Famous Pitchers in Baseball History

We take a look at some of the most famous pitchers in baseball history from Babe Ruth to Nolan Ryan

Nolan Ryan

Nolan Ryan is one of the most famous pitchers in baseball history He played for the New York Mets California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. Ryan is best known for his fastball, which regularly topped 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). He also holds the record for the most career no-hitters, with seven.

Sandy Koufax

Sandy Koufax was a left-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. He is considered one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Koufax is best known for his perfect game against the Chicago Cubs in 1965, which was the first perfect game pitched in Dodger Stadium and the second perfect game pitched by a left-hander in Major League Baseball history.

Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson is one of the most famous pitchers in baseball history He played for the St. Louis Cardinals and was known for his intensity and competitiveness on the mound. He won two World Series titles with the Cardinals and was named the National League MVP in 1968. Gibson had a career ERA of 2.91 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.

Tom Seaver

Thomas Edward Seaver (born November 17, 1944), nicknamed “Tom Terrific” and “The Franchise”, is an American former professional baseball player He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1967 to 1986 for the New York Mets Cincinnati Reds Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox He is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Roger Clemens

Roger Clemens nicknamed “Rocket”, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in the majors, from 1984 to 2007. A native of Texas, Clemens was drafted in the 12th round of the 1983 amateur draft by the New York Yankees He played for the Yankees from 1984 to 1996 before joining the Boston Red Sox in 1997. In 1998, Clemens was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays Clemens rejoined the Yankees in 1999 and pitched for them until 2003, when he was again traded to the Houston Astros He concluded his career with the New York Yankees

Clemens ranks ninth in MLB history with 354 wins, tenth in strikeouts with 4,672, and fifth in ERA with 3.12. He was an eight-time MLB All-Star and two-time World Series champion. In 1986 and 2004, he won the Cy Young Award he is tied for most all time with seven other pitchers who have each won it twice. Clemens won five American League (AL) pitching Triple Crowns and led his league in ERA nine times: seven times while with AL teams and twice while with NL teams (in 1997 and 1998). He also holds AL records for wins in a season (24) as well as Nationals League (NL) records for strikeouts in a season (292).

As of 2019, Clemens is under investigation by federal prosecutors for perjury related to allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his career.

Pedro Martinez

Pedro Jaime Martinez (born October 25, 1971), nicknamed “Pedro” and later “El Maestro”, is a Dominican former professional baseball starting pitcher who played in major league baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2009, for five teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers Montreal Expos Boston Red Sox New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies He is widely considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Martinez was exceptionally dominant at his peak. Over seven seasons from 1997 to 2003, he had aERA+ of 157 and strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.55, both of which are the highest since 1900 for a starting pitcher in baseball history with at least 1,000 innings pitched he also won three Cy Young Awards and helped the Red Sox end their 86-year championship drought with victories in the 2004 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals and in the 2007 World Series against the Colorado Rockies

Greg Maddux

Greg Maddux born in 1966, is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is best known for his time with the Atlanta Braves where he helped lead the team to a World Series championship in 1995. He also played for the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers Maddux is considered one of the best pitchers of all time and is a member of the 300 win club. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.

Randy Johnson

Randy Johnson was a left-handed pitcher who played 22 seasons in the Major Leagues (MLB). He was a ten-time MLB All-Star, a five-time World Series champion, and the 1993 AL Cy Young Award winner He is considered one of the greatest pitchers in Baseball History Johnson was nicknamed “The Big Unit”. At 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), he was the tallest player in MLB history until 2019. He also held the Major League record for most home runs allowed in a career until 2019.

Christy Mathewson

Christy Mathewson was a famous pitcher in the early days of baseball. He played for the New York Giants from 1900-1916, and his career record was an impressive 373-188. He was a five-time 20-game winner, and he led the league in strikeouts four times. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

Walter Johnson

Walter Johnson, nicknamed “The Big Train”, was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927. He helped the Senators win the 1924 World Series and is widely considered to be one of the best pitchers in baseball history Johnson’s career earned run average of 2.17 is the lowest in baseball history and his 3,509 strikeouts are the most by any pitcher who did not play in the live-Ball Era He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.