The 20 Best Starting Pitchers of the '70s

Games/Starts: 276/257
Record: 110-86
20 Win Seasons: two
ERA: 2.93
Ks: 1,340
CG: 86
SHO: 24
four-time All-Star

Perhaps best known as being part of the court case that officially ended the reserve system and ushered in free agency, Messersmith was also a pretty good pitcher.

In 1974, he put together a line of 20-6, 2.59 ERA, and 221 Ks as he led the NL in wins while pitching for the Dodgers.

The next season, he had a line of 19-14, 2.29 ERA, and 213 Ks while leading the NL in CG with 19, SHO with 7, and IP with 321.2.

He bounced around to a few teams after the 1975 season, but he was at his best while he was a member of the Dodgers, with 53 wins in three seasons.

Games/Starts: 284/274
Record: 121-97
20 Win Seasons: none
ERA: 3.50
Ks: 911
CG: 61
SHO: 12
one-time All-Star

The man best known for pitching a perfect game while on LSD, Ellis was the ace of the Pirates staff throughout the early 1970s.

He had his best season in 1971, going 19-9, 3.06 ERA, and 137 Ks while making his only All-Star appearance and finishing fourth in NL CY Young voting.

He left the Pirates after the 1975 season, and he played for five teams in the next five years before he retired after a 4-12 season in 1979.

Games/Starts: 362/290
Record: 122-99
20 Win Seasons: two
ERA: 3.57
Ks: 925
CG: 72
SHO: 14
one-time All-Star
eight-time Gold Glove

Kaat was one of the best left handers of the generation, and was hands down the best fielder at the position.

He had his best two seasons in his time with the White Sox. In 1974, he went 21-13, and he followed that up with a 20-14 season the next year.

Kaat became a relief pitcher in 1979, extending his career and allowing him to pitch until the age of 44.

Games/Starts: 294/282
Record: 133-84
20 Win Seasons: two
ERA: 3.09
Ks: 1,029
CG: 74
SHO: 20
two-time All-Star

Despite missing the 1975 season after undergoing the surgery that bears his name, John still was among the decade's best pitchers.

He finished second in NL Cy Young voting in 1977, after putting together a 20-7, 2.78 ERA, 123 Ks, and also finished 12th in MVP voting.

The 1979 season also resulted in a second place Cy Young finish as he went 21-9. 2.96 ERA, and 111 Ks.

Games/Starts: 363/276
Record: 136-123
20 Win Seasons: four
ERA: 3.31
Ks: 1,138
CG: 113
SHO: 24
three-time All-Star

All things considered, Wood only pitched a half of the decade as he went just 21-21 after 1975 and retired after the 1978 season.

Wood won 20 games in four straight seasons from 1971-1974, leading the league in wins twice with a total of 24 both times.

He was a workhorse as he also led the league in starts four times and innings pitched twice.

A victim of some poor White Sox teams, the knuckleballer also lost 20 games twice, but posted an ERA under 4.11 both times, showing that it was not his fault.

Games/Starts: 116/91
Record: 59-19
20 Win Seasons: one
ERA: 2.49
Ks: 652
CG: 40
SHO: 16
two-time All-Star
one-time Cy Young

I considered leaving Guidry off of this list and imposing a restriction of at least 100 starts to be eligible, but I just could not ignore his 1978 season.

Guidry, in just his second full season, posted a 25-3, 1.74 ERA, and 248 Ks season, leading the league in wins and ERA en route to the unanimous Cy Young and a second place MVP finish.

He went on to an 18-8 record the next season, cementing his place as one of the best pitchers in baseball as he would dominate throughout the 1980s.

Games/Starts: 353/350
Record: 148-128
20 Win Seasons: one
ERA: 2.88
Ks: 2,082
CG: 145
SHO: 39
one-time All-Star

Blyleven broke into the majors with the Twins in 1970 at just 19-years-old, and posted a line of 10-9, 3.18 ERA, and 135 Ks in 25 starts.

He had his best season in 1973, going 20-17, 2.52 ERA, 258 Ks, and leading the AL with nine shutouts.

