Quote:
Originally posted by EagleFan
What happened to your boy Maddux? You've been stroking him the whole thread and now you bail?
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I mentioned him once as being better than Ryan. Then I defended my selection. Ryan played on decent teams. They weren't terrible. Here's a very simple stat:
Maddux - Four Cy Young Awards
Ryan - Zero Cy Young Awards
Maddux was the best NL pitcher during his prime. Ryan was never the best pitcher in his league. Ryan's stats like CG and shutouts are better. But he was playing in an era where there was a lot less offense. When you compare Maddux to the league, he is far superior to Ryan.
I'd take Maddux in a big game over Ryan. Ryan was, as you said, unhittable at his best. But those seven no-hitters are just seven wins. Maddux is just about unbeatable when he's on as well. But he's a lot more likely to be at his best than Ryan.
All things being equal you should go with the strikeout pitcher. But things aren't equal between Maddux and Ryan.
You mentioned Ryan's nearly six thousand Ks. But you didn't mention his nearly three thousand walks. You listed opponent batting average. But you didn't list WHIP or opponent on base average, which are much more closely tied to runs.