Though it is very much a matter of opinion, and there is the well known paradox of comparing players of different eras, I will contend that the question of who the greatest pitcher baseball has ever seen is actually not as difficult to answer as you might think.
The names that usually get thrown about include Koufax, Spahn, Walter Johnson, and -- until his inclusion in the Mitchell Report -- Roger Clemens, but the purpose of this article will not be to surmise who has had the biggest (or smallest) career totals, nor the most incredible single-season flameouts, but a middle ground of who was the most dominant pitcher over a reasonably-long peak period in their career.
When measuring the greatest seasons ever by a hurler, who befuddled hitters the most? The answer is Pedro Martinez, and it’s not particularly close. To really understand just how incredible Pedro was, we will first take a look at his statistics between 1997 and 2003 before comparing those numbers to other pitchers’ historically great seasons, and finally put those numbers in a historical context. In short, between those 1997 and 2003 seasons, Pedro Martinez’ average numbers were as good as any pitcher in the live ball era has put up over their single best campaign.
One of the most useful statistics that Sabermetrics has provided the average baseball fan, now appearing in common player profiles alongside wins and ERA, is WHIP. Why this stat is useful is because it essentially yields a ratio of the number of base runners a pitcher gives up per inning, probably a more accurate judge of a pitcher’s effectiveness than just the number of runs they are actually responsible for, which brings in many more variables outside of that one player’s control. That being said, between ’97 and ’03 Martinez’ WHIP was a paltry .94. For any pitcher, giving up about one hit per inning is very, very good; Martinez did not even allow one baserunner per inning over a period of 7 seasons.
During this time he also struck out 1.25 batters per inning, an incredible rate. Compared with Nolan Ryan’s 1973 season -- where he set the single season (modern day) record with 383 punchouts, but did so over 326 innings for a rate of 1.17 strikeouts per inning, one of the best ratios of his career -- Martinez does better over a much longer period of time. The point is that even Ryan, considered by many to be the best strikeout pitcher ever, may have put up staggering totals but did not strike out batters as frequently as Martinez even in just his peak single seasons, much less over 7 years.
So not only did Pedro not allow baserunners, he didn’t even allow the opposition to make contact. In 1999 through 2001, especially, Martinez’ numbers became just plain silly. During these years he put up strikeout rates of 1.47, 1.31, and 1.40, respectively. Though 2001 was slightly truncated by injury, the overall enormity of these stats is staggering. Particularly in 2000, where Pedro put up a corresponding ERA of 1.74 and WHIP of .74 (!!!), the man was simply dominant on the mound.
So why are these numbers so special? Quite frankly, there is no modern referent for these statistics. Even among the best pitchers in the history of the game, a full season with a WHIP under 1.00 is extremely rare, and even the best strikeout rates year to year are usually just over 1 per inning; there are only so many other players with whom Martinez is even worth comparing. So let’s do just that and look at Martinez’ 2000 season next to four of the very greatest in the modern era.
First up is Sandy Koufax in 1965 where he put up a record of 26-8, an ERA of 2.04, a WHIP of .86, and recorded 382 strikeouts in 335 and 2/3 innings; second is Bob Gibson’s 1968 at 22-9 / 1.12 / .85 / 268 / 304 and 2/3 IP; third is Greg Maddux’ 1995 with 19-2 / 1.63 / .81 / 181 / 209 and 2/3 IP; and finally is Randy Johnson’s 2001 season with a record of 21-6 / 2.49 / 1.01 / 372 / 249 and 2/3 IP.
What is remarkable about all of these numbers is that in none of these seasons were these pitchers able to match Martinez’ knack for both striking out batters, and keeping them off base entirely. While Nolan Ryan, as already mentioned, was one of the great strikeout pitchers in history, he was nearly as well known for his wildness, and often relied on the strikeout to get himself out of trouble.
While in 2001 Randy Johnson managed to best Martinez’ career-best K/IP ratio from 1999 with a staggering 1.48 k/IP, his overall numbers don’t quite match Martinez’ during his prime. In 2004 Johnson did post a WHIP of .9, but even that number doesn’t match Martinez in 2000. The closest competitor in that category -- Maddux in 1995 with a WHIP of .81 -- did not have nearly the strikeout rate Pedro had at any point during his career.
So perhaps the next best season to Martinez’ peak years would be Koufax in ’65; all the more impressive due to the number of innings he threw. However, discounting the extra workload, Koufax’ overall numbers that summer don’t quite stack up to Martinez’ magical 2001 campaign. Moreover, even Koufax in his noteworthy, brief career did not put up consistent greatness on the level of Martinez between 1997 and 2003.
So why was Pedro Martinez the most dominant pitcher in Major League Baseball, ever, during his prime seasons? Because of the amazingly few number of hitters he allowed to so much as touch first base, and the fact that they usually didn’t even manage to get out of the batters box. To bring attention back to the fact: Martinez posted a WHIP of .74 during the 2000 season. Point. Seven. Four. Only one other pitcher, as was showed, has even come within a tenth of a point of that number over a full season.
But perhaps the most impressive fact about Martinez’ career: he did all this smack dab in the middle of the steroids era. Pedro put up the best pitching statistics in the history of baseball during a time in the game when run production was at an all-time high. Assuming that he himself is clean, there can be absolutely no doubt that Pedro Martinez was the most dominant pitcher baseball has ever seen, and the only thing we have left to wonder is, such as with Koufax, what amazing career numbers could he have put up had his body been able to hold out longer.
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