#5 - Tom Seaver (1944- )

"Tom Terrific"

Teams:
New York Mets (1967-1977)
Cincinnati Reds (1977-1982)
New York Mets (1983)
Chicago White Sox (1984-1986)
Boston Red Sox (1986)

Career Statistics:
W-L:  311-205
W-L %:  .603
ERA:  2.86
Strikeouts:  3,640
BB:  1,390
CG:  231
SHO:  61
IP:  4,783
WHIP:  1.121

George Thomas Seaver was born in Fresno, California and later pitched for Fresno High School.  In 1962, he joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve and served through July 1963.  After six months of active duty, he enrolled at Fresno City College.  He was heavily recruited by Rod Dedeaux from the University of Southern California, but they were still unsure of whether he was deserving of a scholarship.  So he was sent to play for the Alaskan Goldpanners in Fairbanks, Alaska for a season.  After pitching in and winning the national tournament with a grand slam, he was awarded a scholarship to USC.  As a sophomore, he put up a 10-2 record and was drafted in the tenth round of the 1965 Major League Baseball Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.  However, when he requested $70,000, the Dodgers decided to pass him up.  In 1966, he signed a contract with the Braves, but Commissioner of Baseball, William Eckert voided the contract due to the fact that Seaver's college team had played two exhibition games (neither of which Seaver took part in).  Seaver then decided to go back to USC and finish out his season there, but he was denied because he had signed a pro contract, as per NCAA rules.  When his father complained to Eckert and threatened him with a lawsuit, Eckert allowed other teams to pursue Seaver if they matched the Braves offer.  The New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cleveland Indians came calling, and Seaver finally signed with the Mets.

He spent his first season with the Jacksonville Suns of the International League, and then joined the Mets in 1967.  He won 16 games for them in his first season, with 18 complete games, 170 strikeouts, and a 2.76 ERA.  He was named National League Rookie of the Year.  In '68, he again won 16 games and struck out over 200 batters for the first of nine consecutive seasons.  However, the Mets were still floundering in last place. 

The Mets turned around in 1969, winning their first World Series.  Seaver, for his part, won 25 games (a league high) and his first Cy Young Award.  He also came in second place in MVP voting.  On April 22, 1970, Seaver set a modern major league record by striking out the final ten batters of a game, and later struck out 19 batters in a single game, a record which stood until broken by Roger Clemens in 1986.  Seaver seemed to be on his way to another Cy Young Award in 1970, with his record standing at 17-6.  However, he only maanged to win one of his last ten games to finish 18-12.

In 1971, Seaver put up what he considered to be the finest season of his career.  He led the league in ERA (1.76) and strikeouts (289), while putting up a 20-10 record.  He only managed to place second in the Cy Young voting that year because the Cubs's Ferguson Jenkins had more wins and more innings pitched. 

In his remaining years with the Mets, Seaver would put up three more twenty-win season (1972, 1975, and 1977 [which included a partial season with the Reds]), and took home the Cy Young in '73 and '74. 

The free agency period began in 1977, and Seaver entered into negotiations to remain with the Mets.  However, terms on his salary could not be agreed to and Seaver was sent to the Cincinnati Reds on June 15, 1977.  M. Donald Grant, chairman of the board for the Mets, was often criticized for making this move, and  was later fired after the 1978 season.  Seaver finished the '77 season with 21 wins and went 14-3 for Cincinnati, which included a 5-1 win over his former team. 

On June 16, 1978, facing the St. Louis Cardinals, Seaver finally threw a no-hitter, after throwing five one-hitters for the Mets (two of which were no-hitters that were spoiled in the 9th inning).  It would be the only one of his career.   

Seaver went 75-46 during his stay in Cincinnati including leading the Reds to a Western Divison crown in 1979, as well as helping them to the best record in baseball during the strike-shortened 1981 season.  He only managed a 5-13 record in 1982, due to injuries.

On December 16, 1982, Seaver was traded back to the Mets, and though his record was only 9-14, he had high hopes for the follwing year.  But to his and the Mets's shock, he was grabbed in a free agent compensation draft by the Chicago White Sox.  He had not been protected because the Mets had assumed that no one would risk picking up a 39-year old pitcher with such a high salary.  Though he had wanted to finish his career where it had started, Seaver grudgingly reported to the White Sox.  Seaver pitched two and a half seasons with the White Sox, picking up his 300th win on August 4, 1985. 

Seaver nearly returned to the Mets in 1986 for his final season, but Mets manager Davey Johnson nixed the idea.  Seaver was instead traded to the Boston Red Sox.  His 311th and final career win came on August 18 against the Minnesota Twins.  He was offered a contract by the Red Sox at the end of the season, but with a much-reduced salary.  He was granted free agency in November. 

In 1987, the Mets pitching rotation was in trouble due to injuries and Seaver was brought in to pitch a few exhbition games (though no contract was ever signed).  After being trounced in three of these starts, he officially announced his retirement, stating, "I've used up all the competitive pitches in my arm."  To this day, he remains the only Mets player to have his number retired.

When he retired, he was third on the all-time strikeout list (now sixth) behind Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton.  His per-game strikeout average (6.85) is second only behind Nolan Ryan of all-pitchers who have at least 300 career wins.  He also holds the record for most consecutive seasons with at least 200 strikeouts (nine).  No other pitcher has ever matched his feat of striking out ten straight batters in a game.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 7, 1992.  Since retirement, he has spent time working as a color commentator, working for the Mets, the Yankees, and with Vin Scully in 1989 for NBC.  He then replaced Joe Garagiola as NBC's lead color commentator.  He also worked part-time as a scout and a spring training pitching coach.  He and his wife currently live in Calistoga, California wher he started his own vineyard and has presented a couple of cabernets at wine-tasting events.

