Strikeout leaders, saw this yesterday on MLB network..
olb31
Posts: 3,352 ✭✭✭✭✭
10 K's or more in a game
Nolan 215
Randy 212
Roger 110
Max 109
Pedro 108
Work hard and you will succeed!!
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Comments
Cool stat, thanks!
RJ is under valued!
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Totally agree...by almost every metric he is arguably the greatest left-hander in history...I just picked up his Topps Tiffany RC in PSA 10 and wont hesitate to buy more of them.
For me, it has to either be Unit or Lefty Grove for greatest lefty of all time. hard to beat Groves 9 era titles though.
I saw how close Max is to passing roger for 10 k games the other day. he snuck right up there.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I'm pretty sure this guy might have something to say about that...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Spahn
My late grandpa (it's now been ten years since his passing now that I think about it...) just loved the saying "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain!"
And apparently there's now a Warren Spahn Award for the best lefty in all of MLB? That along with him having the most career wins among left-handers is pretty much check and mate. Call me back when they start calling it the Randy Johnson Award.
D's: 54S,53P,50P,49S,45D+S,44S,43D,41S,40D+S,39D+S,38D+S,37D+S,36S,35D+S,all 16-34's
Q's: 52S,47S,46S,40S,39S,38S,37D+S,36D+S,35D,34D,32D+S
74T: 37,38,47,151,193,241,435,570,610,654,655 97 Finest silver: 115,135,139,145,310
73T:31,55,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,80,152,165,189,213,235,237,257,341,344,377,379,390,422,433,453,480,497,545,554,563,580,606,613,630
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Its a different game. Spahn was 6'0" and weighted 175 lbs and probably topped out at @ 88 MPH. Incredible pitcher in his era, no doubt. Obviously in the conversation for best LHP ever, but I'll take the Unit. We can agree to disagree...
Carlton, Johnson, Glavine, Grove, Spahn, plank - only 300 game winners as lefties. TOmmy John is next, he will get in the HOF soon.
This is really incredible that there are so few.
Glad to see Spahn get brought up. Strikeouts are flashy, but look at this guy's great numbers for an extended period.
Nineteen straight years of appearing in at least 33 games! Most of those years (14) he appeared in at least 38. Twelve seasons with 20 or more complete games! He completed 18 out of 32 starts for his entire career. 665 starts and he completed 382!
17 consecutive years pitching at least 245 innings.
Could have won 7-10 Cy Young awards, (should have had at least 4), if there had been the award before 1956, and had voters looked a little differently at the numbers. Looks like he was the best (or equal to the best) pitcher in 1947, (NL Pitching Title), 1951, 1953, (NL Pitching Title), 1956, 1957 (his only win), 1958 (should have won), 1959 (was certainly better than the winner) 1960, (probably was the second best pitcher) 1961, and 1962 (just as good as the winner).
15 straight years as one of the top pitchers in baseball. He also missed 3 years while in the Military during the Second World War.
I would rank Spahn right there with Grove and Johnson. Was he the best Lefty? He certainly pitched well for the longest period of time and was never hurt.
Let's not forget about Steve Carlton! He's right there as well, and he struck out a LOT of batters!
Are all you guys nuts????? Or just a bunch of PSA 6's which we all love........ KOUFAX ..... KOUFAX...... KOUFAX !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
chaz
Four years with more than 250 innings pitched. He was really good those four years!
Hey, I consider myself a PSA 5! Not a 6
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PSA 5 ????? HUH???
chaz
Saw that stat as well and was also impressed with how far ahead RJ was from Clemens or Max. Have my Marlboro scoreboard and might want more if the look and price is right. I only started watching in 1980 so hard to feel too strongly about what I didn't witness. Steve Carlton finishing playoff games that year left an impression. I recently chose to fill out a survey for MLB.com and when they asked what I like least about the game I said it was starting pitchers not going deep or finishing games. I do love the memory of SPs being on the mound to clinch the win in an important game. Just doesn't seem as cool to have 2 or 3 guys come in afterward. Just like it wouldn't be cool if Chad Henne had been the guy taking a knee and celebrating the Super Bowl wins on the field with the team instead of Tom Brady. The #s probably say this approach means less runs allowed in many cases. But its just less fun. Just like guys in the field checking a piece of paper in their hat to tell them where to stand. I feel like a little magic has been sucked out of the game. I also feel like some assumptions have been made that guys cant carry the workload of their predecessors. Just seems like they woke up one day and decided it was true without real evidence. Guys get hurt if they throw a lot of innings and guys get hurt when they throw very few innings. Guys just get hurt. Some dont. Some are built to be the workhorses that were enjoyable to watch in years past. But the way the game is played now with fewer innings per start dont think someone is approaching Nolan or RJ for a while, if ever. Max maybe could have but too many times where they said 102 pitches, you're done makes it hard.
