By The Numbers: Who Are The Greatest Pitchers Of All Time?
By Father Gabe Costa
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In a week or so, spring training will begin, and all will be right with the world. Usually it's the pitchers and catchers who precede the position players to the 30 major league training sites.
Speaking of pitchers, just the other day one of my students asked me to give my opinion on the greatest pitcher, or pitchers, ever. As I mulled over his question, I began to mentally classify pitchers with respect to certain categories: various ERAs, starters, relievers, career value, peak value, southpaws, pitchers I've seen since 1958 (when I started to follow baseball), etc.
These are the choices I came up with. Note that I did not include Cy Young or any other pitcher who hurled before 1901:
I: 10 Greatest (Non-Relief) Right-Handed Pitchers Of All Time
Walter Johnson
Christy Mathewson
Grover Alexander
Bob Feller
Juan Marichal
Bob Gibson
Jim Palmer
Tom Seaver
Nolan Ryan
Greg Maddux
Comment: I know these are pretty much the standard selections (especially at the beginning of the list). But the metrics support these pitchers. By the way, Nolan Ryan won 324 games -- only 13 pitchers have had more victories.
II: 5 Greatest (Non-Relief) Left-Handed Pitchers Of All Time
Lefty Grove
Carl Hubbell
Warren Spahn
Whitey Ford
Steve Carlton
Comment: Omitting Jim Kaat was tough, as was Tom Glavine. I put Koufax in a different category (Peak Value). Ford's 236-106 record is so outstanding that I had to include him. By the way, I wonder if Babe Ruth would have made the list had he remained a pitcher.
III: Greatest Relief Pitcher Of All Time
Mariano Rivera
Comment: None necessary.
IV: Two Greatest Peak-Value Pitchers (since 1958)
Sandy Koufax
Pedro Martinez
Comment: Koufax's streak of no-hitters in the early 1960s made him a legend. Unfortunately, an elbow condition forced his early retirement. Martinez, in a sense, was even more dominating than Koufax. Pedro's 219-100 career won-loss record was posted through much of the steroid era!
V: Greatest Season For A Pitcher (since 1958)
Rod Guidry in 1978
Comment: He went 25-3 with nine shutouts and spearheaded one of the greatest comebacks ever. Reggie Jackson called him "the truest Yankee."
VI: Two Pitchers I Would Choose – In Order – For A Must-Win Game (since 1958)
Whitey Ford
Bob Gibson
Comment: No one who saw these Hall of Famers on the mound would disagree with either legend; Ford, because of his mastery as the "Chairman of the Board," and Gibson because of his tenacity.
VII: Greatest Pitching Staff Over A Decade (since 1958)
Atlanta Braves staff of the 1990s
Comment: The numbers speak for themselves. Kudos to skipper Bobby Cox and pitching coach Leo Mazzone.
Now, regarding catcher. I have to go with Yogi Berra, with all respect to Mickey Cochrane, Bill Dickey, Gabby Hartnett, Ernie Lombardi, Roy Campanella, Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Carlton Fisk, Mike Piazza, Pudge Rodriguez and all the rest. I simply have to go with Berra. 10 rings.
One last comment: Let's lift a glass to an old left-handed catcher from St. Mary's Industrial School in Baltimore and a former southpaw for the Red Sox. Happy 119th birthday, Babe!
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