The 25 greatest pitching seasons from the modern MLB era

In 2000, Martinez had a game in which he struck out 17 batters yet took a 1-0 loss. That highlighted his dominance (and some bad luck) as Martinez put together one of the most memorable pitching seasons ever. His 18-6 record was nothing to fret about, but he should have easily hit 20-plus that year. He had an astounding MLB-best 1.74 ERA while striking out 284. The Hall of Famer had 15 starts of 10 or more K's to go with a league-leading four shutouts. The Cy Young race wasn't even close as he received every first-place vote. 

Whether a win-loss record holds significant bearing over a pitcher's resume or not, Maddux's 1995 campaign saw him lose only two games. That alone is noteworthy, and it's even more impressive when you see he also picked up 19 wins while posting a cool 1.63 ERA. He issued 23 walks... the entire season. This stellar season saw him win his fourth consecutive Cy Young and his second unanimously. In Game 1 of the World Series, Maddux remained dominant with a two-hit complete game with zero earned runs to set the pace for the Braves' eventual World Series win. 

No pitcher ever has had a lower ERA during the Live Ball Era than Gibson's 1.12 ERA in 1968. That, along with his 28 complete games, 13 shutouts, and 286 strikeouts over 304.2 innings, guided him to not only the Cy Young that season, but also the MVP. It marked the first time a pitcher ever accomplished that. He had an absurd stretch during the year that saw him throw 12 straight complete games with eight shutouts. He even went on to strike out 17 in Game 1 of the World Series and 10 batters in Game 3 (he did take the loss in Game 7, though). This particular season may be the best out of the bunch. 

The second Cy Young season for Palmer was masterful. He completed 38 of his starts, tossing 10 shutouts in that span. Thanks to his crafty command, the Orioles' ace led the AL with a 23-11 record with a 2.09 ERA and 193 strikeouts. He even had three games in which he pitched into extra innings, going as far as to pick up a win after 12 innings of work. 

You can count on your fingers how many times a modern-day pitcher has won both the Cy Young and MVP. Verlander's 2011 campaign put him in that rare heir. His 24 wins, 2.40 ERA, and 250 strikeouts lined up for the Triple Crown. That season also saw him notch his second career no-hitter, though his most dominant effort was a career-best 14-strikeout complete game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

The Phillies were pitiful in 1972. Carlton, though, was not. He was responsible for 27 of the team's 59 wins that season, which was far and away the most wins by a pitcher that year. His Triple Crown season saw him pitch to a 1.97 ERA and a whopping 310 strikeouts. The Cy Young winner defined being a workhorse with 30 complete games. 

Clemens has seven Cy Young seasons to his name. Picking just one isn't easy, but it's hard not to focus on that 1997 campaign. He recorded a career-high 292 strikeouts while accumulating a 21-7 record with a 2.05 ERA. What made that year even more special was that it came after nearly a decade of regression from his back-to-back 20-win seasons and high strikeout totals. His renaissance first season in Toronto put him back on the map and set him up for his eventual arrival with the Yankees two years later, where he would pick up two more Cy Youngs and 

Two years removed from turning 40, The Big Unit orchestrated one of the most dominant seasons on the mound. His fourth straight Cy Young season saw him complete the Triple Crown with a surgical 24-5 record, 2.32 ERA, and a historical 334 strikeouts across 260 innings. He had a 17-strikeout game in a complete-game shutout against the Rockies, which was perhaps his signature moment in the regular season. 

Hoffman proved just how valuable a shutdown closer can be as his heroics helped lead San Diego to the World Series in 1998. He saved a league-leading 53 games with a 1.48 ERA and 86 strikeouts in just 73 innings. The Hall of Famer and seven-time All-Star was runner-up in the Cy Young despite having more first-place votes than Tom Glavine.

Gooden followed up his Rookie of the Year season by becoming the youngest Cy Young winner at just 20 years old in 1985. He led the National League in every major category with 24 wins (and just four losses), 268 strikeouts, and a 1.53 ERA. He also finished with a 0.97 WHIP. Those first two years would prove to be the best stretch of his career, as he was never able to regain that level of dominance again. 

His 306 strikeouts were the most ever at the time for a National League pitcher. The overpowering command and velocity by Koufax fueled him to the Triple Crown that season with a 25-5 record and 1.88 ERA. He even tossed a no-hitter in that historic year. That, however, paled in comparison to his three complete games in the World Series as he helped the Los Angeles Dodgers sweep the New York Yankees.

Anytime a starting pitcher finishes the year with an MVP trophy to his name, you know it was a special season. In 2014, Kershaw was masterful, as evidenced by his 18-strikeout no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies. His stat line was silly that season, finishing 21-3 with 239 strikeouts over 198.1 innings and an astoundingly low 1.77 ERA. This was his third Cy Young season, as well. 

