The 20 Greatest Pitchers Of All-Time, Ranked In Order

Strikeout Kings: The Best Pitchers In MLB History - Gameday News
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Strikeout Kings: The Best Pitchers In MLB History
Baseball |
4/15/26
Baseball has changed a lot over the decades, but one thing that's undoubtedly true in any era is that a pitcher who can consistently strike batters out is worth their weight in gold.
From the fireballers who overwhelmed batters with 100 mile-per-hour fastballs to the crafty aces who utilize control and variety to deal with opposing hitters, these are the best strikeout pitchers the game has ever seen.
Don Drysdale
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One of the most dominate pitchers throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Don Drysdale played his entire MLB career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. His unique ability to throw the ball as close to the batter as possible without hitting them made him a force on the mound.
During his time, Drysdale went on to become a three-time World Series champion.
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Tom Seaver
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For 20 seasons, Tom Seaver was dominating the pitcher's mound. Seaver earned the Cy Young Award three times during his career, was the NL ERA leader three times, and was the NL strikeout leader a solid five times.
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He even pitched a no-hitter back in 1978. Seaver is lucky enough to be thrice inducted into the hall of fame: the Baseball Hall of Fame, the New York Mets Hall of Fame, and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
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Christy Mathewson
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Christy Mathewson is one of the best pitchers in baseball history, holding a top-ten slot in multiple pitching categories, including strikeouts (2,502), wins (373), and ERA (2.13). The two-time World Series champion even pitched two no-hitters during his 17-season career with the New York Giants.
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A five-time NL strikeout leader and five-time NL ERA leader, Mathewson retired from baseball with a solid 79 career shutouts.
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Rube Waddell
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A southpaw pitcher, Rube Waddell, proved to be a force on the mound. He was known for his erratic behavior and tendency to strike out everyone who came up to bat, leaving the game with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3-to-1.
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Waddell graced the pitchers' mound for a solid 13-year career from 1897 until 1910. In 1946, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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Smokey Joe Wood
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Smokey Joe Wood was in the MLB for 14 years, a majority of which he played for the Boston Red Sox. While pitching for the Sox, he led the team to three World Series victories.
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In 1911, Wood pitched a no-hitter, solidifying his place in the Red Sox Hall of Fame.
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Cy Young
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During his early days, Cy Young had one of the fastest pitches in the MLB, leading him to 2,803 career strikeouts. He was even lucky enough to pitch both a perfect game and a no-hitter during his career.
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To honor one of the greatest pitchers in the game, the Cy Young Award is an annual award given to the best pitcher in each league.
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Tom Glavine
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As one of 24 pitchers to have 300 career wins, Tom Glavine has secured his spot as one of the greatest in history. During his career, Glavine played for both the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets and became a ten-time All-Star and World Series champion.
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In the 1990s alone, he earned the second-highest number of wins, at 164, of any pitcher in the MLB.
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Ed Walsh
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For several seasons, Big Ed Walsh was widely considered the best pitcher in the game. He is the last modern pitcher to have won 40 games or more in a single season and the last of any team to throw more than 400 innings in a season.
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As of 2021, Walsh holds the record for lowest ERA, at a staggeringly low 1.82.
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Jay "Dizzy" Dean
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The last National League pitcher to win 30 games in a season, batters were scared to go up to the plate when Jay "Dizzy" Dean took to the mound. With a solid 134 victories during his career, "Ol' Diz" left the league with a 2.99 ERA.
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In 1953, Dean was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 2014 he was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals team Hall of Fame.
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Mordecai Brown
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In his youth, an accident had Mordecai Brown lose parts of two of his fingers on his right hand. He did not let the handicap slow him down, though. Instead, he used it to his advantage, learning how to grip a ball in such a way that batters did not stand a chance.
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The quirky throw resulted in such a powerful curveball that Brown became known as one of the best pitchers of his time.
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Nolan Ryan
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Considering Nolan Ryan holds the MLB for most career strikeouts with a whopping 5,714, it is safe to say he is one of the best pitchers in the game's history.
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Over a 27-year career, Ryan consistently clocked in over-100 miles-per-hour pitches, was a two-time ERA leader, and, not so surprisingly, an 11-time strikeout leader.
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Juan Marichal
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In the 1960s, Juan Marichal was the leading pitcher in the league for wins, playing for the San Francisco Giants at the time. Known for his outrageously high leg kick and a wide variety of pitches, Marichal's pinpoint accuracy was something to behold.
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Over his long career, the "The Dominican Dandy" struck out over 2,300 batters.
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Carl Hubbell
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Playing for the New York Giants during his career, Carl Hubbell became a two-time MVP for a reason. Not only did he win 24 straight games between 1936 and 1937, but he was also a World Series champion, a nine-time All-Star, and a three-time MLB ERA leader.
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Hubbell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.
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Roger Clemens
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When a pitcher's nickname is "The Rocket," they are more than likely going to be considered one of the greatest to grace the mound.
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At least this is true in the case of Roger Clemens. The former MLB pitcher played for 24 seasons, leaving the league with 4,672 career strikeouts, an ERA of 3.12, and two World Series titles.
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Clayton Kershaw
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A left-handed pitcher, Clayton Kershaw has made quite a name for himself as a premier pitcher since his MLB debut in 2008.
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A World Series champion, a three-time NL Cy Young Award-winner, and lucky enough to pitch a no-hitter, Kershaw is going down in history as one of the best.
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Jim Palmer
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With three Cy Young Awards, four Gold Glove Awards, and never allowing a grand slam during a major game, Jim Palmer is highly considered one of the best pitchers to play the game.
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Palmer was a three-time World Serie champion who had a storied career and ended his time in the MLB with 268 career wins.
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Robert "Lefty" Grove
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Robert "Lefty" Grove became a star pitcher in the MLB after moving up from the minor leagues in the 1920s. One of t…

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