Blyleven's 3,701 career strikeouts and 287 career wins earn him a spot in Cooperstown in my eyes, and hopefully this will be his year.

Games/Starts: 253/245
Record: 120-78
20 Win Seasons: three
ERA: 3.34
Ks: 832
CG: 115
SHO: 25
three-time All-Star

Pitching behind Jim Palmer in the Orioles' rotation for the first half of the decade, the two made a formidable duo.

Cuellar led the AL in wins in 1970 with a record of 24-8. He also led the league in winning percentage, starts with 40, and complete games with 21.

His 120 wins during the decade are even more impressive when you consider that he retired after the 1977 season, and only won four games after 1975.

Games/Starts: 221/204
Record: 97-67
20 Win Seasons: one
ERA: 3.24
Ks: 1,374
GG: 72
SHO: 15

From 1976-1979, there might not have been a more dominant pitcher in all of baseball than Richard.

He went 74-51, 2.88 ERA, and 1044 Ks over that four year stretch, leading the league in ERA once and Ks twice.

Had it not been for a stroke, Richard would most likely be a Hall of Famer as his career ended at the age of 30 in 1980.

While his story is a sad one, he will forever be remembered as one of the best strikeout pitchers of his time.

Games/Starts: 406/376
Record: 164-151
20 Win Seasons: two
ERA: 3.26
Ks: 1,866
GG: 160
SHO: 25
two-time All-Star

Niekro manages to make this list, despite losing 20 games twice and leading the NL in losses three times during the decade.

The knuckleballer started at least 42 games from 1977-1979. During that stretch, he went 16-20, 19-18, and 21-20 as it took everything he had to be a .500 pitcher.

A lot of the reason for the poor win-loss record was his supporting cast as the Braves went 725-883 and only posted a winning record twice.

In total, Niekro had two 20 win seasons during the decade, and he led the NL in wins both times.

Games/Starts: 352/349
Record: 166-110
20 Win Seasons: one
ERA: 3.07
Ks: 1,767
CG: 117
SHO: 39
four-time All-Star

Sutton was a model of consistency throughout the 70s, winning at least 12 games every year and making at least 33 starts each season as well.

His best season came in 1976, when he went 21-10, 3.06 ERA, 161 Ks, and finished third in Cy Young voting in the NL.

After several years of waiting, Sutton and his 324 career wins finally made the Hall of Fame in 1998.

Games/Starts: 322/285
Record: 142-92
20 Win Seasons: three
ERA: 3.42
Ks: 1,229
CG: 120
SHO: 28
two-time All-Star

Tiant was the ace of the Red Sox staff for most of the decade, winning 20 games three times and finishing in the top 10 in Cy Young voting three times.

He led the AL with a 1.91 ERA in 1972, and in shutouts in 1974 with seven.

Games/Starts: 348/333
Record: 155-146
20 Win Seasons: two
ERA: 3.14
Ks: 2,678
GG: 164
SHO: 42
five-time All-Star

While the win-loss record does not jump off the page, the strikeout numbers most definitely do.

Ryan led the league in strikeouts eight times during the 70s, topping the 300 K mark an incredible five times.

He also had the only two 20-win seasons of his career during the 70s, going 21-16 in 1973 and 22-16 in 1974.

Games/Starts: 330/327
Record: 155-109
20 Win Seasons: three
ERA: 3.07
Ks: 1,600
CG: 124
SHO: 32
four-time All-Star
one-time Cy Young Winner
one-time MVP Winner

Blue was the ace of the great A's teams of the 1970s, and he put together arguably the best single season performance of any pitcher during the decade in 1971.

Blue put up a line of 24-8, 1.82 ERA, and 301 Ks, leading the league in ERA as well as shutouts with eight.

He went on to win the Cy Young and the MVP that season, both by landslide votes.

The 301 Ks were clearly a fluke as Blue would never again even top 200, but all the same it was an incredible season.

Games/Starts: 329/327
Record: 169-102
20 Win Seasons: five
ERA: 3.17
Ks: 1,309
CG: 140
SHO: 30
six-time All-Star
one-time Cy Young Winner

Despite going 23-24 from 1977-1979, Hunter was still one of the best pitchers of the decade as he won at least 20 games five straight seasons from '71-'75.

