stengel refused to keep him in the majors, Spahn still won 363 games, sixth most overall, and the most ever for a lefty. He also won 20 games - 13 times, tied for the most times ever in the NL.
Good hub. Baseball was America's favorite past time when I was growing up. It's nice to read about some of the greats.
I'm no longer a big baseball fan - I used to be many moons ago - but I still loved reading your Hub - it was very interesting and I really learned something! It was great to read about these baseball record-setters!
tony0724— YES!!! You are correct, sir. I will add Mr. Paige right now. Thanks for the sharp eye.
Donal E. King— Thank you. I am well pleased you enjoyed this one. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community. I look forward to reading your work. Your profile page is interesting.
JaShinYa— Thank you! I think Clemens stays. I'm not sure how much steroids helps a pitcher. Besides, the accomplishments of a whole generation would be precluded if I go there. Ryan was awesome and most respected by hitters, but his won-loss record didn't quite cut the mustard, IMO.
A M Werner— I thought long and hard about Warren Spahn. I was asked to do this Hub by another Hubber who requested that I not include oldtimers. Was Spahn an oldtimer? He was borderline on that account. I finally picked only pitchers I saw pitch, at least on television. Spahn was perhaps one of the 5 greatest pitchers ever. I apologize for the omission.
Pamela99— Thank you very much for your kind comments. I appreciate you letting me know you were here and enjoyed it.
cjv123— I am well pleased at your remarks. Thank you so much for coming and leaving your words here.
Man I dont know how you dont have Nolan Ryan as one of the highlighted guys, i dont remember too many 46 year olds throwing perfect games
Interesting list, and hard to fault your choices. I do have a bit of a fact check for you. You write:
"In 1997, [Pedro] Martinez became the first right-hander in 85 years to strike out over 300 batters"
Nolan Ryan was a righty, and he struck out 300 or more six times in his career, the last in 1989 when he fanned 301. I'm pretty sure he also still holds the single-season record with 383 Ks in 1973.
Yet another awesome post James...memory lane when you mention pitchers like Sandy Koufax, rough around the edges but as a child he was an all time favorite.
Blessings
RWC149— Ryan was in the list at first. He is, after all, the all time strikeout leader. I had so many greats to chose from, and I wanted nine, for baseball symmetry. The more I looked at those 292 losses the more I decided to regretfully bump him to honorable mention—my second nine. Sorry! :D
wshuff— hmmm . . . I'd better check this out . . .
I'm sorry! You are right. I didn't finish my sentence there! I meant to say the first RH to strike out 300 batters AND post an ERA under 2.00 in 85 years. I'll fix that right now. Keen eye. Thanks very much for that.
I think you are right: Ryan is the man.
"Quill"— Thank you, brother. Sandy was the rare guy with a blazing fastball AND the huge curve. I appreciate this visit and comment.
James,
The Babe was a great hitter. I think "The Splendid Splinter" Ted Williams was the greatest hitter of all time.
Fergy was a great pitcher. Bob Prince the Pirates broadcaster always announced him as "Ferguson Jenkins and his orchestra".
Tom Whitworth— I featured the Babe and Ted in my Hub "Greatest Nine Baseball Players."
I had never heard that handle used for Fergie. He was great. I would have loved to have had him on this list but alas—at least I got him in the second nine.
James
yea losses do cause a problem, but he still dominated, But I will mention that Clemens is in the steroid era, so i think it wouldnt be a bad switch if you flopped Ryan and Clemens
RWC149— Ryan is truly one of the greats. My favorite Ryan moment was when he put knots on Robin Ventura's head after he charged the mound. Now THAT'S an ESPN highlight. :D
yea that was awesome and that was late in his career, imagine what hed done if it went down in his hay day. But anyway your list is great, its always hard to pick the best in these catagories and everyones entitled to there opinion. Great hub.
RWC149— Thanks for your affirmation. I very much appreciate your visits.
