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One of the greatest pitching seasons by a starter of this generation?

megatronmegatron Posts: 955
in Sports Talk
I know that Roger Clemens has essentially had the "greatest pitcher of our generation" moniker monopolized due mostly to his wonerful pitching career and somewhat due to media hype and the markets he played in.

However, while browsing through www.baseball-reference.com, I came across Greg Maddux's 1995 Cy Young season. Just look at this season:

W - 19
L - 2
Starts - 28
CG - 10 (35.71% of starts!!)
SHO - 3
ER - 38
BB - 23
ERA - 1.63
LG ERA - 4.23
WHIP - .811

Can anyone else come up with a starting pitcher from this generation that has posted as great a season?

Just interested to know.

OK, I'll start.

Maybe Pedro Martinez in 1999. That was a great season.

Thanks
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Comments

  • ConnecticoinConnecticoin Posts: 12,863 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Maddux kicked butt that year, and for many years in the 90s was the best pitcher in the NL -- regrettably, his achilles heel was post-season.

    He did not have an overpowering fastball either -- he certainly was the best location pitcher in the 90's. No one could paint the corners like he could in his prime.
    *For Sale on BST* *For Sale on Ebay*
  • kuhlmannkuhlmann Posts: 3,326 ✭✭
    dwight gooden in 1985

    24 wins
    4 loss
    1.53 era
    268 k's
    16 cg's
    8 shut outs
    69 walks
    3.45 LG ERA
    whip .965
    276 IP

    by far i think that is one of the best ever!
  • 1420sports1420sports Posts: 3,473 ✭✭✭
    Personally, I think that Steve Carlton's 1972 season is the best pitching season ever.

    27-10 (the team won 59 games)
    30 complete games
    346 innings
    1.97 ERA and .993 WHIP
    310 K's

    collecting various PSA and SGC cards
  • onlyanumberonlyanumber Posts: 2,433
    Carlton in '72 was amazing. Gooden's '85 was great too.

    If you take away the first half of the season and just focus on his post trade season, Rick Sutcliffe in 1984 was as close to perfect as we've seen in a long time.

    20 starts

    16-1 record

    7 CG
    3 Shutouts

    150.3 IP
    45 ER

    155 K
    39 BB

    2.69 ERA

    Next MONTH? So he's saying that if he wins, the best-case scenario is that he'll be paying for it two weeks after the auction ends?

    Forget blocking him; find out where he lives and go punch him in the nuts. --WalterSobchak 9/12/12



    image


    Looking for Al Hrabosky and any OPC Dave Campbells (the ESPN guy)
  • bri2327bri2327 Posts: 3,178 ✭✭
    All good choices. Cant go wrong with Carlton, Maddux, Pedro, or Goodens best years. How bout Guidry in 1978....

    25-3
    16 complete games
    9 shutouts
    248 k's
    1.74 E.R.A.


    Another great season has to be Fernando Valenzuela's rookie season of 1981. In a strike shortened year he went 13-7 with 11 complete games and 8 shutouts, including a shutout in 5 of his first 7 major league starts
    "The other teams could make trouble for us if they win."
    -- Yogi Berra

    image
  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
    I'd have to go with Doc Gooden's season. Unreal, compounded with his young age tells me this is the finest pitching season in recent memory.
  • stownstown Posts: 11,321 ✭✭✭


    << <i>He did not have an overpowering fastball either -- he certainly was the best location pitcher in the 90's. No one could paint the corners like he could in his prime. >>



    Unfortunately, he got more credit than he truely deserved on the outside. 9 out of 10 times, the ump would give him a strike that was actually a ball.
    So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
  • tkd7tkd7 Posts: 1,799 ✭✭
    A season that gets forgotten is John Tudor's '85 season. It was overshadowed by Gooden's season, but the Cards did beat out the Mets that year and Tudor was a big part.

    21-8, 1.93 ERA, 10 ShO, 14 CG, 0.934 WHIP

    Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP IBB BK ERA WHIP
    1985 31 STL NL 21 8 36 36 14 10 0 0 275.0 209 68 59 14 49 169 5 4 1062 4 0 1.93 0.938

    I don't consider any season prior to 1980 as part of this generation, so I'm excluding seasons like Carlton, Gibson, Guidry, et. al.

  • ConnecticoinConnecticoin Posts: 12,863 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>He did not have an overpowering fastball either -- he certainly was the best location pitcher in the 90's. No one could paint the corners like he could in his prime. >>



    Unfortunately, he got more credit than he truely deserved on the outside. 9 out of 10 times, the ump would give him a strike that was actually a ball. >>



    LOL . . . . . Mets fan, or pre-realignment Dodgers fan?
    *For Sale on BST* *For Sale on Ebay*
  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>He did not have an overpowering fastball either -- he certainly was the best location pitcher in the 90's. No one could paint the corners like he could in his prime. >>



    Unfortunately, he got more credit than he truely deserved on the outside. 9 out of 10 times, the ump would give him a strike that was actually a ball. >>



    90% of the time? Come on now...are you sure you aren't exaggerating? Even if it was half, that's what dominant players get, the benefit of the doubt...Jordan getting away with slight push offs, Rice being able to push off defenders, etc. etc.

