My Top Five Pitchers of All Time
My choices as the top five pitchers of all time, if they could be somehow magically transported to the present day in the prime of their wonderful careers, would create a rotation of hurlers that would not require a lot of run support. The top five pitchers would have little need for a team to carry a deep bullpen, as most of these fellows finished what they started. The top five pitchers would not require a manager to do much more than pencil their names in on the line-up card every fifth day. The top five pitchers, in my opinion and in no particular order, are Walter Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, and Roger Clemens.
I know that I am omitting some of the greatest names in baseball off this list of the top five pitchers of all time, but hard choices had to be made. Rather than tell you why players like Tom Seaver, Christy Mathewson, Nolan Ryan, and Cy Young didn’t make the cut, I will expound on the virtues of those top five pitchers that did. If you look at my selections of the top five pitchers, you will immediately notice that I have one from the early years of the sports in Johnson, three from the Fifties and Sixties, and one from the Eighties and Nineties in Clemens. I have chosen a pair of left handers who could not have been more different in Ford and Koufax, and a trio of power pitching right handers to complete my top five pitchers rotation.
Walter Johnson may statistically be the greatest pitcher who ever threw a baseball, and would easily make most top five pitchers of all time lists. Over a span of twenty one seasons, from 1907 until 1927, he won an astounding 417 games and lost 279, for a winning percentage of .600. He gave up 1001 less hits than innings pitched, which to me is one of the most amazing and overlooked stats in all of baseball, and he struck out over 3500 batters. He did all this with basically one pitch, a fastball, which even Ty Cobb had the utmost respect for. He more than likely would have won dozens more games had he been pitching for any other team of his day but the lowly Washington Senators. His career ERA of 2.12 cements his place as a top five pitcher of all time and this next number should blow you away. In over 5,900 innings, Walter Johnson gave up but 97 home runs. And in 1913, this top five pitcher posted a 36-7 record with 11 shutouts, pitching to a 1.14 ERA! Among my top five pitchers of all time, I personally feel Walter Johnson is the greatest of them all.
There can be little argument with my selection of Johnson as a top five pitcher, and none whatsoever with my choice of Dodger left handed Sandy Koufax. Although severe arthritis cut short his spectacular career, Koufax may have recorded the most dominating stretch of seasons ever put together by one pitcher. It took Sandy six full years to harness his control, but once he did he catapulted to the top of his profession and became one of the top five pitchers ever. From 1961, until he retired at age thirty after the 1966 season, he was 129-47! He threw a wicked fastball and an unhittable curve, combining the two to have a 25-5 year in 1963, a 26-8 campaign in 1965, and a 27-9 season in 1966. Of his 165 career victories, 40 were shutouts, and this top five pitcher struck out a phenomenal 382 hitters in 1965.
Many lists of the top five pitchers of all time would not include Whitey Ford, but I chose him because all he did was win. He was not overpowering, but he had impeccable control and knew hitters’ weaknesses. His winning percentage of .690 is incredible, since it was accomplished over sixteen years! Ford went 236-106 for the New York Yankees from 1950 through 1967, missing two years for military service early in his career. Casey Stengal used to save Ford to pitch against other club’s aces; this strategy cost Ford about 8 or 9 starts a season. When Ralph Houk took over the Yankees in 1961, Ford started a career high 39 times, and he won 25 of them! His 25-4 record that year was unjustly overshadowed by the home run race between his Yankee teammates, Mantle and Maris, but it is one of the greatest seasons any pitcher ever had. Ford earned his place on my top five pitchers of all time roster with his World Series ERA of 2.71 in 22 starts.
There has never been a better big game performer than Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals; that fact and his marvelous 1968 campaign convinced me he was one of the top five pitchers of all time. He won the seventh game of the World Series twice, in 1964 and 1967, and a misplayed fly ball in 1968 probably cost him being able to make this claim a third time. In 1968, Bob Gibson had a season for the ages when he went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA; none of the other top five pitchers of all time, nor any other pitcher for that matter, has ever had a better ERA as a starter. 28 of his 34 starts were complete games that year, and he blanked his opponent 13 times. He was so dominant that major league baseball lowered the pitching mound the next year in an attempt to inject more offense into the game. Bob Gibson, a former Harlem Globetrotter, won 251 games from 1959 through 1975.
The last of my top five pitchers of all time is by no means the least. Roger Clemens has pitched in both the American and National League, with the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yanks, and Astros. As a member of the Red Sox, he struck out a record 20 batters in a game, twice! His record of 351-172 is even more monumental when you realize that he pitched against a designated hitter rather than a pitcher for most of his career and that he was almost always part of a five man rotation, meaning he started fewer games than the others on the top five pitchers register. Clemens is second to Nolan Ryan with over 4500 strike outs and racked up seven Cy Young Awards as his league’s best pitcher. Clemens may add to his impressive totals if he decides to un-retire this season and play for a contender.
