I was all set to do something commemorating today's 15th anniversary of the Opening Ceremony of the Atlanta Olympics, which are (and for the forseeable future will remain) the last Summer Games to take place on American soil. But then I got an e-mail from Mr. Jim with his list of the 15 greatest pitchers in Orioles history that didn't eventually become underwear models. Since I'm not at all opposed to shamelessly stealing other people's good ideas, I decided that instead I'll do a list of my own counting down the top 15 pitchers in Yankees history.
How hard was it to narrow down this list? Well, the Yankees are the only franchise that's had three perfect games, yet Don Larsen, David Wells and David Cone all didn't make the cut. Neither did Roger Clemens, who, "enhanced" or not, had six pretty damn good years in pinstripes. (The mistrial will get its own blog post at some point.) Nor did CC Sabathia, who might end up in the Top 10 by the time he's done (he's only 30), or Vic Raschi, who had a .706 career winning percentage. Jim's list also didn't feature any active players (I don't know if that was a conscious decision or just because the current Orioles pitching staff isn't very good), but obviously a Yankees list wouldn't be complete without that guy who pitches the ninth inning. And now, without further ado, here's my list of the 15 greatest pitchers in Yankees history.
15. Spud Chandler (1937-47)
He's probably one of the least heralded great pitchers in franchise history. Chandler was the AL MVP in 1943 when he went 20-4 with a 1.64 ERA, the best in team history. He never had a losing record in 11 seasons and had a career record of 109-43. His .717 winning percentage is the best in Major League history. Chandler was also a four-time All-Star and three-time World Champion.
14. Sparky Lyle (1972-78)
The Yankees have had four great closers in franchise history, and he was the first. He finished third in AL MVP voting in 1972, then became the first reliever in history to win the Cy Young in 1977, when he went 13-5 with a 2.17 ERA and a league-leading 26 saves. But the Yankees got Goose Gossage that offseason and traded Lyle after the 1978 season.
13. Bob Shawkey (1915-27)
He started the first game in the history of the original Yankee Stadium, so that's enough to qualify for the list. Shawkey was the ace of the staff when Babe Ruth got there and pitched in the Yankees' first five World Series (1921-23, 1926-27). His 15 strikeouts in a game was a franchise record until broken by Whitey Ford and his 168 wins are the sixth-most in franchise history.
12. Catfish Hunter (1975-79)
The lowest-ranked Hall of Famer on the list (he was inducted in 1987), Hunter was one of the first big free agent signings in baseball history. And he was one of the last pieces of the puzzle for the Yankees teams that won three straight pennants (1976-78) and back-to-back World Series (1977-78). Hunter led the AL with 23 wins in 1975, made the All-Star team in 1976 and was the ace of the staff on the championship teams.
11. Goose Gossage (1978-83)
Arguably the greatest closer in history until No. 42 came along, he pioneered the role. Gossage sometimes pitched as many as three innings to finish off a game. He led the AL in saves twice and made the All-Star team five times while a Yankee, and his 2.14 ERA is the best in franchise history among pitchers with at least 500 innings pitched. The Goose was only a Yankee for six seasons, but still managed to compile 151 saves in pinstripes. And he's wearing a Yankees hat on his plaque in Cooperstown.
10. Dave Righetti (1979, 1981-90)
Righetti began his career as a starter, winning the AL Rookie of the Year in 1981 and throwing a no-hitter (the first by a Yankee since Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series) against the Red Sox on the 4th of July in 1983. The following season, he moved to the bullpen and became arguably the best closer in the American League, setting the then-AL record for saves with 46 in 1986. The first player ever to both throw a no-hitter and lead the league in saves, he ended up with 224 saves, the second-most in franchise history (behind you know who). He's now the pitching coach for the World Champion Giants.
9. Jack Chesbro (1903-09)
The first great pitcher in franchise history, he technically was never a "Yankee" (they were the "Highlanders" until 1913). He pitched the first game in franchise history, then had one of the best seasons ever in 1904. He won a franchise-record 41 games (no pitcher has even won 30 games in a season since 1968), posted a 1.82 ERA and struck out 239 (second-most in franchise history) while almost leading the Highlanders to the pennant. Chesbro was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1946.
8. Andy Pettitte (1995-2003, 2007-10)
What to say about Andrew Eugene Pettitte? One of the "Core Four," he won five World Series and holds the Major League record with 19 postseason wins. He also holds the records for postseason starts and innings. Pettitte led the AL with 21 wins and finished second in Cy Young voting in 1996 and won more games in the 2000s (148) than anybody. He's second in franchise history in starts (396) and third in wins (203). Pettitte started the final game at the old Stadium in 2008 and became the first player in history to start and win the clinching game in all three postseason series the following year.