His Cy Young season came in 1974, his last year with Oakland, when he went 25-12, 2.49 ERA, and 143 Ks, leading the AL in wins and Ks and pitching the A's to the World Series.

He led the league in wins again the next year, his first with the Yankees when he went 23-14.

Games/Starts: 360/354
Record: 178-130
20 Win Season: four
ERA: 3.38
Ks: 1,841
GG: 184
SHO: 33
two-time All-Star
one-time Cy Young Winner

Jenkins was routinely among the NL win leaders, despite playing on some terrible Cubs teams.

He won the Cy Young in 1971 on the back of a 24-13, 2.77 ERA, and 263 Ks season. In 39 starts that season, he had 30 complete games.

After being traded to the Rangers, Jenkins set a career high for wins in his first season with his new team, going 25-12 and leading the AL in wins.

Games/Starts: 369/368
Record: 184-133
20 Win Seasons: four
ERA: 2.92
Ks: 1,907
CG: 197
SHO: 36
four-time All-Star
two-time Cy Young Winner

In a time when many players spent their entire careers with one team, Perry pitched for four different teams in the 70s alone.

All the same, he was successful wherever he went, winning at least 15 games in all but one season, and leading the league in wins three times.

His first Cy Young came in 1972 with the Indians, when he went 24-16, 1.92 ERA, and 234 Ks. The fact that his 1.92 ERA was not the best in the league shows you what a great era this was.

His second Cy Young came in 1978 as a member of the Padres, as he posted a line of 21-6, 2.73 ERA, and 154 Ks at the age of 39.

Games/Starts: 348/345
Record: 178-101
20 Win Seasons: four
ERA: 2.61
Ks: 2,304
CG: 147
SHO: 40
eight-time All-Star
two-time Cy Young Winner

Seaver is one of the most dominant pitchers of all time, let alone the 1970s, as he possessed a blazing fastball and pin point control.

He only posted an ERA over 3.00 twice during the decade, and won three ERA titles.

His first Cy Young came in 1973, when he went 19-10, 2.08 ERA, and 251 Ks, leading the league in ERA, Ks, as well as CG with 18.

He also posted an incredible WHIP of 0.976.

His second Cy Young came two years later, when he led the NL in wins with a 22-9 record and in Ks with 243.

His 2.38 ERA was third in the NL, leaving him just short of the pitching Triple Crown.

Games/Starts: 368/366
Record: 178-126
20 Win Seasons: four
ERA: 3.18
Ks: 2,097
CG: 165
SHO: 32
five-time All-Star
two-time Cy Young Winner

Carlton was the best left hander of the decade and is arguably the best of all time, although I think Koufax and Spahn both have him beat.

He won his first Cy Young in incredibly impressive fashion, as he won the pitching Triple Crown with a line of 27-10, 1.97 ERA, and 310 Ks.

He did all that for a Phillies team that went 59-97, as he won nearly half of their games.

His second Cy Young came in 1977, when he led the NL in wins with a 23-10 record, adding a 2.64 ERA and 194 Ks as well.

Games/Starts: 355/352
Record: 186-103
20 Win Seasons: eight
ERA: 2.58
Ks: 1,559
CG: 175
SHO: 44
six-time All-Star
three-time Cy Young Winner

Palmer was absolutely incredible for the entire decade as he won 20 games eight times, while leading the league in wins three times.

He also led the AL in ERA twice, innings pitched four times, and shutouts once.

His best season, although there were many to choose from, came in 1975 when he went 23-11, 2.09 ERA, and 193 Ks, leading the league in wins and ERA.

He also posted an AL high 10 shutouts.

Rick Wise: 133-117, 3.67 ERA, and 1,112 Ks

Paul Splittorff: 123-106, 3.66 ERA, and 1,496 Ks

Jerry Koosman: 124-127, 3.30 ERA, and 1,587 Ks

Ken Holtzman: 126-107, 3.50 ERA, and 1,038 Ks

Randy Jones: 87-92, 3.24 ERA, 624 Ks, and 1974 NL Cy Young