Denny McClain shoud be on this list!!!! He is a distant relative of mine!!!! Though, that isn't why he should be on the list!
Anna Marie Bowman— I know! I was a Tiger fan in the 1960s as I grew up in Michigan. I remember Lolich, Kaline, Cash, McAuliffe, Wert, Wilson, Freehan, Northrup, the Gator.
McClain may have had the best season on this list but career wise fell short. Maybe I'll do another Hub about best single seasons ever? And McClain will surely be on it if not at the top! Thank you for reading and commenting.
Not much of a baseball fan but very interesting.
Can't bring myself to ever respect Clemens again.
I know of a few baseball players, but not like these that are obviously fantastic. I know there is one that a disease was named after him. He died of the disease and so did one of my sweet doctors, a very nice lady. These fine players show us all how magnificent the sport of baseball can be. Very educational work and great photography. God Bless You.
G Rivers— Sorry I took so long responding. Your comments are always marked as spam for some odd reason even though they are not. As a non-baseball fan, I want to thank you for reading anyway. :-)
drcrischasse— I understand where you are coming from.
stars439— I love baseball. Thank you for your fine comments and for coming by to visit so many of my Hubs. I love you, man!
That would be Lou Gehrig's Disease. Sad about Lou. And your doctor friend.
Good list, I can't think of any obvious omission's.
Double Down— Thank you! I see you correctly predicted the Yankees. Nice work there.
It's probably been said but how can you have a best pitchers ever list & not include Cy Young or Warren Spahn?
mrm85.com--- This list is only of best baseball pitchers since 1960. I think I will do another Hub about the best before that line and absolutely will include Young and Spahn. Two of the all time greats. No doubt. Thanks for coming by and commenting. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community.
I started with a couple guys in mind- as I read on I would say him too ... him too until finally you had the Rocket and I said the list is complete except for Nolan Ryan and Cy Young? NOLAN rYAN WAS AN IRONWORK HORSE and could pitch in any era of baseball I read if he got 1 more run in support per game he would have had 60 more wins... not sure where I saw it
and Cy Young does have a certain pitching award named after him too- I realize he would get rocked by todays hitters but stul for his time.
tom hellert— Yes, you are right. Ryan was the last guy I eliminated from about 20 pitchers I listed as finalists. I didn't want too many, so as not to make the Hub too long. Cy Young still has the all time record for wins, but this list is only of pitchers in my lifetime—since the sixties.
I appreciate your comments. Thanks for visiting. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community.
Good list all around (though being an Angels fan and growing up watching Ryan pitch, well, you know the deal). Of the bunch, Carlton was probably the most unhittable over one year (1972), as you mentioned. Who knows what kind of record the Phillies would have had without him that year?
ericsomething— Thank you for visiting and leaving your comments. Nolan Ryan is by far the most often named ommission on my list. Perhaps I should respond to the outcry and add him in. Who shall I remove, would you say?
Nice pic of the Rocket!
calebt721— Thank you! Welcome to the Hub Pages Community.
This is a pretty good list, but I can't see how you can include Palmer, Koufax, or Pedro without including Nolan Ryan. That man was the most dominant pitcher for such a long time. Also, in light of the recent "activity" surrounding Clemens, any thought to bumping him down/off the list?
dosters— BY popular demand I will be adding Nolan Ryan to this list shortly. There has been a public outcry over his omission. Clemens . . . I think I'll leave him on. I don't think steroids helped pitchers as it obviously did batters.
Thank you for visiting my Hub and commenting. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community!
Man it is refreshing to read a writer who knows what he is talking about when it comes to baseball. Greg Maddux is one of my all time favorite. Im a huge Braves fan and i always loved to watch him pitch. It was like watching an artist paint a picture. Was surprised not to see Nolan Ryan on this list. He is one of the reasons i started to get into baseball.