Seaver won three Cy Young awards in his career. None of those, though, came in 1971. That said, this particular year stands out for his sheer dominance, with a career-best 1.76 ERA. He also had career-highs in complete games (21) and strikeouts (289). Amazingly, Seaver finished second in Cy Young voting, losing out to the stellar Fergie Jenkins, who led the league with 24 wins and an eye-popping 30 complete games. Seaver, though, was an entire point lower in ERA with more strikeouts. Snubbed?

No closer has ever shut the door in a single season as many times as K-Rod did in 2008. The Angels rode his record-setting 62 saves to an AL West pennant. Rodriguez finished runner-up in the Cy Young and fourth in the MVP voting. 

It was easy to overlook Schilling as he spent his years in Arizona as the 1B to Randy Johnson's 1A. In both 2001 and 2002, he was runner-up in the Cy Young to, you guessed it, his teammate. Both seasons were epic for Schilling, but 2002 saw him win a career-high 23 games with 316 strikeouts, the second-highest mark of his career. He had an otherworldly one-hitter with 17 strikeouts in his second start of the season. 

Rivera was in the twilight of his career in 2009, but that didn't stop him from dialing up his nasty cutter at will that season. He converted 44 of his 46 save opportunities and was a perfect 5-for-5 in the postseason as the Yankees picked up their 27th World Series ring. He allowed just one run in the playoffs to cap off a remarkable campaign towards the end of his career. 

There may not be anything more demanding in baseball than holding the role of closer. Gagne's 2003 run was heroic as the righty was perfect the entire way, converting all 55 of his save opportunities. He had a low 1.20 ERA, aided by the fact that hitters couldn't figure him out. Gagne struck out 137 across 82.1 innings of work. He was the ninth (and remains the last) reliever to win the Cy Young. 

Only four relievers have ever won an MVP award, and just three also won Cy Young in the same season. Eckersley's 1992 campaign was one of those. The Oakland closer was feared every time he came out of the pen as he shut the door a league-leading 51 times, which also was a career high for him. He added 93 strikeouts in his 80 innings of work. 

Out of nowhere, Snell emerged as the game's best pitcher with a commanding 21-5 record and a league-best 1.89 ERA. Even more impressive was that he fanned 223 batters in only 180.2 innings and kept opposing hitters to a .178 average. Before that year, he had never had a winning record in his two prior seasons and an ERA that was over 3.50. 

The man called "Louisiana Lightning" was every bit electric in what may be the greatest pitching season ever. He spearheaded a Yankees World Series run after going 25-3 in the regular season with an efficient 1.74 ERA and a then-franchise record 248 strikeouts. He received every first-place vote in the Cy Young race, capping off an absurdly dominant run. 

At 21 years old, Blue rode a league-leading 1.82 ERA and 301 strikeouts to a dominant 24-8 season. He became the youngest AL player to win the MVP while also adding a Cy Young to his mantle. It was a truly extraordinary run for the right-hander that began with a two-hit shutout in the season opener, a sign of things to come for him. 

The only year in which he won the Cy Young, the Hall of Fame righty went the distance in 30 of his 39 starts. He had a league-leading 24 wins, with three of them being complete game shutouts. Jenkins also had a pair of 14-strikeout performances. 

One of the most in-control pitching seasons of all-time, Halladay led the AL in innings pitched (266), yet only walked 32 batters the entire season. He went on to win a league-leading 24 games while racking up nine complete games en route to his first of two Cy Young wins.

Making his rookie debut in May of 2024, Skenes proved instantly that he was going to live up the hype by fanning seven over four innings. That would set the stage for one of the greatest rookie seasons ever, as he would finish 11-3 with the lowest ERA by a rookie since the Dead Ball Era (1.96), along with breaking Pittsburgh's rookie strikeout record with 170 across only 133 innings. He even started the All-Star Game and was a Cy Young finalist despite not being called up until the second month of the season. 

There are plenty of seasons of Ryan's that could be classified as the most dominant ever. Topping the chart, though, has to be his record-setting 1973 campaign in which he struck out 383 batters, a record that remains to this day. The Hall of Famer hurled two no-hitters. The first came in May, when he fanned 15, and he did it again in mid-July with a 17-strikeout performance. He did, though, finish runner-up to Jim Palmer, who had a slightly lower ERA (2.40 vs. 2.87) and one more win. Palmer only had 158 strikeouts, more than 200 fewer than Ryan, while pitching seven fewer complete games than Ryan's 26. How did he not win it that season?