  • sagardsagard Posts: 1,899 ✭✭✭
    I'm no Dodgers fan, but what Hershiser did in the closing of the '88 season was amazing.

    Closes the season with 59 scoreless innings.

    Starts Game1 vs. a 100 win overwhelming Mets team. Takes shutout into the ninth. Reliever blows it in the ninth.
    Starts Game3. Dodgers take him out and blow the game in the 8th.
    Gets last out of Game 4 in the 12th.
    Bagels the Mets in Game 7.

    Bagels the A's in Game 2.
    Slams door in Game 5 to close out the series.

    Gibson's homer gets the most highlights, but Hershiser was the hero.
  • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭
    Clemens was 20 and 1 for the Yanks before dropping to 20 and 3.
    he also had that 24 and 4 or something year with the Sox

    Randy Johnson had a maddux type18and 2 year as well if I am correct. between 95 and 97 he was like 50 and 6 or some crazy number


    As mentioned Gooden's 85 season was outstanding too.


    Steve

    Good for you.
  • DirtyHarryDirtyHarry Posts: 1,917 ✭✭✭
    Assuming "recent" may mean 1990 to present, Maddux is the man. Sure, you want Clemens or Johnson too, but Maddux is the guy I would want to be the #1. Regards.
    Proud of my 16x20 autographed and framed collection - all signed in person. Not big on modern - I'm stuck in the past!
  • ArnyVeeArnyVee Posts: 4,245 ✭✭
    You could probably put up any of Koufax's final four seasons up against anyone. I know it was a different 'era', but just too much to ignore.

    Year Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO IP H R ER HR BB SO ERA
    1963 LAD NL 25 5 40 40 20 11 311.0 214 68 65 18 58 306 1.88
    1964 LAD NL 19 5 29 28 15 7 223.0 154 49 43 13 53 223 1.74
    1965 LAD NL 26 8 43 41 27 8 335.7 216 90 76 26 71 382 2.04
    1966 LAD NL 27 9 41 41 27 5 323.0 241 74 62 19 77 317 1.73

    Unheard of type of numbers. Along with winning the CY Young (3 times) & MVP (1 time) awards during this stretch, just unreal.
    * '72 BASEBALL #15 100%
    * C. PASCUAL BASIC #3
    * T. PEREZ BASIC #4 100%
    * L. TIANT BASIC #1
    * DRYSDALE BASIC #4 100%
    * MAGIC MASTER #4/BASIC #3
    * PALMEIRO MASTER/BASIC #1
    * '65 DISNEYLAND #2
    * '78 ELVIS PRESLEY #6
    * '78 THREE'S COMPANY #1

    image

    WaltDisneyBoards
  • DirtyHarryDirtyHarry Posts: 1,917 ✭✭✭
    Army - I am a long time supporter of Koufax, but you are missing the point. CURRENT GENERATION. A also support Guidry, and think he rivals Koufax's numbers. I would rather have Guidry. But this post is not about that. Hahaaha
    Proud of my 16x20 autographed and framed collection - all signed in person. Not big on modern - I'm stuck in the past!
  • ArnyVeeArnyVee Posts: 4,245 ✭✭
    Tough to beat Dr K in '85....that curveball was nastiness personified. Also, Fernando-Mania in '81 with that screwgie was tough to beat for me as a Dodger fan.
    * '72 BASEBALL #15 100%
    * C. PASCUAL BASIC #3
    * T. PEREZ BASIC #4 100%
    * L. TIANT BASIC #1
    * DRYSDALE BASIC #4 100%
    * MAGIC MASTER #4/BASIC #3
    * PALMEIRO MASTER/BASIC #1
    * '65 DISNEYLAND #2
    * '78 ELVIS PRESLEY #6
    * '78 THREE'S COMPANY #1

    image

    WaltDisneyBoards
  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭
    Most of the pitcher mentioned had great bats behind them. When Schilling pitched for the Phils he was amazing but lost plenty of
    1-0 and 2-1 games. If you want to bring up run support, check out what Clemens did last year (or was it the year before?)

    anyone have any stats that take into consideration run support?

    JS
  • CardCoreCollectorCardCoreCollector Posts: 462
    Most of the pitchers mentioned had miniscule E.R.A's though.

    It's really irrelevant how much run support a pitcher gets when his E.R.A is 1.45 for the year

    Dave

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