Fullerman5000— I have been taken to task numerous times for excluding Nolan Ryan from this list. I've been meaning to add a capsule about him as a matter of appeasement. I have a note here somewhere to do so. Maddux is the best. I am a Cubs fan and we sure hated it when he left Chicago the first time. Thank you for your insights. I appreciate the visitation.
I have to agree with all other comments that discuss Nolan Ryan not being on the list. I haven't seen a better pitcher in my lifetime (born in 1982) or a more intense competitor in any sport (maybe Brett Favre in football) than Nolan Ryan was on the mound. Great Hub, though!
Who do you consider the best pitcher in baseball today?
bogerk— You know, I made myself two notes to edit this Hub and add Nolan Ryan in, and then I must have lost the note. I'll get to it—by popular demand. He was intense alright. Today? Cliff Lee, Lincecum, Halladay, Sabathia. I see quite a few guys at a similar level right now. I don't see a Koufax or Maddux in the bunch. Who do you think?
James - I agree with those four, and Roy Halladay is certainly the best and maybe the most likely to make this list one day. If Tim Lincecum stays healthy, than the sky is the limit, but his delivery scares me a little.
bogerk— I am glad we are in agreeance. Yea, that delivery is a bit scary. How about Juan Marichal? He had quite a delivery too.
Thanks for for coming back by. Good to hear from you again.
Great, great article on pitchers. I teach baseball pitching and have pictures of most of the guys you wrote about on my bull pen wall. I also include the winningest lefthander in MLB history, Warren Spahn, and, of course, Nolan Ryan. Spahn, like Juan Marichal and Tim Lincecum, had an unorthodox delivery. They are good deliveries. They are healthy deliveries. There has been so much debate about Lincecum's delivery. There is no debate. His delivery is about as perfect as it gets. It is just unusual. He catapults his energy perfectly, no extra strain on anything anywhere. Expect to see him around for years.
skip55— Why, thank you very much! I am glad to read your remarks about Lincecum's delivery, which has generated some controversy.
This list is only since the 1960s. That is why I neglected Warren Spahn. I was going to do another article on the best pitchers before 1960 but never got around to it. I also promised a few people I would add Nolan Ryan to this page but forgot. I made a note to get her done soon! :D
I appreciate the visit. Always good to meet another baseball fan. Welcome to the Hub pages Community!!
James, glad you like my response. I like your work. Good you will get Warren Spahn in their somewhere and of course, Nolan Ryan. Another pitcher who much can be said about and could well use a good long article, is Dwight Gooden. Not necessarily as a career, but I believe one of this years was possibly a top two or three in MLB history.
Baseball is my beginning, middle and end. Each baseball game is an art work, it contains its own reason for being, its own beginning, middle and end.
The beauty about baseball is that when there is nothing going on there are a million things going on. I don't remember who said that, Red Barber? I like it.
Skip55— I did! Thank you. Dwight was as good as any while he was good. Tragic case.
I love baseball. And have for decades. I love everything about it. You might enjoy another baseball Hub I published:
im m ah base ball player i want to go to amirica and ply base ball thats all
justine dable— I hope your dreams come true. Thank you for commenting on my Hub.
Roger Clemens, the best pitcher to ever live. agreed.
check out my new hub guys
thanks
10aeinhorn— Welcome to HubPages! I will check out your Hub soon. Thank you for visiting. And you are welcome.
Awesome page Mr. Watkins. Hopefully someday this list will include my favorite, Tim Lincecum.
Brent Hale— Thank you for saying so. Lincecum is surely on his way to joining this list. I am glad you liked it. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community!
Clemens was really good, but he cheated, I think, with the steroids. I also thought he should have kept pitching for another year or two.
Wesman Todd Shaw— Hey friend! I suppose Roger did cheat. Maybe I should remove his name and substitute Nolan Ryan. That seems to be the consensus. Thank you very much for reading my baseball Hub. Always good to hear from you.
James, I got to tell you, I TOO, am jumping on the Nolan Ryan Bandwagon.....That man was the epitome of an American athlete....he was a hard core, hard throwing, hard working ball player. A Class act on and off the field.