Talking about the best LH ever, I feel like RH or LH if I needed one guy to pitch one important game I probably pick RJ. In that stretch of time when he helped Arizona win a World Series. Some years before and after that he seemed about as dominant as anyone I have ever watched.
I've been watching since 1974. Best three for me is ryan, johnson and clemens. all 3 also pitched for a long time. Maddux, carlton and seaver are next on my list. i saw pedro pitch in person several times, but he didnt have the longevity the others did.
Carlton is underrated.
Johnson a beast.
Koufax was special, sadly only in a short term spurt.
That's my order, but I'm not an expert.
No....if I needed a BIG Win......KOUFAX....KOUFAX.....KOUFAX....enough said.
chaz
The great Willie Stargell once said "trying to hit Koufax was like drinking coffee with a fork" .......are you kidding me?????
chaz
Koufax had an incredible 4 year run, and I guess if you are looking for a one game scenario, he's a great choice.
Basing your GOAT one that scenario seems foolish to me.
Tracy Mcgrady and Shawn Kemp had several unbelievable years in the NBA. But no one has them in their top 50 players of all-time. Great players, just not all-time dudes.
Who was more dominating than Koufax?? Yogi Berra once said about Koufax.... " I can understand him winning 27 games but I can't understand how he lost five? ..........
chaz
Are you a newbie....comparing Kemp & McGrady to Koufax?????
chaz
Lots of guys if the game is played somewhere besides Chavez Ravine in the early 1960s with an elevated mound and gigantic strike zone.
Koufax was certainly dominating for a very short period of time, no argument there.
He destroyed my Minnesota Twins in game 7 of the 1965 WS using only his fastball. Minnesota had a very good hitting team that year. He also shut us out in game 5, just 2 days earlier.
If I am looking for an "All Time Great" player at any position, he has to have more than 4-5 great seasons. In case you didn't notice, he was not very good the other 6 seasons.
In your one game scenario, he would be a fine choice. I think Randy Johnson might be a bit better, but either guy when they were on their game was pretty much unbeatable.
Well, it happened again. We have a discussion of the best lefty of all time and who gets left out? Just a Hall of Fame southpaw with plenty of rings, earned as an ace of the staff with a WS MVP, a Cy Young and a lower career ERA than any player mentioned.
I watch a lot of baseball so I’m pretty sure that if you give up fewer runs than the other team, you win.
Where’s the love for…
… The Chairman of the Board ??
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Could be Whitey ain't gettin no love because he finished with about 3,000 less strikeouts then Randy Johnson. This thread was originally about K's.
How much did it sale for is one of the funniest and most ignorant things I've ever heard.
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Ford was superb. With only 13 full seasons and 438 starts, he didn't play nearly as long as Spahn, Carlton, or Johnson.
He comes closer to Grove in longevity, but Grove looks a LOT better with his 9 ERA titles and his 7 times leading the league in strikeouts.
Stengel kind of screwed Whitey as well, starting him only 30 times a year early in his career. I would rank Whitey above Koufax, quite possibly at #5 all time.
For two posts. Then best lefty for just about every post after.
Try to keep up a little better.
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That's why I said originally 😉
How much did it sale for is one of the funniest and most ignorant things I've ever heard.
Whitey was the original Mr. October, for pitchers.
Half of Randy Johnson's career is comparable to the guys brought up in this thread. He should be in the hall of fame twice.
Randy was awesome.
And in the modern area. I like Lefty and Whitey, they are classics but I think the league was around 16 teams back then until 1960.
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The same way Harvey Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings but lost in the 13th 1-0.
D's: 54S,53P,50P,49S,45D+S,44S,43D,41S,40D+S,39D+S,38D+S,37D+S,36S,35D+S,all 16-34's
Q's: 52S,47S,46S,40S,39S,38S,37D+S,36D+S,35D,34D,32D+S
74T: 37,38,47,151,193,241,435,570,610,654,655 97 Finest silver: 115,135,139,145,310
73T:31,55,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,80,152,165,189,213,235,237,257,341,344,377,379,390,422,433,453,480,497,545,554,563,580,606,613,630
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Best...Randy...Johnson...moment...ever...
I could've sworn one of the commentators said he looks like a tank driver with the backwards helmet but I guess that must've been the Mandela effect or something...
Now if I can just find that Mr. Snappy (his best pitch; hee hee) commercial...
