By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Photo via https://flic.kr/p/fvW6Sw Walter Johnson might have been the fastest pitcher in baseball history. With his sweeping sidearm delivery, the “Big Train” led the league in strikeouts 12 times during a 21-year career with the Washington Nationals from 1907 to 1927. He won 417 games, including 10 straight seasons of 20 or more, and his 110 shutouts remain the major league record to this day. He led Washington to the World Championship of 1924. In 1936, Johnson was inducted into The National Baseball Hall of Fame.
It’s still hot outside, and the boys of summer are about to hit the field for the official 2020 Major League Baseball season.
So let me continue on the theme I started last week and reflect on some of the best to ever take the diamond. America’s Pastime had many layers like the greatest player ever. You can also do a separate countdown like the best reliever of all time.
They don’t call them coaches in the Big Leagues. So a list of the best managers to grace the dugout will come down the line.
For this week, The Best Sellers’ List will focus on the men who took to the mound and faced those great hitters, speedster and sluggers. Who are the best starting pitchers of all time. Since 1869 when the MLB debuted in Cincinnati, various flame throws, crafty hurlers and unhittable aces have rewritten the record book.
I only have 10 slots to hand out in my countdown. But the honorable mentions have plenty of space: Pedro Martinez, Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, Warren Spahn, Lefty Grove, Bob Feller, Curt Schilling, Clayton Kershaw, Tom Glavine, Roy Halladay, John Smoltz, Gaylord Perry, Jim Palmer, Justin Verlander, Tommy John, Bert Blyleven, Ferguson Jenkins, Carl Hubbell, Phil Niekro, Babe Ruth, Whitey Ford, Juan Marichal, Ed Walsh, Dwight Gooden, Dizzy Dean, Don Drysdale, Robin Roberts, Orel Hershiser, Don Sutton, Catfish Hunter, Dazzy Vance, Rube Waddell, David Cone, Stan Coveleski, Jack Morris, Kevin Brown, Felix Hernandez, Hal Newhouser, CC Sabathia, Jim Bunning, Joe McGinnity, Early Wynn, Luis Tiant, Mike Mussina, Addie Joss, Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown and Eddie Plank.
- Sandy Koufax
Playing career:
1955-1966
Career stats: 165-87, 2.76 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 2,396 K
The only reason Koufax is No. 10 is the length of his career. This Los Angeles Dodger great packed in a lot of greatness in 11 years. Along with Don Drysdale, the Dodgers have a phenomenal duo. Koufax won five consecutive earned-run average titles from 1962 to 1966. During that time period the ERA was 1.95 with a record of 111-34.
Koufax was striking out more than one batter per inning with 1,444 Ks over 1,377 innings. As for awards, Koufax won three Cy Young Awards. The reason he had to retire at the young age of 30, arthritis in his left arm. - Bob Gibson
Playing career:
1959-1975
Career stats: 251-174, 2.91 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 3,117 K
In this region of the country, Bob Gibson is a mythical figure. But once you research his athletic history and baseball records, Gibson is larger than life.
Did you know he was a former Harlem Globetrotter? He came off the basketball court to take the mound as one of the fiercest pitchers for the St. Louis Cardinals ever.
To the opposition, Gibson was the master of the brushback pitch. The plate belonged to him, and he would use it any way he wanted. His dominance and control helped Gibson author one of the best seasons for a pitcher in MLB history. Let’s go back to 1968, when Gibson won the National League Cy Young and the Most Valuable Player awards.
The St. Louis icon went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA, 0.85 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) and 268 strikeouts.
Gibson was great and clutch. In World Series games, he won seven consecutive starts. And he struck out 10 or more batters in five of those games. His 17 strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the 1968 Fall Classic remains a World Series record. - Cy Young
Playing career:
1890-1911
Career stats: 511-316, 2.63 ERA, 138 ERA+, 1.130 WHIP, 2,803 Ks, 7,356 IP
OK, the annual awards given out to the best pitchers from the American and National leagues are named after him. I could just stop there. But his record of 511 career wins will never be broken. But the reason he’s not No. 1 on this list is that his record of 316 losses won’t be touched ever. Young pitched until he was Cy Old with 7,356 innings pitched and 815 starts. Win or lose, Young finished 749 of those contests.
He won at least 20 games during 15 seasons and 30 games five times. Young won two games in the first modern-day World Series, leading Boston to the championship in 1903. - Randy Johnson
Playing career:
1988-2009
Career stats: 303-166, 3.29 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 4,875 Ks
He’s the first pitcher on this list I got a chance to watch grown up. The Big Unit Randy Johnson was cut from the mode of Bob Gibson. He was intimidating with his 6′ 10″ slim frame. Over three decades, Johnson used his height, reputation and nasty slider to become of the best of all time.
In his prime, Johnson was regularly clocked over 100 mph, hitting 102 on a few occasions. Johnson was a five-time Cy Young Award winner and took home nine strikeout champions. As a champion and clutch pitcher, Johnson had a shining moment in the 2001 World Series leading the Arizona Diamondbacks over the New York Yankees. - Roger Clemens
Playing career:
1984-2007
Career stats: 354-184, 3.12 ERA, 143 ERA+, 4,672 Ks, 4,916.2 IP
The history of baseball is crowded with infamous figures. Thanks to the Steroid Era, Roger Clemens is now a controversial selection for any best-of list.
