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In the long history of major league baseball there have been a lot of effective pitchers who carved out Hall of Fame careers, but there has also been a special breed who combine talent, competitiveness and a mean streak to become experts in the art of not only pitching effectively, but striking fear in the hitters they face. Here is my list of the five most intimidating pitchers of all time:

1. Bob Gibson – this Hall of Famer was on my list of 5 players who changed the game, since his dominance led to rules changes to add more offense. He may have been the most intimidating pitcher of all time. He was extremely competitive and downright surly. Hank Aaron, the greatest home run hitter of all time, said this about him: “you don’t dig in against Bob Gibson, he’ll knock you down. He’d knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him. Don’t stare at him, don’t smile at him, don’t talk to him. He doesn’t like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don’t run too slow, don’t run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don’t charge the mound, because he’s a Gold Glove boxer.”

2. Don Drysdale – like Gibson, he had Hall of Fame talent and a legendary mean streak. Here are some quotes from Drysdale’s peers – from Dick Groat: “hitting against him is like going to a dentist appointment.” From Mickey Mantle: “I hated to hit against Drysdale. After he hit you he’d come around, look at the bruise on your arm and ask, “do you want me to sign it?” From Mike Shannon: “Don Drysdale would consider an intentional walk a waste of three pitches. If he wants to put you on base, he can hit you with one pitch.”

3. J.R. Richard – he spent his career with the Houston Astros, and suffered a stroke in 1980 which shortened that career. But between 1976 and 1979, he was one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors. He never had a reputation as a head hunter like Drysdale or Gibson – his intimidation status came from his imposing 6’8″,  220 lb. frame and his tremendous velocity (his fastball was routinely clocked above 100 MPH and his slider at 98). On top of that velocity was the fact that Richard had control problems. Most hitters can can handle a pitcher who throws hard but get nervous when even that pitcher has no idea where the ball is going.

4. Randy Johnson – the only left-hander on this list, “The Big Unit” was intimidating, like Richard, because of his size (6’10”) and the velocity of his pitches. He had a long 22-year career, pitched 2 no-hitters and won 5 Cy Young awards, so he was much more than just a hard thrower. He was intimidating but not in the same league of “meanness” as some other hurlers from the 1960s. Still, he is one of the all-time scariest pitchers for hitters to face. An unforgettable baseball moment is when Johnson, in an All Star game, threw a pitch behind and over the head of former Phillie John Kruk.

5. Nolan Ryan – like Johnson, Ryan had longevity, pitching 27 seasons. Like Gibson and Drysdale, he was a throwback to the early intimidators, actually starting his career in 1966. Like Richard, he had control problems. His career won/loss record was barely over .500, but he holds the major league records for both career strikeouts and no-hitters (7). He also walked more batters than any other pitcher. He pitched in four different decades, and maintained his velocity and intimidating style into his 40s.

In picking five significant players who changed the game in major league baseball, I broke my usual rule of only including those who I’d actually seen play. The contributions of the players included on the list from before my time were just too great and too significant to leave them off. Here are five players who changed the game in major league baseball:

1. Jackie Robinson – when he was called up to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946, breaking the color line in baseball, it was the most significant change in the history of the game. He handled the adversity of having to face racism in ballparks across the country with class and dignity, and paved the way for minorities to play in the major leagues. Some of that racism came not only from the bleachers, but from opposing dugouts and even his own clubhouse.

2. Babe Ruth – before “The Babe” came on the scene, baseball was in what is now referred to as the “dead ball” era, where the player who led the league in home runs hit around 10 or so for the whole year. The game was dominated by pitching and speed. Ruth, after starting his career as a pitcher, became the most prolific home run hitter of all time and lifted the popularity of the sport to new heights. He set major league records for single season and career home runs ( 60 and 714) that stood for generations. Ruth is probably the biggest icon in the history of American professional sports.

3. Bob Gibson – the big Cardinals’ right-hander dominated the game in the 1960s, and his contribution to changing baseball can be summed up in the 1968 season, known as the “Year of The Pitcher”. Gibson set an all-time standard by recording a 1.12 ERA and his dominance was directly responsible for baseball making significant rule changes for the following season – lowering the pitcher’s mound and tightening up the hitter’s strike zone.

4. Ichiro Suzuki – there were a couple of Oriental players who played in the major leagues prior to Ichiro’s arrival, but none had the impact that he had in paving the way for the influx of Asians into the game as he did. He was the first Japanese-born every day positional player in the majors, and was an instant all star, sending GMs searching for the “next” Ichiro throughout Japan, Korea, etc.

5. Curt Flood – he had a decent major league career, playing 15 seasons, mostly with the St. Louis Cardinals. But he made his biggest impact on the game when, after the 1969 season, he challenged baseball’s “reserve clause” system by refusing to be traded to the Phillies. His challenge was ultimately unsuccessful, but it brought the players together in solidarity to eventually fight and break down the system, resulting in the free agency today’s players enjoy. Flood is mostly remembered for his role in baseball’s labor history, but his playing career, which included 7 Gold Gloves for fielding excellence, 3 all-star selections and 2 World Series rings, is also worth noting.

