Bigmouth David Cone is hardly the first person to suggest that Roger Clemens is the greatest pitcher of all time. (By whom, where, why, when, and how is David Cone always being asked his opinion?)
It's very difficult to compare the stats of the modern-day, 200-inning, five-man rotation starter to the old-school, 1,000-inning, one-man rotation, both-games-of-a-doubleheader, no-bullpen starter. But when you're trying to figure out the greatest pitcher of all time, that's what you have to do.
Clemens did all of his work (prior to 2004, of course) in the modern-day AL. Low mounds and steroids and DHs and small ballparks. It takes about five seconds of research to conclude that the past 20 years have been a high-scoring era in baseball, but Pepe dismisses all of these factors because "his entire career occurred when competition was watered down by the era of expansion." Yeah, expansion of the hitter's biceps is more like it.
Which is fine, I suppose. It's an odd opinion to suggest that Clemens barely belongs in the top ten, but opinions regarding this matter are bound to vary wildly.
But guess who's the greatest pitcher of all time? Sandy Koufax and his 165 wins.
"Koufax was the unwitting victim of a nonsensical rule in baseball at the time that sought to discourage wealthier teams from cornering the market on talent. It was decreed that a player signed for a bonus of at least $4,000 had to remain on the major league roster for two years, thereby taking up a valuable spot on a team's 25-man roster, and at the same time, depriving the young player of plying his trade in the minor leagues.
Koufax never pitched in the minors, and it took him three years to become a serviceable major league pitcher. Once he did, he was the most dominant pitcher of his time and he finished his career with what may be the greatest six-year stretch in history."
What was the question, again? Pepe seems confused.
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