Who is the greatest pitcher?

Question

Who is the greatest major league baseball pitcher of all time?

Answer 1

1. Cy Young
2. Nolan Ryan
3. Walter Johnson
4. Phil Niekro
5. Tom Seaver
Roger Clemans would have maid the top Five if he did not throw the bat at Piazza.

Answer 2

Don't listen to people saying Cy Young was the greatest pitcher. Although his # of wins will never be beat Young pitched in an era when the starting pitcher got the win or loss based on the outcome of the game. Relief pitchers in this time never got wins/losses. Cy Young, and other pitchers, thus got several 30+ win seasons just because he pitched behind a good offensive team that could get him the win even when he wasn't great. This isn't a knock against him, he was a great pitcher, but the times between when he pitched and now are so different.

Satchel Paige probably was the best pitcher ever in terms of the stuff he could throw, if only he had been allowed to enter the Major Leagues before he was 47.

I'd go Nolan Ryan was the best of the modern era, Walter Johnson all time.

Answer 3

To all who chose Nolan Ryan:

He is the most overrated pitcher of all time. In one season he walked over 200 batters, gotta be a record. HoF worthy? Yes. Greatest of all time? NO!

Roger Clemens is also great, maybe top 5, but not #1.

My #1 is either Walter Johnson or Cy Young.

Walter Johnson's career ERA was about 1.0 lower than Clemens or Ryans. He won over 400 games and struck out over 3500.

Cy Young had a career ERA of about 2.6, which is like .55 higher than Johnsons. However, he had an amazing 500+ wins.

Also, anyone who uses Ryan's K Count does not understand baseball. Strikeouts are not that important.

Answer 4

Roger Clemens, easy.

He pitched most of his career in the "steroid era", has been dominant, durable, great control, and great stuff. When it looked like he was losing a bit in the mid '90s, he came up with the splitter and became dominant again. He is still one of the best pitchers in the game.

Ryan is very, very overrated. Yes, he won 324 games, yes he struck out 5714 batters. But he also lost 292 and was only 32 games over .500 for his long career.Clemens is 348-178. That means Ryan won 24 fewer games while losing 114 more. Just because Ryan struck out more batters and pitched 7 no-hitters doesn't make him a great pitcher. Look at 1979. Ryan was 22-20. When he left and signed with Houston, the Angels GM Buzzy Bavasi said, "I'm not worried, I'm just going to go and find me a couple of 11-10 pitchers".

Answer 5

Monday, ESPN published a much-publicized feature ranking the greatest living pitchers. The list was based on a poll of 32 ESPN baseball "experts," who all agreed that Roger Clemens was the greatest living pitcher, followed by Tom Seaver, Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Greg Maddux, Bob Feller, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Steve Carlton, and Juan Marichal to round out the top-ten.

Answer 6

Cy Young

EDITED: Not to make anyone mad, but since all these other pitchers ie Nolan Ryan and Roger "Rocket" Clemens have Cy Young awards, then doesn't it make sense that they are winning the award because they are being compared the greatest pitcher ever - Cy Young. It isn't the Nolan Ryan Award or the Roger Clemens Award it is the Cy Young Award. Please, don't get me wrong they are great pitchers...Nolan Ryan was great but Cy Young was the best!

Answer 7

Nolan Ryan- 6 no hitters basically means when your stuff is on batters can't hit you. Same goes for strikeouts.

If I was a hitter I'd probably be most fearful to face Randy Johnson in his prime tho. I feel like he never lived up to his potential.

Guys from the past wouldn't be able to compete today, although I heard Walter Johnson was incredible and played on the worst team in the league. If he played for a good team everyone would be writing his name I'll bet.

Answer 8

Roger Clemens. He is dominant and has remained dominant in a hitters era (and the heart of the steroids era). Nolan Ryan is possibly the most overrated pitcher in mlb history (did not pitch during the main part of the steroid era). ERA: 3.19, 324 wins, 5714 SO, 2795 walks, sure the strikeouts are amazing but look at the walks, he had control problems. Clemens: Era: 3.10, 348 wins, 4604 SO, 1549 BB. Gibson was very good and had a career era of 2.91 but some of that was from him pitching with a bigger than modern strikezone and a higher mound (for most of his career). Cy Young was good but he had the advantage of having a dirty, sometimes misshapen, dead ball. Finally, Sandy Koufax, also had the same advantages that Gibson had and retired early due to a bad back and arthritis (possibly due to his unorthidox delivery a problem he probably gave to himself). Clemens is pitching in an environment harsher for pitchers than ever before and still dominating, he is the greatest ever.

Answer 9

Satchel Paige, Catfish Hunter, Nolan Ryan, Don Drysldale, Juan Marichal, Sany Koufax, Greg Maddux or Tom Glavine - take your pick.

Answer 10

only one guy so far got it right. the answer is Leroy "satchel" Paige.
he never got a shot at MLB until he was 49. some say he was older. he often lied about his age when it became apparent blacks would play in the major leagues to make him more appealing to the owners. and at age 49, what did he do. he won rookie of the year. not bad. his stats in the ***** leagues are pretty unknown, but he was able to strike out anyone. alot of times, he'd play a prank on the other team, by pulling all of his fielder's off the field except his catcher. he would then strike out side without anyone ever getting a hit in fair territory. and by the way, josh gibson is the greatest hitter of all time. unfortunately many people don't recognize his career 800 plus homers, because they came in the ***** leagues. he died at a younger age before the integration of baseball.

Answer 11

this might nicely be a problematical one. a great hitter willcontinual interior the runs and could save the offense going (its been pronounced that hitting is contagious). a great pitcher can only be used as quickly as each couple of days, yet while he's on, the different team cant do something. i think of i'm going to take the stable hitter.