#6 - Steve Carlton (1944- )

"Lefty"

Teams:
St. Louis Cardinals (1965-1971)
Philadelphia Phillies (1972-1986)
San Francisco Giants (1986)
Chicago White Sox (1986)
Cleveland Indians (1987)
Minnesota Twins (1987-1988)

Career Statistics:
W-L:  329-244
W-L % - .574
ERA:  3.22
Strikeouts:  4,136
BB:  1,833
CG:  254
SHO:  55
IP:  5,217.2
WHIP:  1.247

Steven Norman Carlton was born in Miami, Florida and participated in Little League and American Legion baseball as a child.  He attended North Miami High School and then Miami-Dade Community College.  In 1963, while still in college, he signed a contract with St. Louis Cardinals.

In 1965, at the age of 20, he debuted with the Cardinals and became a regular member of the rotation by 1967.  He had great success in St. Louis, and led his team to the World Series in 1967 and '68 (winning in '67, but losing in '68).  On September 15, 1969, he struck out 19 Mets batters in one game, which was a record (later broken by Roger Clemens).  In '69, he finished with a 17-11 record, a 2.17 ERA, and 210 strikeouts.  Carlton did not show up at spring training in 1970 due to a contract dispute, and ended up going 10-19 with a 3.73 ERA.  He rebounded the next season with a 20-9 record and a 3.56 ERA.

Shortly before the 1972 season, Carlton was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies because of a salary dispute.  In his first season in Philly he led the league in wins (27), complete games (30), strikeouts (310), and ERA (1.97).  He accomplished all of this while playing for a team whose record ended up being 59-97.  Ultimately, he won 46% of his team's games.  He was chosen as the winner of the Cy Young Award that year.

Carlton struggled in 1973, posting a terrible 13-20 record.  He rebounded somewhat the following two years, with a 16-13 record and a 15-14 record, respectively.  He came back into his own in 1976 with a 20-7 record, a 3.13 ERA, and 195 strikeouts.  He had another great year in '77 with a 23-10 record, and again won the Cy Young.  He also earned the award in 1980 and 1982.

He continued to perform well with the Phillies and helped them climb back up to the top of the standings.  From 1976-1978, they won the NL East, and in 1980, won the World Series, with Carlton personally winning the decisive Game 7.  They returned to the World Series in '81, but ultimately lost to the Orioles 4-1.  On September 23, 1983, Carlton won his 300th career game against his former team, the Cardinals.

Between 1982 and 1984, Carlton, Nolan Ryan, and Gaylord Perry engaged in a pitching duel to set the all-time record for strikeouts, which was held by Walter Johnson (3,508).  Ryan was the first to surpass the record on April 22, 1983.  But Ryan soon had a stint on the disabled list, allowing Carlton to catch up with and ultimately surpass Ryan on June 7.  The lead would fluctuate back and forth for a couple of years before Calrton finally ran out of steam, allowing Ryan to take the lead for good.  Gaylord Perry never played much of a role in the duel, but did end up surpassing Johnson's record by the end of his career, with 3,534 strikeouts. 

Carlton signed with the San Francisco Giants in 1986, but ended up being very ineffective, posting a 1-3 record and a 5.10 ERA.  He then announced his retirement.  His retirement was extremely brief, though, and he ended up signing with the Chicago White Sox almost immediately.  He performed well, ending the season with a 4-3 record and a 3.69 ERA.  However, the White Sox did not offer him a contract for the next year.

In 1987, he signed with the Indians, but was very ineffective once again, posting a 5-9 record, with a 5.17 ERA.  He was then traded to the Minnesota Twins, but still could not find success.  For both the Indians and the Twins, he had a combined 6-14 record with a 5.74 ERA.  The Twins actually won the World Series that season, but Carlton was not on the postseason roster.  His 1988 season was incredibly brief (0-1 record and 16.76 ERA in four games) and the Twins quickly released him.  He tried to generate interest in 1989, but found no takers, which prompted him to retire for good.

Some notable accomplishments in Carlton's career:  he was a ten-time All-Star, he struck 4,136 batters setting a record for a left-handed pitcher (later surpassed by Randy Johnson), and 329 career wins (eleventh place on the career wins list).  He was also very adept at picking off runners, with 144 pick-offs, which is 62 more than Jerry Koosman, who holds second place.  While he never threw a no-hitter, he threw six one-hitters.  In 1994, his first year of eligibility, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.



  

#7 - Bob Gibson (1935- )

"Hoot"  "Gibby"

Teams:
St. Louis Cardinals (1959-1975)

Career Statistics:
W-L:  251-174
W-L %:  .590
ERA:  2.91
Strikeouts:  3,117
BB:  1,336
CG:  255
SHO:  56
IP:  3884.1
WHIP:  1.188

Pack Robert Gibson was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1935.  His father died of tuberculosis three months before his birth, and Bob was named Pack in honor of him.  Bob didn't particularly like the name Pack, and later officially changed his first name to Robert.  Though he suffered from numerous health problems as a child, notably rickets and asthma, he excelled in sports, such as basketball and baseball. 

