Top 9 pitching seasons ever on MLB network

great new channel, by the way.

9. Steve Carlton 72
8. Ron Guidry 78
7. Christy Mathewson 08
6. Sandy Koufax 65
5. Greg Maddux 95
4. Dwight Gooden 85
3. Bob Gibson 68
2. Walter Johnson 13

anybody guess number one? I didn't see it coming.

 

If there's any justice, it should be Pedro Martinez in 2000. Despite playing in the A.L. East right in the midst of the steroid era, he posted the lowest WHIP of all-time. I'm not sure, but I think he also had the biggest margin of all-time between his ERA and league average ERA.

 

Good call. I was sitting there at commerical, racking my brain. I thought maybe one of the Big Unit's seasons, where he had 350+ SO. The three seasons I have seen in my lifetime, Gooden, Maddux, and Pedro, I forgot about. I was actually thinking Smokey Joe Wood in 1912, who developed arm trouble after that.

The show also pointed out that his 1999 season might have been just as good. Only three times has an ERA gone under 2 in the American League since the DH. Guidry in 78, Pedro in 00, and Clemens in 90.

 

Yeah, I wondered if they would pick 2000 or 1999. 2000 was dramatically better, but 1999 had more wins and people tend to overrate that statistic. I've said before that I think Pedro Martinez is the best pitcher of all-time.

 

I'm surprised Carlton finished ninth. I remember that year and he was so dominating considering the shitty team he played on. I'm also surprised Bob Gibson didn't make it with that 1.12 ERA he posted in 1968. 22-9, pitched 304innings and only allowed 198 hits with 268 k's.

 

So who was #1? Mark Buehrle in 2005? :-D

 

1968 was the year of the pitcher, and the 60s were the opposite of the steroid era. 68 had more significantly more 1-0 games than any other year, Yaz lead the AL with a .301 average, and at least five if not more pitchers had ERAs under 2. It was so bad baseball immediately lowered the mound the next season.

 

I'm getting Directv installed next Saturday. Can't wait to have this channel!

 

Carlton's year has to be better than 9th. I was just a kid but every thing I've heard and read about it was astounding with a terrible team behind him. Gibby's 68, I would rate as tops, they even lowered the mound in part because of it.

 

Your capacity for making the stupidest statements imaginable is a true talent. You're the William Hung of message boards, both because your horrific lack of any redeeming quality is entertaining, and because of your oblivious lack of awareness to your own mental handicap. And for the record, I say this because you managed to repeat topics already discussed, only your "talent" managed to turn them into something absurd. The mound was not lowered because of Gibson. As M9H pointed out, it was lowered because so many pitchers were dominating in '68.