D's: 54S,53P,50P,49S,45D+S,44S,43D,41S,40D+S,39D+S,38D+S,37D+S,36S,35D+S,all 16-34's
Q's: 52S,47S,46S,40S,39S,38S,37D+S,36D+S,35D,34D,32D+S
74T: 37,38,47,151,193,241,435,570,610,654,655 97 Finest silver: 115,135,139,145,310
73T:31,55,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,80,152,165,189,213,235,237,257,341,344,377,379,390,422,433,453,480,497,545,554,563,580,606,613,630
95 Ultra GM Sets: Golden Prospects,HR Kings,On-Base Leaders,Power Plus,RBI Kings,Rising Stars
for the short term? pedro was. his 99-00 were probably the 2 best seasons ever for a starter.
Unit was more dominating.
Clemens top 4 seasons were more dominant than Sandys top 4. and he has a much longer career. I place clemens as my number one pitcher of all time
a big thing you need to figure in is the dodger stadium advantage. take a look at sandys splits.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
No sir, The Big Train will always be the #1 pitcher of all time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Johnson
PS: He passed away at only 59? That's sad
D's: 54S,53P,50P,49S,45D+S,44S,43D,41S,40D+S,39D+S,38D+S,37D+S,36S,35D+S,all 16-34's
Q's: 52S,47S,46S,40S,39S,38S,37D+S,36D+S,35D,34D,32D+S
74T: 37,38,47,151,193,241,435,570,610,654,655 97 Finest silver: 115,135,139,145,310
73T:31,55,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,80,152,165,189,213,235,237,257,341,344,377,379,390,422,433,453,480,497,545,554,563,580,606,613,630
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I would disagree. walter johnson cannot be ranked number 1 as he was a pre integration player. unfortunate, but he only played against white players. in addition, the dead ball era was so different from modern game that they are really not very comparable. look at johnsons stats pre 1920 and post 1920. a different pitcher and still only 31 years old. the live ball changed his efficiency big time.
it has to be Clemens
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
In addition in the old days they had larger fields and in some cases really high walls. It seems like most of the new stadiums are built smaller which is much tougher on the Pitchers.
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https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/roger-clemens-career-postseason-stats
I remember at times Clemens could look really pedestrian or not even good in the playoffs. His career #s aren't terrible in the playoffs. Just not very wow. Regular season agree that its hard to find anyone better over a lengthy career. But I have to dock Roger a little for that. I still appreciate his accomplishments in a huge way and would love to have stacks of his best cards. But if we go the angle of if you could pick any guy for just one game, probably not him cause that is to me what the playoffs are. Who do you want on the mound for Game 7? I give the nod to RJ because I remember when it mattered he could get in a zone. Was kind of always in a zone. So maybe stay in a zone. Beckett and Smoltz were guys where I felt that way about them too. Big game deliverers. Not necessarily the first guy I'd pick to start a team but in a deciding game, all day. And again, just commenting about guys I watched 1980 or later. Gooden in 85 was the most I enjoyed ever watching a pitcher.
My God ....My God....clueless
chaz
Koufax....always Koufax!
chaz
PSA 4
chaz
Give me a break already? Will you guys?
chaz
Nah.
chaz
I appreciate the detailed rebuttal.
Sandy at Candlestick - 3.58 ERA
Sandy at Busch Stadium 1 - 3.98 ERA
Sandy at Crosley - 4.13 ERA
Sandy at County Stadium - 3.59 ERA
In his career, Sandy had an ERA under 3.00 in 8 ballparks where he started at least 5 times. One of those was Dodger Stadium. 3 of them were expansion teams. He had an ERA over 3.00 in 6 ballparks.
In other words, he was pretty normal outside of Dodger Stadium.
Put another way, if Sandy was so awesome, why didn't he dominate at LA Coliseum?
man, you are lazy. Dodger stadium made Koufax the legend he became. just check out the splits. he is a different pitcher home/away. I am not doing the work for you. Clemens had a better peak and better longevity.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
clemens got progressively better each round of the playoffs. when he got to the world series, he was a beast. a true ace.
8 starts, 2.37 era, whip under 1 and he never lost a WS start. some poor divisional series starts brought down his overall playoffs stats. when it came to the biggest games, he was a horse.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
If we are off the Left handers and bringing up GOAT candidates, Tom Seaver has to be in the mix. Should have won the Cy Young in both 1970 and 1971, was better than Carlton in 77.
seaver was fantastic. a wonderful pitcher. top 5 for me. he was also great in the strike shortened 81 season
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Seaver is a guy whose greatness I didn't appreciate until will after he retired. His best years were before I was born or when I was very young. Several years ago, I took another look at his career and was very impressed. He was incredibly good for a really, really long time. Easily one of the best ever.