He attended Omaha Technical High School where he participated in track, baseball, and basketball.  He was named to the All-State basketball team his senior year by a newspaper in Lincoln, and later won a full athletic scholarship to Creighton University.  At the end of his junior year of college, he was averaging 22 points per game for the basketball team and made third team Jesuit All-American.  After he graduated, he courted offers from both the Harlem Globetrotters and the St. Louis Cardinals.  He was offered a $3,000 signing bonus to play for the Cardinals, which he accepted, though he spent a year playing with the Globetrotters.  He continued playing basketball in the offseason after beginning his baseball career, but later quit when Cardinals general manager, Bing Devine offered him $4,000 to hang it up.  Gibson attended spring training in 1958 with the Cardinals before being sent to the minors for the regular season.

He was assigned to the Cardinals major league roster in 1959 and made his big league debut on April 15 as a relief pitcher.  He was sent back to the minors briefly before returning July 30 as a starting pitcher.  He earned his first win as a pro that day.  In 1960, he was shuffled back and forth between the Cardinals and their Rochester affiliate until mid-June.  After compiling a 3-6 record and 5.61 ERA for the season, he traveled to Venezuela to play winter ball.  In 1961, Cardinals skipper Solly Hemus rotated Gibson back and forth between starting pitcher duties and the bullpen for the first half of the season.  When Hemus was replaced by Johnny Keane in July, Gibson was moved permanently into the starting rotation.  He posted an 11-6 record with a 3.24 ERA.

In late May of the 1962 season, Gibson pitched 22 2/3 scoreless innings and was named to his first All-Star team.  In spite of suffering a broken ankle late in the season, Gibson still managed to strike out over 200 batters.  His rehabilitation was slow and he had only posted one win May 19, 1963.  He then rattled off six straight wins by late-July.  His offensive production was also impressive, driving home 20 runs which exceeded the combined RBI totals of all other National League pitching staffs.

In 1964, Gibson's pitching prowess led the Cardinals to the World Series, where they faced the New York Yankees.  Gibson and Yankees ace Mel Stottlemyre faced one another in three of the series' seven games.  Gibson lost Game 2, but prevailed in Game 5.  In Game 7, Gibson pitched into the ninth inning, but gave up homeruns to Phil Lenz and Clete Boyer, making the score 7-5, Cardinals.  As a reliever was warming up in the bullpen, Gibson retired Bobby Richardson, winning the game and the Series for the Cardinals.

On July 15, 1967, the Pirates' Roberto Clemente hit a line drive off Gibson's right leg.  He faced three more batters before the bone snapped right above the ankle.  He returned September 7 and the Cardinals soon secured the National League pennant.  In the World Series that season, the Cardinals faced the Boston Red Sox.  Over three complete games, Gibson allowed only three earned runs and fourteen hits.  The Cardinals prevailed once again, with Gibson pitching the decisive Game 7, and even hitting a homer in the game.

In 1968, Gibson posted a 1.12 era, which remains a record in the "live-ball" era.  He threw 13 shutouts, and between June 2 and July 30, allowed only two earned runs in ninety-two innings pitched.  Opposing hitters batted a meager .184 off of him, with .233 OBP.  He also pitched forty-seven consecutive scoreless innings on his way to the National League MVP award.  In Game 1 of the 1968 World Series, Gibson struck out 17 Tiger's batters, a record which still stands.  The Cardinals ultimately lost the Series 4-3.

Gibson's stellar performance in 1968 is widely considered to be one of the driving forces behind lowering the pitcher's mound from 15 inches to 10 inches starting in the 1969 season.  However, this did not change anything, as Gibson posted a 20-13 record with a 2.18 ERA, 4 shutouts, and 28 complete games in '68.  On August 4, 1971, Gibson earned his 200th career victory.  Ted days later, he pitched a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  On July 17, 1974, he fanned his 3,000th batter.

Bob Gibson's hitting prowess was unusual among pitchers.  He was sometimes used as a pinch hitter and ended his career with a .206 batting average, 44 doubles, 5 triples, 24 homers, and 144 RBI.  Eventually, Gibson's wild delivery began to take its toll on his right knee.  In 1975, his final season, he put up a 3-10 record with a 5.04 ERA.  Early that season, he announced his retirement.  In his final appearance, he was brought in as a reliever against the Cubs in a game that was tied 6-6.  He ended up giving up the game-winning grand slam.  In his career, Gibson won nine Gold Glove Awards, the World Series MVP in '64 and '67, and the Cy Young Award in '68 and '70.

Gibson was known throughout his career as a fierce competitor who was not afraid to throw brushback pitches to show the batters who was in charge.  Young players were often warned by veterans not to dig in against Gibson because he would knock them down.  Hank Aaron once said that he would knock his own grandmother down if she challenged him.  Still yet, he had excellent control, hitting only 102 batters in his career.  When his friend and teammate, Bill White, was traded to the Phillies, Gibson hit him in the arm.  In 1992 during an Old-Timer's Game, Reggie Jackson hit a homerun off of Gibson.  At the following year's Old-Timer's Game, Gibson threw Reggie a brushback pitch and he ended up not getting a hit. 

