Who is Baseball's Greatest Pitcher?

Clements, Maddox, Koufax, Gibson? who is baseball's greatest pitcher? All across America, in school cafeterias, on ball-fields, in front of TVs, and while clicking digital games, fans battle over eras and strike outs, winning percentages and perfect games. Finally here is the book that will —- give them more fuel for their debates. At the same time it teaches how to make historical comparisons, and shows how the game has changed over the years. Journalist and sportswriter Jeff Kisseloff gives readers the facts on 37 of baseball's best, along with an introduction that discusses the importance of control, balls & strikes, the mound, delivery, the zone, the baseball, types of pitchers, relief pitchers, and the designated hitter. Statistics are given for each pitcher's record, including Won/Lost, complete games, innings pitched, strikeouts vs. bats on balls, hits & runs, shutouts, MVPs and Cy Young awards.

Asks the reader to compare the statistics for thirty-three of baseball's greatest starting pitchers and decide who is the best.

In this engaging book, sportswriter Jeff Kisseloff gives readers the facts, along with tips, for analyzing, comparing, and deciding for themselves who might be baseball's greatest pitcher. Given the longevity of the game and the many candidates, it's not as easy as it seems. How to compare the stats of a righthanded pitcher throwing a 19th-century baseball with those of a lefty from the next century with the latest training and state-of-the-sport equipment? A companion to Who Is Baseball's Greatest Hitter?, this book helps readers understand the variables: how lively the ball was in various eras, how far the mound was from home plate, and how many games were played in a season. The introduction offers a thumbnail sketch of the game's history, while the two- to five-page discussions of each pitching champ offer vivid profiles of the men, their achievements, and the elusive qualities that made them the winners they were. Arranging his subjects in alphabetical order, and including profiles and statistics for 38 great pitchers, Kisseloff makes the case for each pitcher and includes suggestions for further reading.

Publishers Weekly

In a companion to Who Is Baseball's Greatest Hitter?, Jeff Kisseloff moves from behind the plate to atop the mound to ask Who Is Baseball's Greatest Pitcher? He profiles 33 candidates for this honor, including Roger Clemens, Nolan Ryan and Pedro Martinez, as well as players from an earlier era whose names may not be as well known to young spectators, such as Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown and Eddie Plank. The lively text is peppered with enough stats to satisfy the most studious fan, and Kisseloff leaves the final selection up to individual readers. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Jeff Kisseloff is a freelance writer, and the author of Who Is Baseball's Greatest Hitter? He has also written three adult oral histories: one about Manhattan, one on the early days of TV, and (forthcoming in 2003), one about the sixties. He lives in Sleepy Hollow, New York, and on his shelf is his most prized possession, a brick from Ebbets Field.