The Greatest Pitcher EVER – 1 Season!
Yesterday, it was said that Sandy Koufax was the greatest pitcher ever…. and I agree with that IF YOU JUST LOOK AT HIS LAST 5 SEASONS! However, in his first 7 seasons, he was really bad, then bad, then pretty good. Then, in his last 5 seasons, he became GREAT! However, what if…
Yesterday, it was said that Sandy Koufax was the greatest pitcher ever…. and I agree with that IF YOU JUST LOOK AT HIS LAST 5 SEASONS! However, in his first 7 seasons, he was really bad, then bad, then pretty good. Then, in his last 5 seasons, he became GREAT! However, what if we narrowed it down to the GREATEST SEASON EVER by a starting pitcher? As great as Koufax was, he is only #5 on the All-Time Best Season List, and Clayton Kershaw is #9. Here’s the AI-generated list (at least I admit to using it):
Top 10 Pitching Seasons (Modern Era)
1. Bob Gibson — 1968
- 1.12 ERA, 304.2 IP, 13 SHO, 258 ERA+
- So overpowering MLB literally changed the rules after the season.
The benchmark. The monolith.
2. Pedro Martínez — 2000
- 1.74 ERA, 291 ERA+, peak steroid era, AL East
- Arguably, the hardest environment any pitcher has ever dominated.
The modern apex predator.
3. Greg Maddux — 1995
- 1.63 ERA, 260 ERA+, 209 IP in a normalized offensive era
- Precision so sharp it bent reality.
Pitching as architecture.
4. Dwight Gooden — 1985
- 1.53 ERA, 276 K, 229 ERA+, age 20
- Velocity + command + fearlessness.
A comet that hit the strike zone.
5. Sandy Koufax — 1965
- 2.04 ERA, 382 IP, 317 K, Cy + MVP
- Pain, power, perfection.
The left arm of destiny or God.
6. Roger Clemens — 1997
- 2.05 ERA, 292 K, 226 ERA+, Cy Young
- Peak power pitching before the storm fully broke.
Controlled violence on the mound.
7. Randy Johnson — 2002
- 2.32 ERA, 334 K, 225 ERA+
- A skyscraper throwing sliders from the clouds.
Unhittable geometry.
8. Lefty Grove — 1931
- 2.06 ERA, 31 wins, 217 ERA+
- Transition-era dominance with brutal workloads.
Old-school thunder.
9. Clayton Kershaw — 2014
- 1.77 ERA, 239 ERA+, MVP + Cy
- Peak modern efficiency in a high-offense league.
Elegance with teeth.
10. Zack Greinke — 2009
- 2.16 ERA, 229 ERA+, Cy Young
- Outsized dominance on a bad team.
A virtuoso solo recital.
A few notes that matter
- Workload penalty applied: Strike-shortened seasons (Maddux ’94) downgraded slightly.
- Context boost: Steroid era, DH leagues, and offensive environments weighed heavily.
- Postseason impact matters, but this list is primarily about regular-season supremacy.
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Discussion (35)
Disagree, not disagreeable
This is why I love AI. I went back and asked this: “Steve Carlton in 1972: 27 wins, 30 complete games, 8 shutouts, an ERA of 1.97. Why was he not on the list? It seems he was better than Greinke.” AI’s response: You’re absolutely right to call that out. This isn’t nitpicking, it’s a legitimate correction. ⚾ Steve Carlton — 1972 deserved to be on the list, and yes, it clears Zack Greinke 2009 without much strain. Let’s unpack why Carlton ’72 belongs and why Greinke was the soft spot. The headline numbers (already mythic) 27–10 record 30 complete games (out of 41 starts!) 8 shutouts 1.97 ERA ERA+: 182 WAR: ~12.1 Now add the context that turns this from great to historic. The context hammer Team record: 59–97 Phillies Carlton’s wins: 27 Team wins without him: 32 That means Carlton personally accounted for ~46% of his team’s wins, which is borderline surreal. No modern pitcher comes close to that share. He wasn’t just dominant, he was structural support. Remove Carlton and that team collapses into dust. Why he sometimes gets undervalued historically This is the key reason he gets bumped in casual top-10 lists: Lower ERA+ than Gibson/Pedro True, but ERA+ compresses value in already-low-offense environments. 1972 was pitcher-friendly, but not absurdly so League ERA was ~3.26, meaning Carlton wasn’t riding a 1968-style dead-ball wave. Narrative bias No rule changes followed. No iconic postseason run. Just relentless excellence on a bad team. But WAR, workload, and win-share all scream inner-circle season. Head-to-head: Carlton ’72 vs Greinke ’09 Category Carlton 1972 Greinke 2009 ERA 1.97 2.16 ERA+ 182 229 Innings 346.1 229.1 Complete Games 30 0 Shutouts 8 2 WAR ~12.1 ~10.4 Team Quality Terrible Below average Greinke was brilliant. Carlton was a one-man pitching staff. Revised Top 10 (correction applied) Out: Greinke 2009 In: Steve Carlton 1972 Updated #6–10 range Clemens 1997 Randy Johnson 2002 Steve Carlton 1972 Clayton Kershaw 2014 Lefty Grove 1931 That ordering is debatable, but Carlton’s inclusion is not. Bottom line You were right. Carlton ’72 wasn’t a “nice mention” season. It was a load-bearing pillar in pitching history, and it absolutely belongs ahead of Greinke. Good Call, Duke!
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitchers River Ryan and Gavin Stone aren’t expected to make L.A.’s Opening Day rotation, per The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. “They are expecting Gavin Stone and River Ryan back from injury,” Ardaya wrote. “Stone led the team in innings during their 2024 title season. Ryan, according to The Athletic’s Keith Law, could be the top pitching prospect in baseball if he were completely healthy. Neither is projected to start the season in the rotation, not just because of workload but because the Dodgers still have six starters they like ahead of them right now.”
And that’s after Mookie’s worst offensive season ever…
That sounds right. And I expect that, assuming they have solid springs, River Ryan and Gavin Stone may get some early opportunities as they compete with Sheehan and Sasaki for spots in the rotation.
Awesome lineup, especially if Mookie’s offense bounces back. I expect it will. The L/R rhythm that Roberts likes is a bit off, but I don’t think that matters: Tucker treats lefties and righties pretty much the same. With fingers crossed, I’m expecting continued growth from Pages on both offense and defense. He showed all-star potential last season before his late-season slump. While some teammates will likely show age-related regression, Pages still has that “up” arrow. We’ll see. Edman’s ankle may delay his return, which I hope will provide Kim with a full-time opportunity for several weeks. His presence makes the team younger. I’d have him batting ninth ahead of Shohei. If he succeeds, fantastic. If he struggles, no worries–Edman, Ibanez and Rojas can step in.
I could see Ohtani and possibly Yamamoto slow walked given they will both be pitching in the WBC.
With all due respect to Zack Greinke, that Top Ten Pitching Seasons overlooked a big one…. Steve Carlton in 1972: 27 wins, 30 complete games, 8 shutouts, an ERA of 1.97 He did this for a last-place Phillies team that only won 59 games. Yes, he had nearly half of the Phils’ total wins. On a good team, he might have won 30.
SP1–Yamamoto SP2–Ohtani SP3–Glasnow SP4–Sheehan SP5–Wrobleski SP6–Sasaki [Assuming Snell starts late]
DH–Ohtani RF–Tucker SS–Betts 1B–Freeman C–Smith 3B–Muncy LF–Teo 2B–Edman CF–Pages
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