My top five baseball managers of all time will not include legends like Joe McCarthy, Connie Mack or even Casey Stengel. McCarthy and Mack don’t qualify since they managed way before my time, and Stengel doesn’t make the list because I only remember him as manager of the hapless expansion Mets in the early 1960s (“Can anybody here play this game?”). My only other recollection of him is his being fired after the Yankees lost the 1960 World Series to Pittsburgh, and that must have been a good decision since his replacement, Ralph Houk, won the next 2 Series titles. I didn’t include any active managers – that might make a good future “list” post. Those who deserve mention but didn’t make the cut include Lou Piniella, Earl Weaver, Tommy Lasorda, Bobby Cox, Whitey Herzog  and Gene Mauch. Here are my choices, again, in no particular order:

1. Walter Alston – this guy is the reason why the Dodgers, from their Brooklyn days on into the move to Los Angeles and beyond, were always one of the most stable franchises in baseball – at least they were up until the last couple of years. He managed the club for 23 years and won 7 pennants and 4 World Series titles. He managed the NL to victories in the all star game 7 times. His long tenure as manager of the same team is even more remarkable when you add in the fact that he worked on one-year contracts for the entire 23 years. Alston was elected into Cooperstown in 1983.

2. Sparky Anderson – like Alston, Anderson’s longevity was his trademark, as he managed in the major leagues for 26 years. The difference is he did it with 2 different teams – the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. Anderson guided the vaunted “Big Red Machine” to 2 World Series titles in Cincinnati, then won another title with the Tigers in 1984, becoming the first manager to win a World Series in both leagues. Anderson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.

3. Billy Martin – there was much more to Martin’s managerial career than his celebrated feuds with owner George Steinbrenner and animated arguments with umpires. His stints with the Yankees became almost comical, as he was hired 5 different times as manager there, but he also helped revive a once proud franchise and returned them to glory in the mid-1970s, winning 2 pennants and a World Series. His best attributes as a manager were being a genius on strategy and turning losing teams into instant winners, which he pulled off not only with the Yanks but in Minnesota, Detroit, Texas and Oakland. Martin would probably be considered the best manager of all time had he not battled alcohol problems his entire career, which got him fired at almost every stop.

4. Dick Williams – this is one of baseball’s most under-rated managers. Williams won 2 consecutive World Series titles with the Oakland A’s in the early 1970s, and also had successful runs as a manager prior to that in Boston and after his Oakland years in San Diego. In Boston in 1967, he guided the underdog Red Sox to their first pennant since 1946 and although they lost the World Series to the heavily-favored St. Louis Cardinals in seven games (3 of the 4 losses were to Bob Gibson), it was considered a great job of managing by Williams. He led the talent-laden A’s to their titles, proving he could win with both underdogs and talented players. He managed the Montreal Expos for a short stint, turning that franchise into a winner also, and in 1984 led the Padres into the World Series with another ragtag roster, but they lost the Series to Anderson’s Tigers.

5. Joe Torre – Torre was a good but not spectacular manager in earlier jobs with the Mets, Braves and Cardinals, but found his niche when Steinbrenner hired him to lead the Yankees. His hiring wasn’t popular with the NY media, as they dubbed him “Clueless Joe”, but in 12 seasons as manager, he guided the Yanks to the playoffs every season and restored the Bronx Bombers to prominence, winning 4 World Series titles. It’s possible that Torre’s managing career may not be over, which would mean he’d have to be moved to the “active” list of great managers. If that happens, it would probably be Herzog who replaced him on this list.

One of the most valuable commodities for any major league baseball team to have is good left-handed pitching. Today I am listing my choices for the five top left-handed starting pitchers of all time. I did not include players from baseball’s old “dead ball” era like Eddie Plank and Lefty Grove, since their stats are somewhat skewed. My choices are therefore limited to players that I’ve actually seen pitch. Here are my picks for the 5 greatest “southpaws” of all time:

1. Sandy Koufax – Koufax has been called a “Supernova” because he played 12 seasons in the majors, but his best work was compressed into 6 years, from 1961 to 1966, when he was the most dominant pitcher in the game. He won 3 Cy Young Awards, and was voted the award unanimously all 3 times. He was a seven time all star, won 4 World Series and was Series MVP twice. He pitched 4 no-hitters in his career, and in 1963 was voted NL MVP, an award rarely given to a pitcher. My personal memory of Koufax, which pushed him to the top of this list, is the 1965 World Series when his Los Angeles Dodgers met the Twins. He refused to pitch the opening game because it fell on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, and the Twins won the first 2 games. After the Dodgers battled back to tie the Series, Koufax pitched a complete game shutout in Game 5, then after the Twins won to force a game 7, he came back on 2 days rest and pitched a 3-hit shutout to clinch the title for the Dodgers.

