Who's the greatest pitcher of all time? Here's a list that covers all the best.?

Question

Cy Young, Christy Mathewson, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Walter Johnson, Satchel Paige, Lefty Grove, Steve Carlton, Tom Seaver, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Bob Feller, Warren Spahn, Randy Johnson

Answer 1

The best pitcher each year receives the "CY YOUNG" award.  What's that tell you?

Answer 2

You forgot Addie Joss who is in the Hall of Fame. Go check out his ERA. His life was cut short due to terminal illness but Addie could hang with any of the ones you listed.

Answer 3

Bob Gibson

Answer 4

Cy Young

511Wins!!!!!

Answer 5

Nolan Ryan

Answer 6

Curt Schilling!  He helped to end the curse

Answer 7

Cy Young

Answer 8

Steve Carlton.  Go Phillies!

Answer 9

Lefty Grove

Answer 10

Satchel Paige

Answer 11

W.Johnson, Grove, or Clemens, depending on what facets of "greatness" -- a vast concept -- one wants to see most.

The others all rank #4 or lower. These men own the top three slots.

Answer 12

That list is horrible.

How can you not have Bob Gibson.  That is my choice.  

Career statistics:



Wins     251

Earned run average     2.91

Strikeouts     3,117



Career highlights and awards:

8x All-Star selection

2x World Series champion

9x Gold Glove Award winner  

1968 NL MVP

2x NL Cy Young Award winner

2x World Series MVP

2x NL TSN Pitcher of the Year

1964 Babe Ruth Award

MLB Records:

35 strikeouts during a World Series

17 strikeouts in a World Series game

1.12 era in 1968 season (live-ball era)

Answer 13

Addie Joss does not belong on that list-the era he pitched in seriously deflated ERAs, and his career was shortened significantly due to  his (tragic) death.

Answer 14

I say again, Nolan Ryan is not an all time premier pitcher.  Not the best pitcher of his time, often not the best pitcher on his team.  

How many Cy young awards did he receive?    0

How often did he lead the league in wins?         0  

How Often did he lead the league in ERA?        2

How often did he lead the league in walks?       8

Not figures consistent with the greatest of all time.

On your list, where is Bob Gibson?

I humbly select Walter Johnson as best of all time.

Answer 15

You definitely hit all the best pitchers... no one who's not on your list has any argument to be called the best ever.  You could have added Greg Maddux for consideration, even though he's not the best ever.

Prior to WWII,  Johnson, Alexander and Grove all have some argument... I don't think Mathewson or Young do.  I think Johnson was the best from that era.  

I'll say Johnson was the best righty, and Grove was easily the best lefty.

AFter WWII,    I'd pick Tom Seaver as the best righty (because Clemens was juiced), and Warren Spahn as the best lefty.  Koufax was incredibly dominant for 5-6 years, but Spahn won 363 games.  

Spahn's win total is even more amazing when you consider the fact that he didn't win a major league game until he was 26 years old.  He had to fight a war first.

(Spahn gets extra credit in my book because he was also a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient).

Spahn fought at the Battle of the Bulge... He was the only one of major league baseball's military (a LOT of guys signed up to serve in WWII) who earned a battlefield commission, and along with Ted Williams, Yogi Berra, and Bob Feller, Spahn was the most famous to see combat.

This story about Spahn is just too good (from Wiki):

... (Spahn)  was able to maintain his position as one of the game's top pitchers until his 19th season in the sport. This was exemplified by his start on July 2, 1963.

Facing the San Francisco Giants, the 42-year-old Spahn became locked into a storied pitchers' duel with 25-year-old Juan Marichal.

The score was still 0-0 after more than four hours when Willie Mays hit a game-winning solo home run off Spahn with one out in the bottom of the 16th inning.

Marichal's manager, Alvin Dark, visited the mound in the 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 14th innings, and was talked out of removing Marichal each time.

During the 14th-inning visit, Marichal told Dark, "Do you see that man pitching for the other side? Do you know that man is 42 years old? I'm only 25. If that man is on the mound, nobody is going to take me out of here."

Marichal ended up throwing 227 pitches in the complete game 1-0 win, while Spahn threw 201 in the loss, allowing nine hits and one walk. Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell, who was in attendance that night, said of Spahn, "He ought to will his body to medical science."

Although people maintained that Spahn would have won over 400 games had he started earlier, Spahn himself was always humble about it.   He maintained that he might not have had the maturity to hit it big in the majors had he started at 21 or 22.    And he said, even if he was able to catch on with a major league club at 21, then he might not have been able to pitch until he was 44 years old.

Spahn always maintained a humble attitude, which was typical of the members of the Greatest Generation.

Answer 16

Randy Johnson

Answer 17

Walter Johnson MLB.

Satchel Paige NLB.

Answer 18

I think we have to limit the discussion to modern day guys with live balls in play.

Koufax was the greatest for 5 years I ever saw. He retired at 32 with arm problems, today, with surgery, he would have gone on until he was 55. He was seen throwing batting practise to the Dogers at age 59 and still sawing off their bats. The players were complaining they couldn't hit Koufax at 59 in practise and wanted management to sign him at that age.

He was untouchable, as was Pedro Martinez a few years back. However 5 years in a row with all the no hitters and one hitters, invisible ERA and strikeouts in the 300s every year and hardly a walk.

Lots of good guys listed. Bob Gibson too.

However, I was a huge Seaver fan. For 5 years, he was great...and ten strikeouts in a row, one hitter, etc...yet,  no on was in Koufax' league. Marichal was close at that time, but not Sandy.

Koufax was in his OWN.

Gaylord Perry and a few others won 300 games too.

Clermsn should not be on the list. He probably won 100 games due to stuff he put into his body.

Answer 19

I don't see Greg Maddux in your list but anyway...

For longevity I'd take either Seaver or Clemens

For a 5 year span and dominance, I'd take Koufax

If I needed one pitcher to win one game for me it would be Koufax...