After retirement, Gibson returned to Omaha and served on the board of a local bank, became the principal investor in a radio station, and opened his own restaurant.  He also worked as a color analyst for ABC's Monday Night Baseball in 1976.  He returned to baseball in 1981, working as a coach for Joe Torre, who was managing the New York Mets.  He was also inducted into the Hall of Fame that year.  He stuck with Torre after he accepted a job as the manager of the Atlanta Braves and remained in that position until 1984.  He then began hosting a pre- and post-game show for Cardinals games from 1985 to 1989.  After that, he worked as a color commentator for ESPN in 1990, but resigned due to the time he had to spend away from his family.  Gibson currently serves as Vice President of the Baseball Assistance Team, an organization dedicated to helping former baseball players through financial and medical hardships.

#8 - Pedro Martinez (1971- )

Teams:
Los Angeles Dodgers (1992-1993)
Montreal Expos (1994-1997)
Boston Red Sox (1998-2004)
New York Mets (2005-2008)
Philadelphia Phillies (2009)

Career Statistics:
W-L:  219-100
W-L %:  .687
ERA:  2.93
Strikeouts:  3,154
BB:  760
CG:  46
SHO:  17
IP:  2,827.1
WHIP:  1.05

Pedro Jaime Martinez was born in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic in 1971.  In 1988, he was signed as an amateur free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He spent several years in the Dodgers's farm system, and was finally called up to the majors on September 24, 1992, where he worked two scoreless innings of relief against the Cincinnati Reds.  On September 30, he made his first start, also against the Reds, though it was in a losing effort.  Dodgers skipper, Tommy Lasorda, often used Martinez as a reliever, as he felt him too small to be a reliable starting pitcher. 

In 1993, Martinez became the Dodgers's setup man, posting a 10-3 record with a 2.61 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 65 games played.  Prior to the 1994 season, Martinez was traded to the Montreal Expos for Delino DeShields because the Dodgers were in dire need of a second baseman due to a contract dispute with Jody Reed.

It was with the Expos that Martinez began developing into a top pitcher.  On June 3, 1995, he pitched nine perfect innings against the San Diego Padres before giving up a hit in the bottom of the 10th inning.  He was promptly removed from the game, but ended up being credited with the win.  In 1997, he sported a 17-8 record and led the league in ERA (1.90), strikeouts (305), and complete games (13).  The 13 complete games gave him the tie for second most in a season.  He would also win the National League Cy Young Award that season.

Martinez was traded to the Boston Red Sox in November 1997 as he was approaching free agency.  His impact was immediate, as he went 19-7 and finished second in the American League in strikeouts, ERA, WHIP, and in Cy Young voting.  1999 saw Martinez post one of the greatest pitching performances in history with a 23-4 record, 2.07 ERA, and 313 strikeouts.  These numbers gave him the pitcher's Triple Crown for '99.  He was unanimously selected as the AL Cy Young winner and came in second in MVP voting, though many felt he had been robbed in this regard.

Despite the amazing year Pedro had in 1999, 2000 was even more impressive.  His ERA was a miniscule 1.74 which was nearly half the second-lowest ERA in the American League (Roger Clemens's 3.70).  He also gave up only 128 hits in 217 innings pitched, which translated to 5.13 hits per 9 innings pitched, the third lowest mark on record.  He also won his third Cy Young.  Though his record was 18-6, those numbers don't reflect what a phenomenol season he had that year.  In his six losses, he had 60 strikeouts, 8 walks, and only 30 hits allowed with a 2.44 ERA and .79 WHIP.  He averaged eight innings per start.  In two of his losses, he was beaten by the Yanks's Andy Pettitte, one of the premier pitchers of the time.  The other four losses were each by only one run.  In fact, his first loss of the season 1-0 complete game in which he fanned 17 batters and walked only one.  His WHIP this season was 0.74  which broke the record set by Walter Johnson in 1913.

Midway through the 2001 season, Martinez suffered a rotator cuff injury and was placed on the disabled list.  He ended up finishing with a 7-3 record, and 2.39 ERA, and 163 strikeouts in only 116 innings pitched.  He rebounded in 2002, and led the league in ERA (2.26), WHIP (0.923), and strikeouts (239), and amassed a 20-6 record.  However, the Cy Young Award ended up going to the Oakland A's Barry Zito, in spite of the fact that he had a higher ERA, higher WHIP, fewer strikeouts, and lower winning percentage.  It was the first time since the introduction of the Cy Young Award that the pitcher who led the league in all of these statistics didn't win the trophy.

Pedro posted a 14-4 record in 2003, led the league with a 2.22 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and finished second in strikeouts by a single K.  He came in third in the Cy Young voting.  In spite of an unusually high 3.90 ERA, Martinez managed a 16-9 record in 2004 and helped the Boston Red Sox win their first World Series in 86 years.

Pedro Martinez became a free agent after the 2004 championship season, and ended up signing a 4-year contract with the New York Mets.  In his first season, he posted a 15-8 record with a 2.82 ERA, 208 strikeouts, and a 0.95 WHIP, which led the league.  Opposing hitters batted only .204 against him.  Martinez had a very promising start in 2005, but it fizzled quickly.  By the end of May, he was 5-1 with a 2.50 ERA with 88 strikeouts.  However, on May 26, 2005, he was told by the umpires that he needed to change his undershirt.  As he was walking down the players' tunnel to the locker room, he slipped and fell, injuring his hip.  Although he finished the game, it was a losing effort.  But beginning on June 6, he went 4-7 with a 7.10 ERA with a couple of visits to the DL thrown in.  For the last two months of the season, he was hobbled by a calf injury.  MRI's revealed a torn muscle in Martinez's left calf, as well as a torn rotator cuff.  He ended up requiring surgery which sidelined him for most of the 2007 season.