The top five pitchers of all time that I have listed here have combined to win over 1,400 contests. Except for Clemens, who will be a first ballot selection, all of these top five pitchers naturally are Hall of Famers. They have all been world champions, even Johnson, who helped the Senators win their only title in 1924. This rotation of the top five pitchers of all time may not jive with yours, but I would gladly take my chances with any one of these guys; anytime, anywhere!
I know that I am omitting some of the greatest names in baseball off this list of the top five pitchers of all time, but hard choices had to be made. Rather than tell you why players like Tom Seaver, Christy Mathewson, Nolan Ryan, and Cy Young didn’t make the cut, I will expound on the virtues of those top five pitchers that did. If you look at my selections of the top five pitchers, you will immediately notice that I have one from the early years of the sports in Johnson, three from the Fifties and Sixties, and one from the Eighties and Nineties in Clemens. I have chosen a pair of left handers who could not have been more different in Ford and Koufax, and a trio of power pitching right handers to complete my top five pitchers rotation.
Walter Johnson may statistically be the greatest pitcher who ever threw a baseball, and would easily make most top five pitchers of all time lists. Over a span of twenty one seasons, from 1907 until 1927, he won an astounding 417 games and lost 279, for a winning percentage of .600. He gave up 1001 less hits than innings pitched, which to me is one of the most amazing and overlooked stats in all of baseball, and he struck out over 3500 batters. He did all this with basically one pitch, a fastball, which even Ty Cobb had the utmost respect for. He more than likely would have won dozens more games had he been pitching for any other team of his day but the lowly Washington Senators. His career ERA of 2.12 cements his place as a top five pitcher of all time and this next number should blow you away. In over 5,900 innings, Walter Johnson gave up but 97 home runs. And in 1913, this top five pitcher posted a 36-7 record with 11 shutouts, pitching to a 1.14 ERA! Among my top five pitchers of all time, I personally feel Walter Johnson is the greatest of them all.
There can be little argument with my selection of Johnson as a top five pitcher, and none whatsoever with my choice of Dodger left handed Sandy Koufax. Although severe arthritis cut short his spectacular career, Koufax may have recorded the most dominating stretch of seasons ever put together by one pitcher. It took Sandy six full years to harness his control, but once he did he catapulted to the top of his profession and became one of the top five pitchers ever. From 1961, until he retired at age thirty after the 1966 season, he was 129-47! He threw a wicked fastball and an unhittable curve, combining the two to have a 25-5 year in 1963, a 26-8 campaign in 1965, and a 27-9 season in 1966. Of his 165 career victories, 40 were shutouts, and this top five pitcher struck out a phenomenal 382 hitters in 1965.
Many lists of the top five pitchers of all time would not include Whitey Ford, but I chose him because all he did was win. He was not overpowering, but he had impeccable control and knew hitters’ weaknesses. His winning percentage of .690 is incredible, since it was accomplished over sixteen years! Ford went 236-106 for the New York Yankees from 1950 through 1967, missing two years for military service early in his career. Casey Stengal used to save Ford to pitch against other club’s aces; this strategy cost Ford about 8 or 9 starts a season. When Ralph Houk took over the Yankees in 1961, Ford started a career high 39 times, and he won 25 of them! His 25-4 record that year was unjustly overshadowed by the home run race between his Yankee teammates, Mantle and Maris, but it is one of the greatest seasons any pitcher ever had. Ford earned his place on my top five pitchers of all time roster with his World Series ERA of 2.71 in 22 starts.
There has never been a better big game performer than Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals; that fact and his marvelous 1968 campaign convinced me he was one of the top five pitchers of all time. He won the seventh game of the World Series twice, in 1964 and 1967, and a misplayed fly ball in 1968 probably cost him being able to make this claim a third time. In 1968, Bob Gibson had a season for the ages when he went 22-9 with a 1.12 ERA; none of the other top five pitchers of all time, nor any other pitcher for that matter, has ever had a better ERA as a starter. 28 of his 34 starts were complete games that year, and he blanked his opponent 13 times. He was so dominant that major league baseball lowered the pitching mound the next year in an attempt to inject more offense into the game. Bob Gibson, a former Harlem Globetrotter, won 251 games from 1959 through 1975.
The last of my top five pitchers of all time is by no means the least. Roger Clemens has pitched in both the American and National League, with the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yanks, and Astros. As a member of the Red Sox, he struck out a record 20 batters in a game, twice! His record of 351-172 is even more monumental when you realize that he pitched against a designated hitter rather than a pitcher for most of his career and that he was almost always part of a five man rotation, meaning he started fewer games than the others on the top five pitchers register. Clemens is second to Nolan Ryan with over 4500 strike outs and racked up seven Cy Young Awards as his league’s best pitcher. Clemens may add to his impressive totals if he decides to un-retire this season and play for a contender.
The top five pitchers of all time that I have listed here have combined to win over 1,400 contests. Except for Clemens, who will be a first ballot selection, all of these top five pitchers naturally are Hall of Famers. They have all been world champions, even Johnson, who helped the Senators win their only title in 1924. This rotation of the top five pitchers of all time may not jive with yours, but I would gladly take my chances with any one of these guys; anytime, anywhere!
