Who are your top major league baseball pitchers, all-time?

[rightwinger]

Nolan Ryan.....if he was on a good team during his peak....dam....

My problem with Ryan was he never won a big game

Makes it hard to be a Big Game Pitcher

 

[rightwinger]

If my life depended on a pitcher winning a game...I'd take Bob Gibson hands down over Roger Clemons.

Except for 1968 Game 7 against the Tigers

Gibson had a 1.12 ERA that year and was rested an extra game
Got beaten by Mickey Lolich

 

[eddiew]

Beat em sandy's last 4 years

Year	Age	AgeDif	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff
LAD	25	5	.833	1.88	1.97	40	40	0	20	11	0	311.0	214	68	65	18	58	7	306	3	1	6	1210	0.875	6.2	0.5	1.7	8.9	5.28
1964	28	-0.2	LAD	NL	MLB	LAD	19	5	.792	1.74	1.98	29	28	1	15	7	1	223.0	154	49	43	13	53	5	223	0	0	9	870	0.928	6.2	0.5	2.1	9.0	4.21
1965	29	0.7	LAD	NL	MLB	LAD	26	8	.765	2.04	2.41	43	41	2	27	8	2	335.2	216	90	76	26	71	4	382	5	0	11	1297	0.855	5.8	0.7	1.9	10.2	5.38
1966	30	2.2	LAD	NL	MLB	LAD	27	9	.750	1.73	2.06	41	41	0	27	5	0	323.0	241	74	62	19	77	4	317	0	0	7	1274	0.985	6.7	0.5	2.1	8.8	4.12

 

[Harry Dresden]

Nolan Ryan.....if he was on a good team during his peak....dam....

My problem with Ryan was he never won a big game

Makes it hard to be a Big Game Pitcher

what is a big game?.....

 

[Pogo]

I'm REALLY starting to miss baseball. So I've decided to keep it alive, at least by talking about it. My top 5 pitchers all-time are - 1) Walter Johnson - possibly THE most overpowering pitcher ever. He won over 400 games and finished his career with over 4,000 strikeouts. And I believe he holds the all-time record for shutouts with 110. Just a fantastic pitcher. 2) Sandy Koufax, my pick for the best left handed pitcher ever. His last several seasons were phenomenal, it's a shame he retired so young because of arm problems. 3) Cy Young, great pitcher, the award for pitcher of the year was quite aptly named after him. His 511 career wins will NEVER be broken. 4) Roger Clemens, I've included him despite his alleged steroid use. IF he wasn't guilty of this, he's definitely my #4 pick. From what I've read, it's hard to tell if he WAS guilty of using banned substances. He was nearly as overpowering a pitcher as Walter Johnson and he put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his career. 5) Randy Johnson, THE most overpowering and menacing left handed pitcher all-time. He had just a fantastic career, highlighted by his 2001 season, where he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win it all, including their exciting 7 game World Series crown over the New York Yankees. And I believe he's the tallest major league baseball player ever, at 6 feet, 10 inches. So here's MY top picks, who are some of yours?

Agree on Koufax, the most intimidating unhittable pitcher I've ever seen, either-handed. Can't really compare with the Johnsons and Youngs for not having seen them directly. Reading stats from bygone days is just a different thing, plus they played in different contexts. In the same time frame as Koufax, Warren Spahn and Bob Gibson were two guys you never wanted to see on the mound unless you had a glove on. Steve Carlton has been mentioned -- he could make hitters look pathetic and he was a real horse. And he could hit too.

I respect any pitcher that doesn't just cave in to this nonsense that "pitchers can't hit" and make the effort.

​

 

[MarathonMike]

Pedro Martinez. Look at his 1997-2002 stats compared to the league average. And, he did it at the peak of the steroid era.

^ this! And I say that as a lifelong NY Yankees fan.

Pedro was baseballs Wayne Gretzky

When Pedro was in his prime, he was a beast.

 

[MarathonMike]

I'm REALLY starting to miss baseball. So I've decided to keep it alive, at least by talking about it. My top 5 pitchers all-time are - 1) Walter Johnson - possibly THE most overpowering pitcher ever. He won over 400 games and finished his career with over 4,000 strikeouts. And I believe he holds the all-time record for shutouts with 110. Just a fantastic pitcher. 2) Sandy Koufax, my pick for the best left handed pitcher ever. His last several seasons were phenomenal, it's a shame he retired so young because of arm problems. 3) Cy Young, great pitcher, the award for pitcher of the year was quite aptly named after him. His 511 career wins will NEVER be broken. 4) Roger Clemens, I've included him despite his alleged steroid use. IF he wasn't guilty of this, he's definitely my #4 pick. From what I've read, it's hard to tell if he WAS guilty of using banned substances. He was nearly as overpowering a pitcher as Walter Johnson and he put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his career. 5) Randy Johnson, THE most overpowering and menacing left handed pitcher all-time. He had just a fantastic career, highlighted by his 2001 season, where he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win it all, including their exciting 7 game World Series crown over the New York Yankees. And I believe he's the tallest major league baseball player ever, at 6 feet, 10 inches. So here's MY top picks, who are some of yours?

I've been watching Diamondbacks reruns from last year. I'm thinking of putting duct tape up in the right corner so I can't see REPLAY on the screen.

 

[rightwinger]

Nolan Ryan.....if he was on a good team during his peak....dam....

My problem with Ryan was he never won a big game

Makes it hard to be a Big Game Pitcher

what is a big game?.....

Pennant
Playoffs
World Series

Nolan Ryan was a .500 pitcher
Most were not big games

 

[bluzman61]

Nolan Ryan.....if he was on a good team during his peak....dam....