On September 3, 2007, Martinez returned from the disabled list and earned his 207th career win and collected his 3,000th strikeout.  He ended up going 3-1 in five starts with a 2.57 ERA.  However, his last start was a 3-0 loss during the Mets's historic collapse at the end of the season.  Martinez performed well in the game, pitching seven innings, giving up two earned runs, seven hits, one walk, and eight strikeouts. 

The injury woes followed Pedro into 2008, as he strained his left hamstring just four innings into his first game of the season.  He was out for two months.  He ended up posting a paltry 5-6 record, the first true losing season of his career.  His ERA and WHIP were also the highest ever (5.61 and 1.57, respectively).

Martinez became a free agent after the conclusion of the 2008 season, though he failed to sign with a team during the winter.  He instead joined the Dominican Republic's team for the 2009 World Baseball Classic, hoping that a Major League team would take notice of his arm and sign him to a contract, even if just as a backup.  He pitched well, but his team was eliminated early and no contracts were offered.  Later, he was offered a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.  He made his debut August 12, 2009, earning a win.  Philadelphia ended up winning each of Pedro's first seven starts.  He pitched well in the NLCS, and in the World Series against the New York Yankees.  However, he ended up giving up four hits in four innings to the Yanks in Game Six, giving them the championship. 

After the Series, Pedro announced that he had no intention of retiring, though 2010 came and went without him signing with any club.  In December 2010, Pedro said he didn't expect to ever pitch again, but was reluctant to officially announce his retirement.  Though some inquiries were made prior to the 2011 season, Pedro remains unsigned.

Martinez's career has been saddled with several close-calls.  On April 13, 1994, he took a perfect game into the eighth inning, when he hit Cincinnati's Reggie Sanders with a pitch.  Sanders charged the mound, and was later lambasted by fans and the press for believing that a pitcher would ruin a perfect game just to intentionally hit him with a pitch.  On June 3, 1995, he technically threw a perfect game by sitting down the first 27 Padres batters he faced.  However, the game was tied 0-0 and ended up going into extra innings.  Pedro ended up surrendering a double on the 28th batter he faced and was removed from the game.  The Expos would go on to win the game.  Prior to 1991, he would've been awarded a perfect game, but a new rule stated that the pitcher must remain perfect for the duration of the game, no matter how far past nine innings the game goes.  On September 10, 1999, he faced just 28 Yankees batters, struck out 17, and walked none.  Martinez hit Chuck Knoblauch to lead off the game and surrendered only a homerun to Chili Davis in the second inning.  On August 29, 2000, Martinez took a no-hitter into the 9th against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.  He lost it on a lead-off single to John Flaherty.  What's more impressive is that Pedro accomplished all of this after being punched in the face after hitting Tampa Bay's lead-off batter, Gerald Williams, to start the game. 

To date, Martinez has never pitched a perfect game or a no-hitter, but he has put up far more impressive numbers throughout his career than many other pitchers who have.

#9 - Nolan Ryan (1947- )

"The Ryan Express"

Teams:
New York Mets (1966; 1968-1971)
California Angels (1972-1979)
Houston Astros (1980-1988)
Texas Rangers (1989-1993)

Career Statistics:
W-L:  324-292
W-L %:  .525
ERA:  3.19
Strikeouts:  5,714
BB:  2,795
CG:  222
SHO:  61
IP:  5,386
WHIP:  1.247

Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. was born in Refugio, Texas.  When he was 6 weeks old, his family moved to Alvin, Texas.  When he was a boy, he enjoyed throwing rocks at any target, so his father encouraged him to play baseball to save their windows.  He joined Alvin Little League Baseball when he was nine, and threw his first no-hitter a few years later.

After graduating Alvin High School in 1965, Ryan was drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th round of the 1965 Major League Baseball Draft.  He was assigned to the Marion Mets of Marion, Virginia in the Appalachian League.  He was called up the Mets the following year, and logged his first strikeout against Pat Jarvis.  He later gave up his first career homer to future-manager Joe Torre.

He missed much of the next season due to illness, an arm injury, and service with the Army Reserve.  He only managed to pitch seven innings for the Met's minor league equivalent in Jacksonville, Florida.  In 1968, he finally returned to the Mets for good, though he was unable to crack the Mets rotation, due to superstars Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman.  He was used more as a reliever and spot starter in 1969.  In the 1969 postseason, Ryan pitched seven innings of relief in Game 3 against the Braves.  Later, in that season's World Series, Ryan pitched 2 1/2 shutout innings of relief against the Baltimore Orioles, which gave the Mets a 2-1 series lead.  The Mets would eventually win the Series, but it would be Ryan's first and last World Series appearance.

On April 18, 1970, Ryan tied a Mets record by striking out 15 batters in one game, though teammate Tom Seaver broke the record four days later by fanning 19 batters.  In 1971, Ryan posted a 10-14 record, and was finding himself increasingly frustrated with baseball.  At one time, he even contemplated retiring.  He informed the Mets that he was not happy playing in New York and requested a trade.

His request was granted December 10, 1971 when he was traded to the California Angels.  In his first season, he was given the opportunity to be in the starting rotation and he ended up leading the league with 329 strikeouts.  He also set a Major League record by allowing only 5.26 hits per game, as well as having a 2.28 ERA.  For a majority of Ryan's time in California, the Angels didn't manage to drag themselves above a .500 record, but Ryan put up some notable winning seasons:  19-16 in '72, 21-16 in '73, and 22-16 in '74.  However, Ryan actually led the league in losses in 1975 with a 17-18 record, though the numbers are a bit skewed due to the fact that most ball clubs at the time used only a four-man rotation and expected their starting pitchers to pitch for a majority of the game, which resulted in few no-decisions for him.