His 24-year career is filled with iconic moments like a 20-strikeout game early in his career. Then his legacy had a revival in the early late 1990s and early 2000s. It appeared as if Clemens reclaimed his youth and prime.
He went from the 1985 AL MVP to an MVP candidate with the Yankees in the 2000s. Clemens was a seven-time Cy Young Award winner. He was the winner of seven ERA champion and a five-time strikeout king.
Clemens was a combination of power and intimidation. No matter if he took juice or not, he had amazing command of the baseball. You don’t get 4,000 Ks without God-given talent. - Christy Mathewson
Playing career:
1900-1916
Career stats: 373-188, 2.13 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 2,507 K
At the turn of the century, the 20th edition, Major League Baseball had a superstar on its hands. Christy Mathewson was a stud for 17 years, starting with the Cincinnati Reds. The legend was acquired by the New York Giants from the Reds in one of the most lopsided trades in major league history. Mathewson won 22 or more games for 12 consecutive seasons from 1903 to 1914.
It is unheard of today for a pitcher to win 30 games in a season, thanks to load management. Mathewson pulled off the feat four times. In 1908, Mathewson won a NL record 37 games. He led the league in victories on four occasions.
In the 1905 World Series, Mathewson tossed three complete game shutouts over a six-day span. He only allowed 13 hits and one walk while striking out 18 batters. Did this man ever get tired? - Nolan Ryan
Playing career:
1966-1993
Career stats: 324-292, 3.19 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 5,714 K
The man I grew up calling “Texas Heat” was a flame thrown from the LBJ administration to the beginning of the Clinton Era. I know he racked up a few losses. But his 324 victories and modern-day record of 5,714 Ks ranks him high on my list.
And I have a special place in my heart for the image of him beating the sweat off a young Robin Ventura on Aug. 4, 1993. What was Robin thinking? You don’t disrespect the legend Nolan Ryan by charging the mound.
Another sign of disrespect is Ryan never winning the Cy Young Award despite being baseball’s all-time leader in strikeouts and no-hitters with seven. He could only get five top 5 finishes in the Cy Young voting. Ryan is the greatest strikeout artist in the history of the game, facing the best competition from around the world.
Ryan led the league in strikeouts 11 times and ERA twice over a 27-year career that saw the game grow. - Grover Alexander
Playing career:
1911-1930
Career stats: 373-208, 2.56 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 2,198 K
The man also known as Pete got a semi-late start in his Big League career. Alexander made his debut at the age of 24. By the time he left the game in his mid-40s, Alexander was one of the best to ever step on the mound.
He managed to pitch 20 seasons and rack up the third-most wins of all time. Alexander led the league in ERA four times. He was a six-time winner of the wins and complete games title. He had dominate stuff leading the league in shutouts seven times.
From 1911 to 1917, Alexander averaged 27 wins and 356 innings pitched a season. Alexander was almost a guaranteed win during that stretch with an ERA of 2.12 and a WHIP of 1.07. - Greg Maddux
Playing career:
1986-2008
Career stats: 355-227, 3.16 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 3,371 K
The best pitcher of my lifetime was not in the class of Gibson, Johnson or Clemens. Maddux beat you with clever, timely and deceptive pitching. Maddux was a world-class artist on the mound. He would organize an arrangement of pitches to dominate batters.
Several experts agree, saying Madduz was the most dominant starting pitcher the game has seen over the past 30 years. His pinpoint control allowed him to stay in the Big Leagues for more than 20 years without a blazing fastball.
Maddux was respected by his peers and those who covered the game with four Cy Young Awards. He averaged 17 wins for nearly 20 years. He was the ace of the legendary Atlanta Braves rotation that won the 1995 World Series. - Walter Johnson
Playing career:
1907-1927
Career stats: 417-279, 2.17 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 3,509 K
One pitcher’s name seems to come up when you look at the all-time stats for being the best. Let’s hop on the “Big Train” and salute the great Walter Johnson. This ace spent his entire career with the Washington Senators. He became the franchise leader in wins with 417 (second only to Cy Young).
Despite all those starts, Mathewson was only beaten 279 times and this was playing for a sub-.500 team. Johnson had to be the best in order to give his team a chance at victory. A couple of those Senator teams won 49 and 42 games for an entire season.
Johnson had 110 shutouts, more than anyone else in the history of the game. The Senators slightly improved around 1910. Johnson was a huge help during that new decade. From 1910 to 1919, he averaged 26 wins a season. He led the league in wins, complete games and shutouts six times.
Johnson earned the ERA crown five times and had 12 seasons as the best in strikeouts. Johnson was a baseball savior.
THOMAS SELLERS JR. is the editor of The Millington Star and both the sports editor and a weekly personal columnist for West 10 Media/Magic Valley Publishing. Contact him by phone at (901) 433-9138, by fax to (901) 529-7687 and by email to [email protected].