My problem with Ryan was he never won a big game

Makes it hard to be a Big Game Pitcher

what is a big game?.....

Pennant
Playoffs
World Series

Nolan Ryan was a .500 pitcher
Most were not big games

But with that fastball of his, he WAS quite imposing.

 

[bluzman61]

I'm REALLY starting to miss baseball. So I've decided to keep it alive, at least by talking about it. My top 5 pitchers all-time are - 1) Walter Johnson - possibly THE most overpowering pitcher ever. He won over 400 games and finished his career with over 4,000 strikeouts. And I believe he holds the all-time record for shutouts with 110. Just a fantastic pitcher. 2) Sandy Koufax, my pick for the best left handed pitcher ever. His last several seasons were phenomenal, it's a shame he retired so young because of arm problems. 3) Cy Young, great pitcher, the award for pitcher of the year was quite aptly named after him. His 511 career wins will NEVER be broken. 4) Roger Clemens, I've included him despite his alleged steroid use. IF he wasn't guilty of this, he's definitely my #4 pick. From what I've read, it's hard to tell if he WAS guilty of using banned substances. He was nearly as overpowering a pitcher as Walter Johnson and he put up some eye-popping numbers throughout his career. 5) Randy Johnson, THE most overpowering and menacing left handed pitcher all-time. He had just a fantastic career, highlighted by his 2001 season, where he helped the Arizona Diamondbacks win it all, including their exciting 7 game World Series crown over the New York Yankees. And I believe he's the tallest major league baseball player ever, at 6 feet, 10 inches. So here's MY top picks, who are some of yours?

I've been watching Diamondbacks reruns from last year. I'm thinking of putting duct tape up in the right corner so I can't see REPLAY on the screen.

That WAS a great series, wasn't it? My dad, his girlfriend, my dad's friend and HIS girlfriend, were lucky enough to go to game 2 of the series in Phoenix, because my dad's friend was well off financially at the time, and bought FOUR tickets to the game. I regretted not being able to go to any of the 4 home games, but I couldn't afford it at the time. I was working at an animal shelter then, and while I loved the work, it didn't pay that much. Half of what I made went to pay my rent. Did you go to any of the games, Mike?

 

[rightwinger]

Nolan Ryan.....if he was on a good team during his peak....dam....

My problem with Ryan was he never won a big game

Makes it hard to be a Big Game Pitcher

what is a big game?.....

Pennant
Playoffs
World Series

Nolan Ryan was a .500 pitcher
Most were not big games

But with that fastball of his, he WAS quite imposing.

Most imposing I ever saw
Reason he had more Strikeouts and No Hitters than any other pitcher

But I can’t put him as an all time great because he was not even the best of his era.

Maddox, Seaver, Carlton were better and they have the Cy Young’s to prove it.

Ryan was never even the best in a single year

 

[eddiew]

I used to walk to Ebbets Field ,,home of the Dodgers as a kid 11 12 ,13 ,,, Hung out at the bleachers until 5th or 6 th inning and then the guy would let us in Couldn't afford the .60

 

[WelfareQueen]

Greg Maddox
Randy Johnson


Those are the two best in my lifetime.

 

[eddiew]

Bobby Thomson hit the home run that killed the dodgers almost knocked myself out hitting my head on the ceiling

 

[rightwinger]

Greg Maddox
Randy Johnson
Tom Seaver
Steve Carlton
Roger Clemons

Some very nice picks, rw. Thanks.

Spahn and Sain and 2 days of rain

Spahn was seriously underrated

Greatest game of all time was against Juan Marichal. Both pitchers went 16 innings in a 0-0 game. Spahn finally won it in the 16th 1-0.

 

[bluzman61]

Greg Maddox
Randy Johnson
Tom Seaver
Steve Carlton
Roger Clemons

Some very nice picks, rw. Thanks.

Spahn and Sain and 2 days of rain

Spahn was seriously underrated

Greatest game of all time was against Juan Marichal. Both pitchers went 16 innings in a 0-0 game. Spahn finally won it in the 16th 1-0.

Yep, he was AWFULLY good. (I just realized that's one heck of an oxymoron!) But seriously, I'd rank him the #3 left handed pitcher all-time, behind only Koufax and Randy Johnson. Steve Carlton would be my #4 pick.

 

[rightwinger]

The best pitchers I ever saw are not in the Hall of Fame

Dwight Gooden
Ron Guidry
Fernando Valenzuela
J R Richard
Vida Blue

 

[bluzman61]

The best pitchers I ever saw are not in the Hall of Fame

Dwight Gooden
Ron Guidry
Fernando Valenzuela
J R Richard
Vida Blue

Wow, some great ones there! Didn't J. R. Richard die very young because of an undetected heart condition?

 

[bluzman61]

The best pitchers I ever saw are not in the Hall of Fame

Dwight Gooden
Ron Guidry
Fernando Valenzuela
J R Richard
Vida Blue

Wow, some great ones there! Didn't J. R. Richard die very young because of an undetected heart condition?

Oops, my bad! He's still among the living, 70 years of age.

 

[bluzman61]

The best pitchers I ever saw are not in the Hall of Fame

Dwight Gooden
Ron Guidry
Fernando Valenzuela
J R Richard
Vida Blue

Wow, some great ones there! Didn't J. R. Richard die very young because of an undetected heart condition?

Oops, my bad! He's still among the living, 70 years of age.

I checked his career stats, he DID retire very young, at age 30, after only 10 seasons. I wonder if blew his arm out?