#1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

I was listening to Marty and Jones this morning on WLW, and they were debating the Roger Clemens situation.... will he, won't he?.... who cares?

Anyway - they both agreed that he is the greatest pitcher all-time.

If you had to choose one pitcher - and one pitcher only (none of these top 5 lists ;) )...

who would you choose?

Would it be a Clemens?

Or someone from the deadball era, such as a Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Christy Mathewson?

Nolan Ryan?

Sandy Koufax, Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton, Bob Gibson (my favorites growing up. Gibson was lights out! )

If I had to chose though, it would be Walter Johnson.

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

I'd go with Gibson, but he's only a hair better IMO than Clemens. Imagine Clemens pitching in the 60's!

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

Why torture yourself?

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

I was driving home from the chiropractor, and I needed something to distract my mind from the pain/pinched nerve in my lower back.

They did it. ;)

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

Another interesting note to consider is that waaaaay back then, those guys didn't have relief pitchers/bullpen.

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

Sandy Koufax

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

Koufax. All the way.

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

Lefty Grove or Ed Walsh before 1910

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

The Big Train, Walter Johnson.

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

sid fernandez, no wait, i would go with the rocket

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

Bronson Arroyo ;)

Personally, I've always been a Nolan Ryan fan.

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

Walter Johnson.

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

Jose Rijo

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

Three-Finger Brown

Re: #1 All-Time Greatest Pitcher
 

If it's one game, with the guy at the peak of his prime, I'll take Pedro Martinez circa 2000.

It's hard with the older guys to appropriately account for the proper context. The pre WWII guys with the shallower talent pool and frequent cheating via scuffing, etc., Koufax with the dead ball and higher mound, etc.

Pedro was absolutely insanely dominant in a homer friendly era in a hitter's park.

217 IP (7.5 IP/GS), 1.74 ERA (285 ERA+), 284 K (11.8 K/9), 0.74 WHIP.

Attitude wise on the mound, Pedro is probably as close as you'll get to a Bob Gibson -- just ask Jose Guillen.

BTW - to me, when you are talking about the "greatest of all-time" you are referring to their absolute peak skills. It's not "greatest career" in which it would be hard to refute Clemens, but the best if you took them at their best. For what it's worth, Bob Gibson's 1968 season, once adjusted for context, is pretty much worse than Pedro's 2000 in every way.