Which 2 pitchers would you pay the most to see in their prime?
Question:1. Nolan Ryan
2. Roger Clemens
3. Satchel Paige
4. Pedro Martinez
5. Sandy Koufax
6. Randy Johnson
7. Greg Maddux
8. Bob Gibson
9. Walter Johnson
10. Christie Mathewson
Answers:
Should the Brewers head back to the A.L.?
Satchel Paige and Bob GibsonSatchel Paige and Walter Johnson.
Is there a reason you didn't list Cy Young?
**Edit
In response to why you left out Cy Young, I think you might need to take a second look. What do you call 23 seasons with a 2.63 career ERA? I think too many people think that b/c he has the record for most losses, he wasn't actually all that good, just had longevity. If that was true, for one thing, other people would have done comparable. For another, he wouldn't have a .618 winning percentage. I won't compare with Satch for obvious reasons in statistical uncertainty, but 4 of those guys don't have 300 wins (The Big Unit has a shot), and 3 have worse winning percentages, with a 4th, Maddux, being .002 higher. Only Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson have better ERAs. He was never a big strikeout guy, no, but neither is Maddux really. He did however retire number 1 in strikeouts. Notice of the other guys that are even close to being contemporaries, only Walther Johnson is in the top 15 K's of all time (and he might be the greatest pitcher ever), whereas 5 of the top 15 guys are active today, meaning the game has changed. It's a testament to him, not a detriment, that he did so well as basically a ground ball pitcher (his "drop ball" was amazing), compared to these other guys who specialized in blowing you away. You just don't get 511 wins on luck alone, especially when you aren't a strikout artist, and especially not if you have a 2.63 ERA.
*** To the guys below who say Ryan is overrated, can you explain the 3.19 career ERA (better than Randy Johnson on that particular list), or the fact that his record for strikeouts is basically untouchable now? Or his 324 wins, DESPITE only 2 seasons with 20 wins (21 and 22 back to back)? Or 222 complete games? He might not be the best ever, but surely he isn't the most overrated? How about Sandy Koufax? Sure, he was great, but his career is so short.
In my personal opinion, Walter Johnson is probably the greatest pitcher ever. To compile those statistics despite playing on such horrible teams (he lost 27 games by 1-0, 38 more losses where his team was shut out) is almost unimaginable. Just because Ryan didn't do just as well while also playing on horrible teams doesn't mean he is overrated.
From that list, I'd probably go with Koufax and Matty.
I think Koufax had arguably the greatest peak years of any pitcher during the 20th century, and he was a pleasure to watch. I chose Matty as my second because he was obviously a great pitcher, and I never had the pleasure of watching him pitch.
That said, I have to admit that a Nolan Ryan-Randy Johnson pitching matchup with both in their primes would be pretty cool.
i love chritstie mathewson and all of them older guys buy if i was going to pick some1 it would have to be roger clemens and Nolan ryan. because those old guys like mathewson were great but the use to play with dirty baseballs and they were harder to hit and baseball teams back then didnt scout colleges they just had a plain and simple try out.
If the Mariners games with Cleveland are snowed out...?
Catfish HunterFavorite Red Sox past or present?
Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax...I would have taken Cy Young, but he wasn't on the list...
Who is the greatest closer of all time?
Number 1 vs. Number 5. The all-time strikeout king against the man who might have been.Why isn't Steve Carlton on the list?
Do u think that a-rod will b able 2 hit a homerun of dice-k?
definatley nolan ryan and clemens.seen em both, like nothing youve ever seenIs it BS that a batter isn't credited with an RBI if a run scores from a double play?
Nolan Ryan and Babe Ruth. He was a pretty good pitcher before his immortal home run records.As the season began who do you think will do best..?
peety and gibCan someone give me a biography on Tim Wakefield?
Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson. By the way, Nolan Ryan is one of most overrated pitchers of all time. A .500 pitcher who strikes a lot of guys out.Do people forget how good Griffey Jr was because he played in Seattle?
Bob Gibson and Roger Clemens. Clemens is crazy amazing, even if he is a damn Yankee now! even after 77 years! Bob Gibson was a great pitcher, deserved more than 2 Cy Youngs. Such a serious man and treated baseball as a job.Who are the biggest rivals currently for the Chicago cubs?
Since i've seen most of the guys on your list pitch I'm going with Walter Johnson and Satchel PaigeWinger is right Nolan Ryan is the most over rated pitcher ever and any list of great pitchers that doesn't have Tom Seaver's name on it is simply a bad list.
Who is a better player, Vladimir Guerrero, Ken Griffey Jr, or Pete Rose?
Koufax and GibsonAs for Cy Young not being dominant, what are you talking about? Because he's not in the top 15 of strikeouts? When he retired, he was number one. And he won 511 games with a .619% winning percentage. If you notice, the only one of his semi-contemporaries on the strikeout list is Walter Johnson. The strikeout has become much more common recently. If you look at the list, five of the fifteen are active today, and most retired withing the past twenty years. That doesn't mean that early pitchers weren't good because they didn't pile up the strikeouts, just that the game has changed.
Why dont the red sox have Promotions?
Nolan Ryan and Sandy KoufaxWhere can I go online and look up the price of several old baseball cards that I have?
none. Johan Santana, and Joe NathanBarry Bonds...to celebrate or not!?
Idk but Clemens's prime was around 1986 or sorandy jonson and walter johnson
How great would it be if we could go just one day...?
Babe Ruth was an amazing pitcher in his early years and I would want to see Phil Niekro in his prime because his Knukleball really danced around and made hitter look silly.More Questions & Answers...