With that said, It was fun to read about your selections. Being a life long Cubbie fan, I was heart broken when we lost Maddux....I think HE would have brought us the World Series we have been waiting for over a hundred years now...
CMerritt— I love Nolan Ryan, and always have. Especially when he put knots on Robin Ventura's head! :D
I just couldn't get past that .526 winning percentage when it came to a list of only nine greatest pitchers ever. I did have him in my top 18 for sure.
About Clemens: I am not sure steroids even helps a pitcher anyway. Hitters? Absolutely.
It hurt me deep when the Cubbies lost Maddox too. He is maybe the smartest pitcher ever. Go Cubs!!
Great hub! I have met many of these pitchers! I have been collecting autographs and meeting players since I was about 8. I've gotten to know the ins and outs of meeting your favorite players. I actually wrote a hub about how I do it. Check it out!
4yearstrong— You have met them!? That's awesome! I will come over and read your Hub soon. Thanks for visiting. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community!
interesting list,,,, i would delete clemens for his drug use and questionable morals. he is NO role model!
randy gray— I have to wonder if steroids really helped pitchers pitch better. Batters? Sure.
I am starting to waver on Clemens but not yet ready to write him off.
Thank you for reading my Hub. I appreciate your comments.
Outstanding article James! I enjoyed reading it. I myself am a college student studying sports management and I'm trying to gain followers to my sports articles. How did you get so many followers?
Happy to link to you! I wonder if Cliff Lee will someday make a list such as this? Maybe not, he's been injured a whole lot, but he's pretty amazing just the same. He could become something akin to a Josh Hamilton, as someone with a whole world of talent, but without the time put in to accumulate all of the stats.
Do you think we'll ever get another 300 game winner?
Sports_Fan— Thank you! I am glad you enjoyed my article. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community.
I have steadily gained 100 Followers each month since I started on HubPages. Some find me because I have written something that interests them, and others followed me because I read and commented on their Hubs first.
Wesman Todd Shaw— Thank you for the link! I doubt Cliff Lee will have time to put together a career like these pitchers, who all were successful early on and stayed that way. Great hurler, though.
I do think we'll have more 300 game winners. Greg Maddux did it in our times (the bullpen era). Maybe Tim Lincecum or Felix Hernandez?
Sandy Koufax, enough said.
FAU Baseball— Thank you for reading my article and leaving your comment. I agree with you!
Sandy was definitely one of my faves..
????? ??— Thank you for your comment. I appreciate the visitation!
Good hub! My top 5 would be Clemens, Randy, Pedro, Maddux and probably Carlton.
UhOhChongo— Thank you! I think you are right on the money. I appreciate your comments. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community!
love that pic of the rocket, he's just chillin ! lol
Tim Chirillo— I love it too. He is chillin' alright. Lucky man. Thanks for the comment and welcome to the Hub Pages Community!
I like this list, but like other people on here, I think Nolan Ryan deserves more than just "considered for inclusion" status. :)
cmdugan— I forgot that I am going to add Nolan Ryan to this list. Thank you for the reminder. I appreciate the visit and your comments. Welcome to the Hub Pages Community!
Thanks James for the welcome. I'm a Rangers fan so I'm a little biased towards Nolan.
cmdugan— I understand completely, my friend. I'll take care of it. And you are welcome.
Good hub, James. There have been so many great pitchers that it is hard to narrow them down to a short list. I like your choices and I'd agree that Nolan Ryan should be in there. Thanks for your list!
docbruin— Thank you. Welcome again to HubPages.
It was hard to narrow down the potential "best baseball pitchers ever" to just these nine. I wanted to go to 20 but I thought it would make the Hub too long for today's MTV attention spans. :D
You are quite welcome.
Walter Johnson?
Christy Mathewson?
Cy Young?
Lefty Grove?
Rube Waddell?