In 1973, Ryan struck out 383 batters, beating Sandy Koufax's record by one.  He also threw two no-hitters this season, striking out 17 batters in the second.  In 1974 and 1975, he added to more no-hitters to his resume, and also managed to twice strike out 19 batters in a game in 1974.  This tied the record set by former teammate, Tom Seaver, and flamethrower, Steve Carlton (Roger Clemens broke the record in 1986).  In 1979, his final season with the club, he helped the Angels reach the ALCS.  He pitched seven innings with the Orioles, though he ended up with a no-decision.  The Orioles took the Series in four games.  Ryan led the American League in strikeouts seven of his eight seasons with the Angels, though he also led the league in walks six of those years, and came in second the other two.  This is a common complaint lodged against Nolan Ryan because he was incredibly prone to walking batters, though he usually made up for it by striking out so many others. 

Nolan entered into free agency after the 1979 season, and eventually signed with the Houson Astros.  He got his season off with a bang by hitting a three-run homer (one of two in his career) against Don Sutton in his first game with the Astros.  On July 4, 1980, he struck out his 3,000th career batter.  On September 26, 1981, Ryan threw his fifth career no-hitter, breaking Sandy Koufax's record.  Ryan posted a mere 1.69 ERA that year.  Throughout the 1982 season, Ryan and Steve Carlton were battling to surpass Walter Johnson's all-time strike-out record.  Ryan finally took the top spot with his 3,059th K.  Carlton would pass the original record two weeks later.  In 1987, Ryan, at the age of 40, led the league in ERA (2.76) and strikouts (270), but ended up with a 8-16 record because of poor run support from his teammates.

Due to a contract dispute, Ryan left the Astros after the 1988 season and signed with the Texas Rangers.  On August 22, 1989, Nolan Ryan struck out his 5,000th batter.  In June 11, 1990, he threw his sixth career no-hitter and earned his 300th win on July 31.  On May 1, 1991, Ryan hurled his seventh and final no-hitter at the age of 44. 

Prior to opening day of 1993, Ryan announced that he would be retiring at the conclusion of the season.  On August 4, Ryan participated in one of the most memorable fights in baseball history.  Ryan beaned the Chicago White Sox's Robin Ventura, which prompted him to charge the mound against Ryan, who was twenty years older.  When Ventura reach the mound, Ryan put him in a headlock and pummeled his perfectly-coiffed head six times before catcher Ivan Rodriguez intervened.  Ryan later quipped that it was the same maneuver he used on the cattle he had to brand at his ranch.  Ventura was ejected from the game and Ryan ended up pitching hitless ball the remainder of the game.

Nolan Ryan's career ended up coming to a close two games earlier than he had planned when he tore a ligament in his arm on September 22, 1993.  Though he initially tried to play through the pain, it soon became unbearable.  He threw his final pitch, torn ligament and all, at 98 mph.  Ryan closed out his career pitching in a major league-leading 27 seasons.

After his retirement, Nolan Ryan purchased interest in two minor league ball clubs:  the Corpus Christi Hooks (in AA Texas League) and the Round Rock Express (in AAA Pacific Coast League).  Ryan also served as special assistant to the general manager of the Houston Astros, and then became president of the Texas Rangers in 2008.  He has co-written six books, three of which are autobiographies, one about contemporary pitchers, and two instructional books.  In addition to his ownership in minor league teams, he was also majority owner and chairman of Express Bank of Alvin, though he sold his interest in 2005.  He also owns a restaurant, served on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, and appeared as a spokesman for Advil.

He has also joined the federal government in promoting physical fitness, though he himself suffered a heart attack in 2000 and had to receive a double bypass.  His sons, Reid and Reese both pitched for the TCU Horned Frogs, and Reid pitched in the minor leagues for a brief time.  They have recently become part-owners with Nolan of the Round Rock Express and Corpus Christi Hooks.  Nolan currently lives in Georgetown, Texas with his wife.

#10 - Walter Johnson (1887-1946)

"The Big Train"

Teams:

As a player:
Washinton Senators (1907-1927)

As a manager: 
Washinton Senators (1929-1932)
Cleveland Indians (1933-1935)

Career Statistics:
Win-loss:  417-279
W-L%:  .599
Earned Run Average:  2.17
Strikeouts:  3,508
Base-on-Balls:  1,363
Complete Games:  531
Shutouts:  110
Innings Pitched:  5,914.1
Walks Plus Hits Per Innings Pitched:  1.061

Walter Perry Johnson was born on a rural farm near Humboldt, Kansas.  When he was fourteen, his family moved to Orange County, California.  When he was young, he busied himself playing baseball, working the oil fields, and riding horses.  He attended Fullerton High School, where he managed to strike out 27 batters during a 15-inning game against Santa Ana High School.  Later, he moved to Idaho where he worked for the local telephone company and pitched in the Idaho State League.  In 1907, at the age of nineteen, he was spotted by a scout and soon signed a contract with the Washington Senators.