7. Mel Stottlemyre (1964-74)
Better known to this generation as Pettitte's pitching coach, Stottlemyre was the ace of the team when it wasn't very good in the late '60s. As a rookie, he started Game 7 of the World Series in 1964. That would be the Yankees' last pennant-winning season until 1976, but Stottlemyre was a rare bright spot during the next decade, winning 164 games, including three 20-win seasons, and making five All-Star teams. Stottlemyre is seventh in franchise history in wins (164) and strikeouts (1259) and tied for second with 40 shutouts. He was also a good hitter and once hit an inside-the-park grand slam.
6. Red Ruffing (1930-42, 1945-46)
His 231 wins and 40 shutouts are both the second-most in franchise history. Oh by the way, he also holds the franchise record with 261 complete games and ranks fourth with 1,526 strikeouts. Ruffing came to the Yankees from Boston in a midseason trade in 1930, and it went about as well for our "friends" from New England as the Babe Ruth trade. With the Yankees, he won six World Series (1932, 1936-39, 1941) and made the All-Star team six times. Ruffing had to wait until 1967 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, though.
5. Allie Reynolds (1947-54)
Of the 11 no-hitters in franchise history, Allie Reynolds is the only guy to throw two of them, and they both came in 1951. Reynolds is 10th in franchise history in wins (131), fifth in shutouts (27) and fourth in winning percentage (.686). During his eight seasons in pinstripes, the Yankees won the World Series six times. The numbers probably don't support him being this high, but he was the ace of the staff for the only team in history to win five consecutive championships (1949-53). Only four pitchers have a plaque in Monument Park and he's one of them.
4. Lefty Gomez (1930-42)
I wish I had seen Lefty Gomez play because even I'm not sure how good this guy was. He usually got overshadowed because he played with guys named Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio, but Gomez won 189 games during his 12-year Yankee career. He won 20 games four times (including 26 in 1934) and won the pitching triple crown (wins, ERA, strikeouts) twice. A member of the first seven American League All-Star teams, he holds records for All-Star starts (five, including the first three) and wins (three). He also had the first RBI in All-Star Game history in 1933, when he was the winning pitcher. Gomez won six straight World Series games from 1932-38 and was a part of five championship teams. He's had a plaque in Cooperstown since 1972.
3. Ron Guidry (1975-88)
The Yankees have only retired the numbers of two pitchers, and Gator's No. 49 was the most recent of the 16 put on the wall. Where do we start? How about 1978, when he won the Cy Young Award after going 25-3 with a ridiculous 1.74 ERA. Guidry had 248 strikeouts that season, including a franchise-record 18 in one game against the Angels, as the Yankees won their second straight World Series. He also won the Gold Glove every year from 1982-86 and was the Yankees captain from 1986-88. Guidry's 170 wins are the fifth-most in franchise history and he ranks third with 1,778 strikeouts.
2. Mariano Rivera (1995-Present)
No. 42 is going on the wall as soon as Mo retires, and not just because he's the last player in Major League history allowed to wear the number. I could go on for days about his greatness. Without a doubt the greatest closer in history, he's closing in on the all-time record of 601 saves. But as incredible as his regular season numbers are, it's the postseason where Mo has truly shined. In 94 career postseason games, he's 8-1 with 42 saves and a 0.71 ERA. Without Rivera, there's no Yankee dynasty in the late '90s. Oh yeah, he's also a 12-time All-Star. Even at 42, he still strikes the fear of God into opposing hitters. And as a fan, there's nothing like sitting in the Stadium, seeing that bullpen door swing open and hearing "Enter Sandman" as he jogs out to the mound in the top of the ninth.
1. Whitey Ford (1950-67)
Just as there's no debate about who's the greatest pitcher in Orioles history or Dodgers history (Sandy Koufax) or Cardinals history (Bob Gibson), there's no debate about who the greatest pitcher ever to don the pinstripes is: Edwin Charles Ford. While Mantle and Maris were busy chasing the home run record in 1961, he quietly won the Cy Young Award and the Yankees won the World Series. Ford started Game 1 of the World Series eight times, and the Yankees won six championships during his career. Ford's 10 World Series victories are an all-time record, and his streak of 33.2 consecutive scoreless innings in World Series play is the best ever. His 236 wins are a franchise record, and his career .690 winning percentage is the best in baseball history (for pitchers with at least 300 decisions). He also had an impressive career ERA of 2.75. Ford's No. 16 was retired in 1974, the same year he and good friend Mickey Mantle went into the Hall of Fame together.
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