Richie— Thank you for visiting my Hub. You made excellent suggestions. In my first sentence I disclose the fact that this article is only about pitchers from the 1960s til today. I will have to do a followup article about the old-timers.
As far as Walter Johnson goes, I wrote about him here:
"In 1986, Roger Clemens won the Most Valuable Player Award—still today the only pitcher to do so since 1971."
You mean starting Pitcher, simce we had Fingers in '82, Hernandez on '84m and Eckersley in '82, relief winners all. Vida bLue won the MVP as a starting pitcher in 1971.
Fred— Thank you for visiting my Hub. I appreciate you notifying me of the flaw in this article, which I have corrected. Good eye! :D
James, since you did include two old-time players (Koufax & Gibson), it would not have been amiss, to include perhaps the greatest Boston/Milwaukee Brave ever: Warren Spahn. He pitched up until 1965, won close to 400 games and won between 17 and 23 games every single year for 17 straight years (except for one season of 14 and one season of 15 wins). He won 20 or more 12 times!!!!!!!!!!
He did it for the Boston Braves and the Milwaukee Braves, when it was not so easy to win as it was for Mr. Maddux et al who toiled for the ubiquitous & seemingly always victorious Atlanta version of the Braves.
I know someone else mentioned this great Southpaw, and your list is fabulous, but would certainly be notched up with the addition of 'Spahnnie'.
Billrrrr— I surely agree with you that Warren Spahn has to be on any list of the greatest pitchers ever. There were so many great ones that to keep the length of this Hub short I decided to only include those I was old enough to see pitch. Spahn was barely just before my time. As I explained in the few sentences of this article:
"A list of the best baseball pitchers of all time would have to include Walter Johnson; Lefty Grove; Grover Cleveland Alexander; Cy Young; Warren Spahn; Christy Mathewson; Kid Nichols; Bob Feller; and Satchel Paige. Since most folks these days are not familiar with these men, I have produced a list of the best baseball pitchers since the 1960s."
Warren Spahn might be the best left-hander ever. It is good of you to post this tribute to him here.
I have been meaning to publish another Hub on the greatest pitchers ever—to accompany this one—that would be about the nine men I mention in my first sentence on this page. I think I will get right on that.
Thank you very much, Bill, for visiting and for your excellent comments. :)
It's a great article, and it's put together well. Scratching my head on why Doc Halladay isn't on the list though. He'll be in the HOF by the end of his career and we haven't seen stuff like his SINCE Maddux. Just some friendly banter :)
seattleamilehigh1— I will have to take another look at Mr. Halladay. No doubt he is among the best pitchers today. And maybe ever. I would say that at 188-92 with a career ERA of 3.23 he might should be on this list.
Thank you for visiting my Hub. I appreciate your comments. I look forward to reading some of your articles. Welcome to the HubPages Community!
don't forget about his complete game numbers as well. that's what gets him on the list for me. not many starters finish what they started in today's game.
seattleamilehigh1— Excellent point! I see that Halladay's 66 complete games makes him # 1 among all active starting pitchers. I had not realized that until you said it. Thank you!
no problem. I hate the way the game is set up now. there is a set up man for the setup mans setup man. The bullpen is supposed to come save the starter when he's done, not to match-up every batter after the middle of the 6th. Halladay really is the only the pitcher in the league in my book, other than Cliff Lee and Justin Verlander, that really embodies the STARTER aspect of the role. I'm a career starter and I have always been of the mind that unless I'm out of gas, it's my game to finish.
you should put together a list of best post-season starters as well. I could't justify putting Andy Pettite on your current list, but he was a post season machine.
seattleamilehigh1— I appreciate you coming back by with your additional comments. I, too, remember the days of guys like Fergie Jenkins—who you expected to finish their starts. I suppose, even outside of baseball, we live in an age of specialization.
You named three tough hombres there. And you gave me an interesting idea for another Hub. Thank you!
