The Scariest Pitchers In Baseball History

Dodgers legend Sandy Koufax once said that pitching is the art of instilling fear; that's true, some of the best

pitchers

to ever take the mound have also been the best at scaring the hell out of any bat that came against them and there's not much else. "It's horrible in sports to have an intimidating pitcher with Elite stuff, because sometimes it seems like there's an equal chance of striking you out or just putting you in an eternal sleep with a wild pitch, what's it like facing some of these guys?" , someone said. from another Dodgers ace, the imposing Don Drysdale, who would consider an intentional walk a waste of three pitches, if he wants to put you on base, he can hit you with a Slugger Oscar bet, he once said he was going to do it a good game against the fearsome Nolan Ryan. more than four and without taking a hit to the head, hey, Karen, one of the greatest hitters of all time, didn't mince words about what it was like to face the intimidating Bob Gibson, don't stare at him, don't smile at him, don.

Don't talk to him Aaron said he doesn't like it don't take on Bob Gibson he'll take you down he took down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him and with that cold as hell line we're brought to our topic today, examining some of the most frightening in the

history

of

baseball

, so move on, but don't get too comfortable in that number one image, Randy Johnson, let's start with Johnson, imposing and scowling, which made The Big Unit so intimidating. Let's start with the important part that few hurdlers have excelled so much on a

baseball

mound.

Miss Johnson, when the 6-foot-10 left-hander debuted with the Montreal Expos in 1988, became the tallest player in major league

history

at the time, but it wasn't just her height that made her presence on the mound was so intimidating was the scowl, the brooding countenance, the acne scars, the mustache and yes, the iconic mullet and Johnson was not only physically imposing, he had it too. Johnson's triple-digit fastball looked even faster than it was. Because of how long his stride was at the plate, it could sometimes seem like he was simply handing the ball to the catcher, adding that a dirty, explosive slider and an almost side-arm throw and the long lefty seemed almost unbeatable most. part of the time, you know what else?

He was so intimidating and at times completely lacking in control in his first season with the Expos that he walked as many men as he struck out and continued to have significant controls in these early seasons of the Seattle Mariners youngster. He was wildly erratic, inconsistent and all the more imposing as a result, his teammates refused to face him in bullpen sessions. He had to add a department store mannequin to the payroll instead. Johnson also sometimes had trouble controlling something else, his temper when things weren't going well in his mouth. For the big lefty, it was wise to give him ample space in the Dugout and let him take out his anger and other things like bat racks and water coolers, and even once Johnson learned to control his pitches better later in his career, the possibility The looming threat that could spin out of control at any moment hung over the batter's box like a dark cloud that terrified hitters if Johnson unleashed a fastball over their head like he did to John Kruk in the All-Star Game. 1993, it didn't really matter if it was intentional or accidental, it was in your head and the at-bat was pretty bad because you didn't stand a chance after his bullying.

Johnson's complete dominance and intimidating presence became almost ridiculous at times, such as when his former exhibition teammate, Larry Walker, encountered his own John Crook moment in the 1997 All-Star Game and quickly turned his helmet and marched toward the other's batter's box, what could he do in the face of such an imposing threat but try to laugh, what could he do when Johnson's fastball proved lethal? As they did when a poor Pigeon chose to fly in front of Home Plate during the 2001 spring training game, Johnson managed to extend his imposing career for 22 seasons, striking fear in the hearts of hitters and en route to 303 career victories and 4875 strikeouts that few

pitchers

have reigned in. about the game for so long until they were as old as The Big Unit when he finally hung up his cleats photo number two Bob Gibson perhaps no hurdler ever stared at hitters like Bob Gibson the St Louis Cardinals ace had a ferocity that only if you as Johnson have ever come close to equalizing on the mound.

Gibson not only glared at hitters, he scowled at them, and the meaner ones not only respected him but feared him because Gibson had a bite as menacing as his bark when he finished off the six-foot-two-year-old right-hander, spun his entire body before exploding at the hitter and finishing with his signature follow-up fastballs that they would probably achieve today in the mid-90s and, what's more, hitters knew he was just as likely to go with the pink head, the corner outfielder Gibson brought an intense competitive fire to the mound every time he pitched. He had joined the Cardinals just a decade after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and there were still very few black pitchers in the big leagues. leagues as Gibson put it failure was not an option Gibson's fuel performances that led him to dominate the national league for a decade the 60's were a pitcher's paradise thanks to the high level mounds and cavernous fields and no one He took advantage better than Gibson, it was a time when pitchers owned the inside of the plate and considered it their personal property in his autobiography.

