Who is the greatest pitcher of all time?

Question

If you want the points don't just give me a name, give me some stats to back it up. Thanks!

Answer 1

Walter Johnson, who won 416 games over a 21 year carrer with the Washington Seanators which perienally was little more than a second divison team. A lifetime ERA of 2.17, he won 20 games 12 times and more than 30 twice and still holds the MLB record with 110 shutouts.. Of his 279 losses, 65 were by he giving up 2 runs or less, I think he was beaten 1-0 35 times. he led the American League in strikeouts 12 times, victories 6 times and a streak of 7 straight years he had an ERA under 2.00. He also had a lifetime batting average of .236 and holds the record for a pitchers batting average season when he batted .440. He was so good that Charlie Cominsky of the rival Chicago White Sox payed half his salary NOT to pitch for the rival Chicago Whales of the Federal League, to keep him from jumping to them. He was also a humble man, probably baseballs most beloved personality beforre Ruth became the mega star of his era. His nicknames "big Train" was because he could bring the ball so fast and "barney" because unlike the great racecar driver of his era Barney Oldfield, I guess he was a lousy driver. He had the dominant fastball of his time, maybe all time as there were no way to measure the speed in those days. Of all the grreat pitchers, he was the greatest

Answer 2

Nolan Ryan
Pitched a major league record 7 no-hitters, three more than Koufax...Was the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter in each of his last two games (June 11, 1991 at Oakland and May 1, 1991 vs. Toronto)...Allowed one-or-fewer hits in a complete game 19 times, another record...His 12 one-hitters match Bob Feller for the most ever...Lost five no-hitters in the 9th inning.

Answer 3

We know that Nolan Ryan is the most over-rated pitcher of all time. For all his gaudy numbers he was barely over .500 career 324-292 a .526 WP and had an ERA of 3.19 w/
2795 BB's and 5714 K
My candidate for best pitcher ever Tom Seaver leaves Ryan dead in the water.
Seaver: 311-205 WP .603 ERA 2.86
1390 BB's 3640 K's .
In all aspects of the game Seaver was a much better pitcherand I think the greatest ever.

Answer 4

Nolan Ryan
Most Seasons Ever: 27
Won American League's Joe Cronin Award for significant achievement twice (one of three to win it twice)
All-time strikeout leader
Along with Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson, he averaged 1 strikeout per inning
Recorded 10 or more strikeouts in a game more than 215 times (a M.L. record)
7 no hitters
Named to 8 All-Star Teams
His uniform number was retired with 3 teams (only person in history)

I think this says enough!

Answer 5

Cy Young --- an all-time record 511 career wins, one that will almost certainly never even be threatened. It's only right that the yearly award for best pitcher in the league is named after the guy.

Answer 6

Walter Johnson.......In 1913 Johnson pitched the greatest season in the history of the game. Before I show you how amazing his season was statistically, it is noteworthy that he achieved all this pitching for a team that went 54-57 when he wasn’t on the mound. With this poor of a team behind him he won the Pitching Triple Crown (the first of three he would win in his career) with 36 wins, 243 strikouts, and a 1.14 ERA. He pitched 11 shutouts, 29 complete games, pitching 349 innings. His 1913 ERA, adjusted to the league, is the fifth best in history. He held opposing batters to a .187 average and a .217 OBP (sixth lowest all-time). Thanks to these astounding numbers, and in spite of his teammates’ records, the Senators finished second in the AL. Johnson deservingly won the American League MVP which he would win again in 1924.

The Big Train still holds a wheelbarrow full of American League records (79 years later) including: wins - 417, complete games - 531, games with one team - 802, career starts - 666, innings pitched - 5924, shutouts - 110, strikeouts 3508, 100 strikout seasons - 18, and (my favorite) hit batsmen - 206. Walter would win 25 games or more seven times in his career, 15 or more wins 16 times! He lead the majors seven times in strikeouts and the AL 12 times and retired the all-time strikout king. A record he would own for 56 summers.

Walter Johnson went 417-279 with 531 complete games over his career. He retired with a 2.17 ERA, 3509 strikouts, having won a World Championship, three Pitching Triple Crowns, and two AL MVPs in his 20 year career.

His 99 MPH fastball was 7+MPH faster than power pitchers of his era. Ty Cobb once remarked of him, “His fastball looked about the size of a watermelon seed and it hissed at you as it passed.” He went on to say, “Just speed, raw speed, blinding speed, too much speed.”

Answer 7

for an entire career, Walter Johnson. scared and dominated hitters like no others. for a small stretch or one season wonder Sandy Koufax. no pitcher dominated like him for a 3 years stretch. for modern era guys Roger Clemens, i lve Nolan Ryan but Roger has more wins and proved to be a bigger winner. BUt for the course of all time I say Walter Johnson. But dont forget Whitey Ford, he could be the most underrated great pitcher of all time.

Answer 8

I don't think there is 1 greatest. The top of my lists include:

Sandy Koufax
Cy Young
Walter Johnson
Bob Gibson

A good argument can be made for Babe Ruth. Look at his pitching stats.

Answer 9

Bob Gibson - St Louis Cardinals.

What other player caused MLB to change the field just to make it harder on him? quote from HoF:

"One of the best athletes to ever play the game, the ex-Harlem Globetrotter posted a 1.12 ERA in 1968, the lowest figure since 1914, and a factor in convincing baseball officials to lower the pitching mound the next year." - National Baseball Hall of Fame

Answer 10

Babe Ruth-the greatest player of all time, and he was a pitcher, hence the greatest pitcher of all time.

If you just want to compare pitching ability (not offence),
Nolan Ryan-K King