The surly Ty Cobb remembered him from his rookie season thusly:  "On August 2, 1907, I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field.  He was a rookie, and we licked our lips as we warmed up for the first game of a doubleheader in Washington.  Evidently manager Pongo Joe Cantillon of the Nats (a name the Senators were sometimes known by) had picked a rube out of the cornfields of the deepest bushes to pitch against us . . . He was a tall, shambling galoot of about twenty, with arms so long they hung far out of his sleeves, and with a sidearm delivery that looked unimpressive at first glance . . . One of the Tigers imitated a cow mooing, and we hollered at Cantillon:  'Get the pitchfork ready, Joe - your hayseed's on his way back to the barn' . . . The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup.  And then something went past me that made me flinch.  The thing just hissed with danger.  We couldn't touch him . . . every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ballpark."

At the time, there was no reliable radar equipment to clock the speed of Walter Johnson's fastball.  In 1917, a Connecticut munitions lab recorded his fastball at 134 feet per second (about 91.36 mph).  This would've been an amazing speed at this point in baseball history, as weight training and conditioning didn't play the significant part in players' development as they do today.  He also pitched with a submarine-style delivery, which made things especially difficult for right-handed batters, as the ball often looked to be coming from third base.

Johnson held the record for most career strikeouts for 55 years until Nolan Ryan finally claimed the top spot.  He currently ranks ninth on the all-time strikeouts list.  This is also impressive considering only two other pre-World War II pitchers ever fanned more than 1,000 batters in a career:  Cy Young and Tim Keefe.  Johnson is also only one of two pitchers to have ever won more than 400 games in a career (along with Cy Young, who won 511).  Johnson managed to accumulate twelve 20-win seasons during his 21 year career, ten of which were consecutive.  His stats also include 110 shutouts, which remains a record to this day.  Sixty-five of the games he lost were due to the fact that his team failed to score a run.

In 1913, 1918, and 1924, Walter Johnson won the pitcher's Triple Crown, and twice (1913 and 1924) won the American League Most Valuable Player Award. 

In 1913, Johnson won 36 games.  In April and May of that year, he pitched 55.2 consecutive scoreless innings.

Though he often played on a losing team, Johnson finally led his team to the 1924 World Series.  He lost the first and fifth games of the Series, but later pitched four scoreless innings in relief during Game Seven, winning the Series for the Senators.  Walter led them to the Series once again the following year, but his experience was the opposite:  wins in the first two games, and a loss in the seventh game.

Johnson was also a fairly accomplished hitter with a career batting average of .235, including a .433 average in 1925.  He also made thirteen appearances in the outfield during his career.  In 13 of his 21 seasons, he hit over .200, hit three homers in 1914, and 12 doubles and a triple in 1917.  For his career, he had 23 home runs, which remains the ninth-highest total for a pitcher.

He began his managerial career in 1928, managing the Newark, New Jersey team of the International League.  He later moved up to the majors, managing the Washington Nationals/Senators (1929-1932) and the Cleveland Indians (1933-1935).

Johnson was one of the first five players to be elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.  In 1938, he served as a commissioner in Montgomery County, Maryland.  In 1939, Johnson worked as a radio announcer for the Senators.  In 1940, he ran for Maryland's 6th district Congressional seat, but ultimately lost to William D. Byron.  On Tuesday, December 10, 1946, Johnson died of a brain tumor at the age of 59.

#1 - Willie Mays (1931- )

"The Say Hey Kid"

Position:
Center Field

Teams:
New York/San Francisco Giants (1951-1952; 1954-1972)
New York Mets (1972-1973)

Career Statistics:
Batting Average:  .302
Home Runs:  660
RBI:  1,903
Slugging Percentage:  .557
On-Base Percentage:  .384
Hits:  3,283

William Howard Mays, Jr. was born in Westfield, Alabama, which lies just outside of Birmingham.  His father was a gifted baseball player who played on a Negro League industrial team for the local iron plant.  His mother was a talented basketball and track star in high school.  Mays inherited his parents' athletic gifts and excelled in many sports, such as basketball and football, in addition to baseball.

In 1947, while still in high school, Mays played a short time for the Chattanooga Choo-Choo's in Tennessee after school let out for the summer.  He then returned home to Alabama to play for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League.  He led the team to the 1948 Negro League World Series, but they ultimately lost to the Homestead Grays.  He was a standout defensively and on the base-paths, though his batting average was only .226.  Over the next several years, multiple scouts from different Major League Baseball teams came out to watch Willie play.  The first team to scout him, the Boston Braves, passed on him.  Then the Brooklyn Dodgers rejected him because they felt he couldn't hit the curveball.  Finally, the New York Giants took notice and signed Willie to their class-B affiliate in Trenton, New Jersey in 1950.

After posting a .353 batting average in Trenton, Willie was moved up to the class AAA Minneapolis Millers of the American Association.  After hitting .477 and playing stellar defense, Mays was called up to the New York Giants on May 24, 1951.  He went hitless in his first twelve at-bats, but he rocketed a homer over the fence in his thirteenth against Warren Spahn.  He continued to improve throughout the season, though his .274 average, 20 homers, and 68 RBI were the lowest of his career.  Despite this, he still managed to win Rookie of the Year.  His Giants met the New York Yankees in the World Series that year, though they lost the Series 4-2, with Mays performing poorly.

Mays was drafted by the United States Army in 1952 and ended up missing most of the '52 season and all of the '53 season.  He spent most of his service time playing baseball in Fort Eustis, VA.

