Top 15 greatest pitchers of all time, ranked in baseball history
In baseball, a pitcher sets the game's pace, and their skillfulness determines whether their team will win. As a result, ranking the best pitchers requires in-depth research on their skillfulness, unique style and prowess. This list of the greatest pitchers of all time highlights the best figures in the game.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Narrowing down all the best pitchers across several generations to 15 was not a small feat. To do so, we scoured the internet for a ton of data from Fangraphs, as well as statistics and details about their wins, strikeouts, and career longevity. As a result, figures like Rube Waddell and Sandy Koufax did not feature in this list despite Sandy Koufax's prestigious success. So, who is the best MLB pitcher of all time?
Top 15 greatest pitchers of all time
Even though longevity is important, dominance plays a significant role in this greatest pitcher of all-time ranker. Therefore, we counter-balanced statistics such as the pitchers' ERA, FIP, K/BB and WHIP. We also factored in the Wins per Game Started and WAR per Innings Pitched to offset the innings eaters.
To ensure inclusivity for top pitchers of different generations, we used K/BB instead of K/9 since strikeouts are more common in the modern game. Therefore, some figures will differ from those provided by other sites. Nevertheless, tabulated below is a list of the greatest pitchers of all time in descending order.
| Years active | Pitcher | Teams |
| 1965 – 1988 | Steve Carlton | St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins |
| 1966 – 1993 | Nolan Ryan | New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers |
| 1966 – 1988 | Don Sutton | Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, California Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 1970 – 1992 | Rik Aalbert Blyleven | Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, California Angels |
| 1925 – 1941 | Rober Moses " Lefty" Grove | Philadelphia Athletics,Boston Red Sox |
| 2008 – present | Clayton Kershaw | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 1988 – 2009 | Randy Johnson | Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants |
| 1992 – 2009 | Pedro Martinez | Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies |
| 1986 – 2008 | Greg Maddux | Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres |
| 1967 – 1986 | Tom Seaver | New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox |
| 1984 – 2007 | Roger Clemens | Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astros |
| 1911 – 1930 | Pete “Grover Cleveland” Alexander | Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals |
| 1890 – 1911 | Cy Young | Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals, Boston Americans/Red Sox, Cleveland Naps, Boston Rustlers |
| 1900 – 1916 | Christy Mathewson | New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds |
| 1907 – 1927 | Walter Johnson | Washington Senators |
15. Steve Carlton
Source: Getty Images
| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 5,217 | 329 | 185 | 55 | 2.3 | 3.22 | 3.15 | 1.25 | 96.5 |
Steven Norman Carlton is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who won four Cy Young awards, the first pitcher to win the prize. Carlton was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994
Carlton has the second-highest lifetime strikeouts recorded by a left-handed pitcher, making him one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time. He is the last pitcher from any team to throw more than 300 innings in a season.
14. Nolan Ryan
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| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 5,386 | 324 | 222 | 61 | 2.04 | 3.29 | 2.97 | 1.247 | 106.7 |
Nolan Ryan is widely considered to be one of the greatest MLB pitchers of all time. He notably threw pitches clocking above 161 km/h and maintained this velocity throughout his career. As an eight-time All-Star, he has a record of 5,714 strikeouts, making him one of the pitchers inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for having more strikeouts than innings pitched.
The longevity of his career significantly contributed to earning him a spot on this list. He is one out of 31 players in baseball history to have appeared in MLB games in 4 different decades.
13. Don Sutton
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| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 5,282 | 324 | 178 | 58 | 2.66 | 3.26 | 3.24 | 1.14 | 85.5 |
Donald Howard Sutton played 23 seasons in the MLB, winning 324 games. He is seventh in the list of baseball's all-time strikeouts with 3,574. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
12. Rik Aalbert Blyleven
Source: Getty Images
| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 4,970 | 287 | 242 | 60 | 2.8 | 3.31 | 3.19 | 1.20 | 102.9 |
Rik Aalbert Blyleven played in 22 seasons in Major League Baseball, recording 3,701 strikeouts, the fifth most in the history of baseball. He pitched 4,970 innings, 14th most of all-time, and won 287 games, 27th-most all-time.
Blyleven was famous for being a curveball pitcher. In 2011, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
11. Robert Moses " Lefty" Grove
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| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 3,940 | 300 | 298 | 35 | 1.9 | 3.06 | 3.43 | 1.28 | 106.8 |
Lefty became a star in Major League Baseball during the 1920s. As one of the greatest pitchers in history, Lefty led the American League in strikeouts seven years in a row, winning in four different seasons. Grove won 300 games throughout his 17-year career.
10. Clayton Kershaw
Source: Getty Images
| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 2,480 | 189 | 25 | 15 | 4.4 | 2.49 | 2.76 | 1.00 | 70.5 |
Clayton Kershaw is one of the best pitchers as of 2024. Clayton's strength is his amazing control. His WHIP and K/BB ratios are amongst the best of all time, with a minimum inning pitch of 2,000 or less. Moreover, his WAR/IP ratio is amongst the highest in history.
9. Randy Johnson
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| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 4,103 | 301 | 100 | 37 | 3.2 | 3.30 | 3.20 | 1.17 | 109.0 |
Also known as The Big Unit, Randy Johnson did not start to flourish until he was 29. Johnson pitched until 45, probably because his career took off later. He won ten Cy Young Awards and pitched in ten All-Star games.
Randy was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015. Johnson is one of the greatest lefty pitchers in history.
