NLCS 2010: The 10 Best NLCS Pitching Matchups in the Past 20 Years

In honor of one of the best pitching matchups in NLCS history between the Phillies and Giants starting Saturday night, here are 10 matchups that had the same amount of hype that Halladay-Lincecum, Oswalt-Cain and Hamels-Sanchez provide.

In the past 20 years, many matchups have gotten hype. The most memorable hype for a series had to have been in 2001 when the Diamondbacks and Braves battled it out with five future Hall of Famers,

This list focuses only on individual game pitching matchups.

1993 Game 1: Curt Schilling Vs. Steve Avery

Schilling joined the Phillies in 1992 and in 1993 led the Phils to a playoff berth and was the ace of the staff that eventually went to the World Series.

Avery was having the best season of his career before an injury slowed him up in September.

A part of one of the best pitching staffs ever assembled with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, Avery's career started to decline over the next few years, but he did win a World Series with the Braves in 1995.

Result of Game: The Phillies won the game 4-3 in the 10th inning on a Kim Batiste double.

1997 Game 6: Kevin Brown Vs. Tom Glavine

In a match up of All-Stars in Atlanta for Game 6, the Braves were poised to win and go back to Florida for a clinching Game 7, but Brown had other ideas.

Brown, who out-pitched Greg Maddux in Game 1, came down with the flu the night of the game and still pitched, threw a complete game and helped the Marlins win their first World Series title.

Glavine was used to this stage by now, with 1997 being his sixth postseason, and after taking Game 2 for the Braves, was looking to win Game 6.

Brown's complete game was aided by a four-run first inning by the Marlins offense, and they never looked back en route to the first title in the fifth year of the franchise.

Result of Game: Marlins won 7-4 and clinched the National League pennant.

2000 Game 1: Mike Hampton Vs. Darryl Kile

With a change of the decades, came a change in power in the National League with the Braves not making the championship series.

Hampton's only year with the Mets turned out to be a good one, with the left hander going 15-10 with a 3.14 ERA.

The late Kile had his best season in 2000 by going 20-9 with a 3.91 ERA and finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting.

Result of Game: Mets beat the Cardinals 6-2, with the Cardinals' only runs coming off of Armando Benitez in the ninth inning.

2001 Game 1: Randy Johnson Vs. Greg Maddux

In one of the best pitching matchups ever in the history of the NLCS, these two future Hall of Famers both had good performances in game one.

The Big Unit came into the game with a 21-6 regular season and a loss to the Cardinals in the NLDS, but this game was the beginning of a stellar postseason for the Unit.

Maddux was coming off another season of double digit wins and yet another Gold Glove, but as it was with the Braves of the early 2000s, they could never make it to the World Series.

Johnson's complete game shutout started his 5-0 run through the Braves in the NLCS and Yankees in the World Series, where he was named co-MVP with Curt Schilling.

Result of Game: Diamondbacks 2, Braves 0

2001 Game 5: Randy Johnson Vs. Tom Glavine

The Big Unit had already taken down Greg Maddux in Game 1 and was now ready to clinch the NL pennant for the Diamondbacks in Atlanta.

Glavine had won his first two starts of the 2001 postseason and was a formidable foe for Johnson, but he just could not get it done.

Result of Game: Diamondbacks 3, Braves 2. Johnson went seven innings and held the lead thanks to a two-run homer by Erubiel Durazo.

2002 Game 1,5: Kirk Rueter Vs. Matt Morris

Rueter was in the middle of his second straight 14-win season with the Giants and in Game 1 of the NLCS only went five innings, but his number was called by manager Dusty Baker in Game 5 to try and clinch the NL pennant.

Morris had been one of the most consistent aces in baseball in the early 2000s and had gone 17-9 with a 3.42 ERA in the regular season. The Cardinals right-hander lost Game 1 to Rueter and in Game 5 looked to keep St. Louis' season alive.

Result of Game: The Giants won 2-1, Rueter left the game in the seventh with a no-decision while Morris took the loss in the ninth inning before being replaced by reliever Steve Kline.

2003 Game 5: Josh Beckett Vs. Carlos Zambrano

The future was bright in the 2003 NLCS between the Marlins and Cubs with two great young pitching staffs and in Game 5, the two aces went up against each other.

Beckett, who was only 9-8 in 2003, was two years away from his streak of five straight double-digit win seasons.

Zambrano was also coming into his own as a pitcher. In the shadow of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, Big Z went 13-11 with a 3.11 in the first year of his own double-digit win season streak.

Result of Game: Beckett threw a complete game, two-hit shutout to start the Marlins comeback from 3-1 down to beat the Cubs and go on to win the World Series.

2003 Game 2: Mark Prior Vs. Brad Penny

Another matchup of two young stars of the game in the 2003 NLCS came in the second game of the series.

Prior had his best season, going 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA along with a complete game win over the Braves in the NLDS.

Penny was in his fourth and final full season with the Marlins and went 14-10 in 2003 for the Fish.

Result of Game: Cubs 12, Marlins 3, Penny was gone by the third inning while Prior threw seven strong innings, giving up only two runs.

2005 Game 2,6: Roy Oswalt Vs. Mark Mulder

Oswalt had his second consecutive 20-win season in 2005 and had a win in the NLDS against the Braves.

Mulder was one of the most consistent at the time, stringing together five consecutive seasons of 15 or more wins with the Athletics and in 2005 with the Cardinals.

Result of Games: Both games ended up with Oswalt and the Astros in the win column. A 4-1 win in Game 2 followed by 5-1 win in the clinching Game 6 earned Oswalt the NLCS MVP.

2008 Game 1: Cole Hamels Vs. Derek Lowe

Hamels and the Phillies were the next big thing in baseball, and they were trying to make it to the World Series after a win over the Brewers in the NLDS.

A proven starter and World Series champion, Lowe was the Dodgers ace in 2008 and was looking to get the team back to the World Series.

Result of Game: Phillies 3, Dodgers 2, Lowe was bounced in the sixth after giving up the three runs while Hamels left after seven innings to let his bullpen close the game out.