The Tuesday Discussion: Great Pitching!

May 6, 2025

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This week, we sent the following to our readers:

Max Fried is off to a great start.  An amazing start.  Where would the Yankees be without him?

For this week's TD, please respond to the following...

In your life as a Yankees fan, which pitcher had the greatest season you ever saw?

Here are their responses:

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Paul Semendinger - Ron Guidry, 1978. 25-3, 1.74. The 18 strikeout game.

Guidry was so so so great that year. I was just ten-years old, and Ron Guidry (like so many Yankees) was bigger than life. I doubt I'll ever see a season so magical.

(In second place, one could pick almost any of Mariano Rivera's seasons, but I'll choose 1996 when he was the set-up man and was seemingly closing the door in the 7th and 8th innings of every Yankees game.)

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Ed Botti - That's an easy one. 1978. Ron Guidry. 25-3. 1.74 ERA.  273 innings. 248 Ks. I saw a few in person that summer. Totally dominant.

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James Vlietstra - 2001 Roger Clemens. Started the year 20-1 before losing a couple of late season games. 

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Derek McAdam - I’ve only been around for 25 years, and only really followed the Yankees for a little less than 15 years. But during that time, Gerrit Cole’s 2023 season is probably amongst the best I can remember from a Yankee. He ended up winning his first-ever Cy Young Award that season and was one of the few high-points of that season.

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Tim Kabel - Roger Clemens had a magnificent year in 2001, going 20 -3. However, the greatest year I ever saw by any pitcher for the Yankees was Ron Guidry in 1978. He was 25 -3  with a 1.74 ERA. He also pitched nine shut outs that season. Those are complete gain shut outs. I know no one does that anymore but he did it in 1978. He was absolutely amazing that season. I mean he was a fantastic Yankee throughout his career, but in 1978, he was essentially unbeatable.

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Cary Greene - The greatest single season in my lifetime by a Yankees pitcher was posted in 1978 by Ron "Louisiana Lighting" Guidry - due to his dazzling 25-3 record and his sparkling 1.74 ERA. The Yankees also won the World Series in '78, with a rotation anchored by Guidry and teammate Catfish Hunter. 

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Andy Singer - Two seasons stick out to me. It's been overshadowed by the fact that the Yankees lost a heartbreaking World Series that broke up the dynasty teams of the late '90s, but Mike Mussina's 2001 season was awesome. The Yankees needed an ace, and had watched Moose dominate the division with Baltimore throughout the '90s. Mussina came over and didn't miss a beat, posting an awesome 3.15 ERA with high strikeout totals in the heart of the steroid era. He had nearly 2 WAR more than the next pitcher in the AL. Clemens won the CY Young that year, but watching it as it happened, Mussina was better in every way.

The other season I'll highlight is Luis Severino's 2017 season. Whenever Sevy took the mound that year, I felt like the Yankees would win, and I was at the Stadium to watch him obliterate a brutally tough Red Sox lineup and outduel Chris Sale with ease. There were better pitchers statistically that season, but I really and truly felt like Sevy was an ace.