2. Whitey Ford – it amazes me how little respect this guy gets when people discuss the greatest all-time pitchers in baseball history, and that probably is due to the fact that he played on New York Yankee teams, for 16 years, that were loaded with marquee players. Still, to his teammates and Yankee fans, Ford is “The Chairman of The Board”. He was a 10 time all star and pitched for 6 World Series-winning teams in New York. He won the Cy Young Award in 1961, when only one Cy Young was awarded, not one in each league, and was also World Series MVP that year. Ford was a dominant post-season pitcher, with 10 World Series wins. He started Game One in a World Series for the Yanks 8 times. The one year he didn’t, in 1960, the Yanks lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games, and Ford only was able to start twice, winning both times.

3. Warren Spahn – if this list were based on longevity alone, Spahn would be at the top. He pitched for 21 years, and was a 20-game winner 13 times, including a 23-7 season when he was 42 years old. His 363 career wins are the most of any left-hander in baseball history. Baseball awards the “Warren Spahn Award” annually to the the game’s top southpaw. Really, you could rearrange the top 3 on this list in any order and get no argument from me. A story that best describes Spahn – on July 2, 1963, at age 42, he was involved in an epic pitchers’ duel with the Giants’ 25-year old ace, Juan Marichal. Both hurlers threw complete games in a battle that lasted 16 innings, finally decided, 1-0, by a Willie Mays solo homer in the bottom of the 16th off Spahn. Marichal threw 227 pitches that day, Spahn 201 in the loss.

4. Steve Carlton – Carlton’s career ended in 1988, and one stat he possesses is an indictment of today’s pitchers. He is the last pitcher from any team to throw 300 innings in a season. Also on his resume are 4 Cy Young Awards, 10 all star appearances, 2 World Series titles, a plaque in the Hall of Fame and even a Gold Glove Award for his fielding. In 1972, pitching for the last place Phillies, “Lefty” won 27 games, a remarkable feat considering his team won a total of 59 games all season. 

5. Randy Johnson –  “The Big Unit” was clearly not only one of the top southpaws of all time, but one of the top pitchers period. He won more Cy Youngs (5) than the others on the list, had more career strikeouts, and threw 2 no-hitters, including a perfect game. He is third on the all-time list for hit batsmen, so he was a throwback intimidator who used his 100+ MPH fastball and cutting slider to his advantage. Johnson was also a 10-time all star, and not only won a World Series (with the Arizona Diamondbacks) but was MVP of the Series. The stat that landed him at the #5 spot is his paltry 100 complete games in his 22-year career. By comparison, Spahn had 382, Carlton 254, Koufax 137 in 12 seasons, and Ford 156 in 16 seasons.

When you’re a sports fan, over the years you develop a “love” for the teams you follow in each sport, and almost as much of a “hate” for the teams that are their rivals. As more and more time goes by, however, you come to realize that that “hate” grows into what is more of a respect – respect that the “hated” team gave you a lot of aggravation because your team just couldn’t beat them. My “hatred” for coach Don Shula was monumental during the years that his Miami Dolphin teams dominated the Buffalo Bills, but looking back, there was no way those Bills’ teams were going to compete with Shula’s Miami teams. So the “hatred” becomes respect once you have the perspective of realizing that the guy was one of the best, arguably THE best, NFL coach of all time.

I’ve been a Cleveland Indian fan my whole life, and my “hatred” for the New York Yankees goes back a good 45 years, since the Indians have been consistent losers most of those years while the Yankees have been dominant. I still catch myself checking out the baseball scores and being momentarily upset when I see that the Yankees beat say, the Twins or the Tigers, then realize – “wait, that’s a good thing for the Indians.” Old habits die hard. In the case of the old Yankee teams I grew up despising, I really have a great deal of respect for them now. Looking back, the 1950s/’60s dynasty was winding down in the first few years I remember following baseball, and in actuality they struggled for most of the decade of the ’60s. I have the utmost respect for the Yankee players of that era now – guys like Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, Clete Boyer, Elston Howard, Moose Skowron, Tony Kubek, Bobby Richardson and especially Roger Maris. In my mind, Maris’ single-season home run record of 61 still deserves an asterisk, only now the asterisk should be followed by the statement – “the REAL non-chemically enhanced single-season record.”

Out of all those old Yankee players, the guy you can’t help but love is Lawrence “Yogi” Berra, whose birthday is today. Yogi was nearing the end of the line when I remember him playing, but I do remember him being a tremendous clutch player, even at the end of his playing days. With apologies to Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk, Berra is the greatest major league catcher of all time. He may also be the greatest ambassador for the game that baseball has ever had. I don’t know if there has ever been a person born on the planet who loves baseball more than Yogi, and any time I catch a show that includes him telling old baseball stories or giving a tour of his museum, I can’t help but stop and watch. Thank you, Yogi, for being a part of an era in baseball when I learned to love the game, even though at the time I thought I “hated” you. And Happy Birthday, Yogi! Here’s wishing you many, many more birthdays too, even though, as you would say – “the future ain’t what it used to be.”