He returned to the Giants in 1954, leading the league with a .345 batting average and hitting 41 homers.  He won the National League MVP that season, and once again led the Giants to the World Series where they swept the Cleveland Indians.  This Series is best remembered by what is now referred to as "The Catch," Mays's over-the-shoulder running grab in deep center field of the Polo Grounds.  This is one of the most memorable plays in the history of baseball, and it also prevented two Indian runners from scoring, preserving the tied game. 

During the last three years the Giants spent in New York, Mays continued to perform at a high level.  In 1956, he hit 36 home runs and stole 40 bases.  In 1957, he won the first of twelve consecutive Gold Glove Awards (this was the first year the Gold Glove was awarded).  In 1957, he became only the fourth person to join the 20-20-20 club (20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 home runs), as well as stealing 38 bases.

In 1958, the Giants relocated to San Francisco.  This season, Mays narrowly missed winning the National League batting title, when his .347 average couldn't quite top the Phillie's Richard Ashburn's .350.  On April 30, 1961, Mays hit four homers against the Milwaukee Braves.  He remains the only Major Leaguer to have both a four homer game and a four triple game.  The following season, the Giants made it to the World Series, but Willie struggled, hitting just .250.  They lost in seven games to the Yankees. 

In both the '63 and '64 seasons, Mays drove in over 100 runs and hit a combined 85 homers.  He won his second MVP in 1965 with a career-high 52 home runs.  On September 13, 1965, Willie hit his 500th career home run.  Willie set a major league record for playing in over 150 games for 13 consecutive seasons.  He hit career homer 600 in September 1969 against the San Diego Padres. 

In May 1972, the 41-year old Mays was traded to the New York Mets.  The Giants franchise had been losing money and they could not guarantee Willie an income after retirement.  The Mets, on the other hand, offered him a position as a coach after his retirement.  In his May 14, 1972 debut, he hit a fifth-inning home run against his former team.  Then, on August 17, 1973, he hit his 660th and final home run against the Cincinnati Reds.  He ended up playing a season-and-a-half with the Mets before announcing his retirement.  He was honored in a ceremony on September 25, 1973.  He capped off his career by playing in the World Series against the Oakland Athletics, though he was limited in playing time.  The Mets ended up losing in seven games.

Mays remained active after leaving baseball, appearing on television, movies, and other non-sports related media.  He stayed with the New York Mets as their hitting instructor until 1979.  On January 23, 1979, Willie was elected to the Hall of Fame.  Over the next few years, Willie took up golf, and became quite adept at it, playing to a handicap of 4.  Shortly after being elected to the Hall of Fame, Willie took a job at the Park Place Casino in Atlantic City, working as Special Assistant to the Casino's President, and as a greeter, a job he performed alongside Mickey Mantle.  When Bowie Kuhn (Commissioner of Baseball) found out about this, he suspended Mays and Mantle from having any involvement in baseball because of the rules against gambling.  Kuhn successor, Peter Ueberroth, rescinded the suspension in 1985.  Since 1986, Willie has served as Special Assistant to the President of the San Francisco Giants, as well as serving on the advisory board of the Baseball Assistance Team, an organization dedicated to helping former Minor, Major, and Negro League baseball players through financial hardships. 

It was difficult trying to decide whether to place Willie Mays or Hank Aaron atop this list.  Their numbers were both incredibly impressive.  In some cases, Hank Aaron's were slightly better.  In other cases, Willie Mays's were.  And I do mean slightly.  However, I feel that Willie Mays was a better all-around player.  Here's a comparison of their numbers:

Willie Mays                                                                            Hank Aaron
Batting Average:  .302                                                            Batting Average:  .305
Home Runs:  660                                                                   Home Runs:  755
RBI:  1,903                                                                            RBI:  2,297
Slugging %:  .557                                                                   Slugging %:  .555
On-Base %:  .384                                                                  On-Base %:  .374
Hits:  3,283                                                                            Hits:  3,771
2B:  523                                                                                2B:  624
3B:  140                                                                                3B:   98                                                        Stolen Bases:  338                                                                 Stolen Bases:  240
Caught Stealing:  103                                                             Caught Stealing:  73
Steal Success:  .766                                                               Steal Success:  .766
Base-on-balls:  1,464                                                             Base-on-balls:  1,402
Strike-Outs:  1,526                                                                Strike-outs:  1,383
On-Base plus Slugging:  .941                                                 On-Base plus Slugging:  .928
Total Bases:  6,066                                                                Total Bases:  6,856
Fielding %:  .981                                                                    Fielding %:  .98

Many of their numbers are nearly identical.  A .002 difference in batting average, a 95 difference in homers, 394 difference in RBI, a .002 difference in slugging, a .01 difference in OBP, a difference of 488 in hits, 101 difference in doubles, a 42 difference in triples, a 98 difference in stolen bases, an identical steal success, a difference of 62 in walks, 143 difference in strike-outs, .013 difference in OPS, a 790 difference in total bases, and a .001 difference in fielding percentage. 

It's obvious why it was such a difficult choice.  I briefly considered having both of them share the top spot, but I didn't want a tie.  The main factor it finally rested on was fielding ability.  While their fielding percentages were nearly identical, the fact is that Willie Mays played center field and Hank Aaron played mostly right field.  Center field is a much more difficult position to play than right, as more balls are generally hit in that direction .  Also, Willie Mays spent the first seven years of his career playing at the Polo Grounds in New York, which was a whopping 483-feet to center field.  Willie had much more ground to cover than Hank Aaron ever did, and he covered it nearly flawlessly.  That is what ultimately tipped the scale in Willie's favor.

Now, on to the pitchers!