8. Pedro Martinez
Source: Getty Images
| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 2,720 | 208 | 46 | 17 | 4.3 | 2.95 | 2.91 | 1.05 | 82.8 |
Pedro Martinez had an intense career in baseball, culminating in his transfer to different teams. He started dominating the baseball scene in 1997 and won the MLB ERA title. He later won two more Cy Young awards.
Pedro has the highest WAR/IP ratio ratio in history. He entered the Hall of Fame in 2015.
7. Greg Maddux
Source: Getty Images
| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 5,001 | 355 | 109 | 35 | 3.4 | 3.15 | 3.26 | 1.14 | 116.9 |
Greg Maddux would easily be considered the best pitcher in the modern era, thanks to his 355 wins. The longevity and durability of his career are the primary reasons why Maddux ranks fourth in WAR.
Furthermore, Maddux's 18 gold gloves are the reason he is arguably the best fielding pitcher of all time. His ability to dominate for long expresses his smartness, even though most people argue he was not the best strikeout pitcher. Greg Maddux was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014.
6. Tom Seaver
Source: Getty Images
| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 4,779 | 310 | 231 | 61 | 2.6 | 2.86 | 3.03 | 1.12 | 92.4 |
Tom Seaver is often overlooked on lists like those of the greatest pitchers of all time because he pitched in the Second Deadball Era at the beginning of his career. However, his career was a cocktail of longevity and dominance. Seaver ranks high in almost all categories, and his 61 shutouts are the highest recorded by any modern-era pitcher.
Seaver was the best pitcher of his generation. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1992.
5. Roger Clemens
Source: Getty Images
| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 4,913 | 354 | 118 | 46 | 3.0 | 3.12 | 3.09 | 1.17 | 133.7 |
Roger Clemens is undoubtedly the most controversial figure on this list of the best MLB pitchers of all time.
Clemens' career statistics paralleled Greg Maddux's in many ways, although he was better at generating strikeouts. Moreso, he racked up the highest WAR in history. His resume also had seven ERA titles, eleven All-Star games, and five strikeout titles.
4. Pete "Grover Cleveland" Alexander
Source: Getty Images
| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 5,190 | 373 | 437 | 90 | 2.3 | 2.56 | 2.85 | 1.12 | 96.5 |
Grover Cleveland is the third on this list of the top 10 pitchers of all time. Pete "Grover Cleveland" Alexander played a long time ago. Thus, it is impossible to foretell how he would have performed in the modern era. Nonetheless, during his time, he dominated and registered a whopping 5,190 inning pitches, 437 complete games and 90 shutouts.
3. Cy Young
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| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 7,354 | 511 | 749 | 76 | 2.3 | 2.63 | 2.82 | 1.13 | 131.5 |
The irony in his name is that Cy Young is the oldest on this list, and most of his records might never been broken. From a record 7,354 innings pitched to 511 wins and 749 complete games, there is no doubt that much of his success is tied to his incredible talent. Cy won the ERA title twice and entered the Hall of Fame in 1937.
2. Christy Mathewson
Source: Getty Images
| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 4,747 | 373 | 433 | 79 | 3.0 | 2.11 | 2.22 | 1.05 | 90.1 |
Christy Mathewson's career was relatively short, as it spanned 17 seasons only. Therefore, he did not throw nearly as many innings as Cy Young and Pete Alexander. Nevertheless, thanks to his dominance, he earned his spot on this list of the greatest pitchers of all time.
Throughout his career, Christy had an ERA of 2.11 and FIP of over 2.22 and 4,747 innings, which are hard to match. Only four pitchers have pitched more than 2,000 innings and have lower ERAs than Christy.
Christy pitched for the New York Giants throughout his career, except for one game. Christy Matthewson was one of the five players voted into the initial Hall of Fame class in 1936. He is also second in the list of the best baseball pitchers of all time.
1. Walter Johnson
Source: Getty Images
| IP | W | CG | ShO | K/BB | ERA | FIP | WHIP | WAR |
| 5,914 | 417 | 531 | 110 | 2.6 | 2.17 | 2.36 | 1.06 | 117.1 |
Thanks to his longevity and dominance, Walter Johnson tops the list as the greatest pitcher of all time. His career spanned from 1907 to 1927, and he played with the Washington Senators. He is one of the best baseball pitchers in history who had more than 2,000 innings in their career.
Johnson had the lowest ERA in the league five times. He was also a member of the initial Hall of Fame class.
Who is the 1 pitcher of all time?
Walter Johnson tops the list as the best pitcher of all time. He had the lowest ERA in the league.
What pitcher has the best ERA in 2023?
Ed Walsh has an earned run average record of 1.1816. Jim Delvin (1.896) and Addie Joss (?1.887) are the only other pitchers with a career ERA under 2.000.
Who are the 6'10" pitchers?
Throughout his career, Randy Johnson is considered the tallest player in Major League Baseball history. Former pitchers Chris Young, Andrew Brackman, Andrew Sisco and Eric Hillman were also 6'10" tall.
Who is considered the greatest pitcher of all time?
Walter Johnson is considered the greatest pitcher of all time. He had the lowest ERA and a relatively high pitching inning record throughout his career.
Who is the best relief pitcher of all time?
Mariano Rivera tops as the best relief pitcher of all time. He has a record of an ERA of 2.21 and has 652 saves.
Is Clayton Kershaw one of the best pitchers of all time?
Clayton Kershaw is arguably one of the best pitchers in MLB currently. He has a record of 2.48 ERA and 1,500 innings pitched.
This list of the top 15 greatest pitchers explores diverse facades of the players' success and records. The longevity of their careers also significantly influences their rankings.
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