Great to see Greg Maddoux on this list. He was so much fun to watch. Great work. glad i got to read this one.
Fullerman5000— Good to "see" you again, my friend. As a life-long Cub fan I will always have a warm spot in my heart for Greg Maddux. He is surely one of the all-time greats. Thank you for visiting and commenting.
This was fun for me. I remember the first baseball game I watched from beginning to end on TV was Sandy Koufax pitching a no hitter against the Phillies. Back then, the shot from behind the pitcher was flattened by the telephoto lens in the center field bleachers. The pitcher and batter were the same size. There was no distance between the mound and the plate. The perspective was wacky and it bothered me to watch. My Dad was so excited, that I got caught up in the game.
WD Curry 111— I am glad you enjoyed this Hub. You made quite interesting observations about how television flattened out the game back then.
I was nine-years-old when Sandy Koufax no-hit the Phillies. I didn't see that game but I was by then watching the Chicago Cubs nearly every day after school (when they were at home).
Thank you for checking out this article. I enjoyed reading your comments.
Great list..and FINALLY an accurate one!
Craig— Thank you!! Thank you very much! :D
I have one more addition, or conversation starter. Phil Niekro anyone? I wasen't even old enough to see him play live, but that guy is the reason I throw a knuckleball today! He sure was a hell of a pitcher for a lot of years. Talk about durable, he didn't start less than 30 games until the age of 48. I bet had he not played for those bad Atlanta teams for so so long, his career would sing a much different tune.
Excellent topic! I enjoyed reading it. I am a Gibby fan and vote for him. I had the opportunity to see him way back in the day. What a treat! He had 10Ks and knocked in the winning run. I didn't know he was a gold gloves boxer. But I did know he played for the Harlem Globetrotters before MLB. What an athlete and talent!
seattleamilehigh1— Thank you very much for taking the time to read my article. I do appreciate your suggestion of adding Phil Niekro to this list of the Best Baseball Pitchers Ever. I had the good pleasure of seeing Mr. Niekro pitch many times and he was awesome, no doubt.
It takes a lot to be included in a list with only nine men on it. You might notice that Niekro is one of only nine pitchers on my honorable mention list, which is featured right at the end of my article. :)
proudtobeadad— Welcome to the HubPages Community! Thank you very much for coming by and reading my article. Gibson was awesome! He sure tamed those Tigers of mine. Gibby was a fearsome man all the way around.
I appreciate your excellent and insightful remarks.
... but somehow your Tigers found a way in Game 7....
proudtobeadad— Yes, they did. :D
Thanks again for engaging on one of my favorite subjects: Baseball.
Hey, James. You've obviously a very keen eye for noting what really makes a great pitcher: DOMINATION. Pedro Martinez and Sandy Koufax don't have the big career numbers, but they absolutely dominated hitters for several seasons. THAT's what makes a great pitcher. Kudos on you're fine selections.
Jason Marovich— Hello! Welcome to my fellow Michigander. I look forward to reading some more of your Hubs soon.
Thank you very much for the accolades. I am glad we are in agreeance. I appreciate the visit and your excellent, insightful remarks.
James
I would include Ferguson Jenkins on the list too..
Yes, I am a Cub fan.
Yet, Cub fans have no justified ability to brag about our teams performance.
So we need to focus on some of the great individual accomplishments by those who had the misfortune of being stuck with our miserably lovable team..
Where win or lose is not the concern at Wrigley Field.
Where the bathrooms are, is.
GO CUBS !
CriticalMessage— Welcome to the HubPages Community! I too am a life-long Cubs Fan. I am well pleased to meet a kindred soul.
No doubt Fergie is at the top of my personal list. There was a man who could and did throw nine.
I think we have a great team in place in the front office now. Maybe by 2014, the Cubbies will be ready.
Thank you for visiting my Hub. I appreciate your thoughtful and insightful comments.
GO CUBS!
Truth From Truth 2 years ago
Great post about a sport that I love.