Gibson said he threw nine different pitches after all, two different fastballs, two sliders, a curveball, a changeup, a takedown, a backhander and a hit batter. Alas, but Gibson's reputation for throwing hitters belies how much he actually did. He never led the league in hbps and only struck out 102 batters in his 17-year career. Hitters grew up and often said that Gibson may not have hit that many, but he constantly hit them intentionally. Gibson later said that was ridiculous; he said that if he pitched to a batter, he would hit him. Part of Gibson's fierce mystique came from his complete unwillingness to participate. with the Enemy, he never shook hands with an opponent, he never fraternized, hell, he wouldn't say his teammates knew about Daisy's release, he was tough as nails and would never show any weakness once in 1967, Pirates Like Roberto Clemente lined up Gibson's pinch hitter and it broke.

Gibson's fibula stayed in the game long enough to throw to three more Pirate batters. Bob's competitiveness helped him win 251 games and two Cy Young Awards while striking out 3,117 in 1968, winning the National League Most Valuable Player when he finished with a mind-blowing 112 era. modern record in nine starts in the World Series pitched eight complete games, including the win over the New York Yankees, it just wasn't fair to me that he was so intimidating and so good when Major League Baseball lowered the mound in 1969 and reduced the height of the strike. area from the batter's armpit to the Jersey letters, the changes became known simply as the Gibson rules, although the small Paige Martinez, 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, became one of the most imposing power pitchers in the history of the game with three world-class releases.

Following the High 90s fastball, a wicked curve and a nasty changeup, Martínez could practically play with hitters and Beyond his three stellar offerings, Martínez also enjoyed the Elite control command and the confidence that his willingness to come in as well. could leave opposing hitters often tasting the dirt and making no mistakes despite his Elite Movement this was purely intentional I'm not afraid to hit anyone he once said because I can put the ball where I want and sometimes we wanted to put it was in your heard in his early years in the big leagues in Montreal Martínez earned the reputation of Headhunter (they called him watching or plunk) Pedro had a knack for hitting batters during tension-filled moments, as well as sparking countless bench-clearing fights , the slender right-hander was sometimes downright proud of this intimidation tactic after the Yankees' Roger 8 Clemens once quizzed his Red Sox teammate Kevin Millar.

Martinez, watching from The Dugout, said she was going to subpoena a file that at the top of her to-do list, what exactly was this new item on her list that was taking down both Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano in response? The next time you play them, both players had to leave early to have x-rays taken. Martínez joked with her colleagues. At least I gave him a discount on an ambulance. They both had to go in the same one. That's one of the coldest lines I've ever had. I've heard at times that Mr. Plung's competitive fire got the best of him, like in the 2003 American League Championship Series, after Martinez pitched behind the Yankees outfielder.

Korean Garcia Roger Clemens retaliated by pitching to Red Sox batter Manny Ramirez when the bench cleared, Martinez, 32, grabbed the Yankees 72. Bench coach Don Zimmer, a year-old, in a baseball tackle that would live in infamy. Martínez later called it the only thing he would like to erase from his career, but with the repertoire that included such dazzling things, as well as his ruthless intimidation and his little walk that The Dominican pitcher won 219 games and three Cy Young in his 18 seasons, racking up over 3,000 K while predominantly pitching in an era where oversized Sluggers like Mark Maguire, Barry Bonds, and Sami Sosa dominated baseball during some of their best years in the '90s or even.

They are the best in baseball history image number four Sandy Koufax Pedro Martínez's total dominance over his rivals was often compared to the reign of Sandy Koufax In the National League during the 1960s for six years, the left-handed Los Angeles Dodger he pitched like a man possessed or from another planet making major league hitters look like minor leaguers Colfax was so dominant that the Phillies once canceled the game for Reign where there are only a few sparks just to avoid facing him. Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda said Kofax's triple-digit fastball was so fast and so loud it scared you, and like our other towering lefty, Randy Johnson, Koufax struggled to control it early in his career in his first six seasons with the Dodgers, Kofex walked five batters out of nine, four times and consistently through wild pitches, hitting so many hitters in spring training that a teammate complained that he was holding drills.

Batting against him was like playing Russian roulette with five bullets. A fastball from Kofax wasn't even his best pitch after all of his devastating curveballs. Without a doubt, one of the best offers ever launched. We don't tend. Curveballs are intimidating to think about, but in Kopax's case it was perhaps even more paralyzing to hitters than his heater. He had a sharp and sudden break as if an invisible hand had tapped him straight to the plate, even the best hitters were stunned into silence. as Frozen in the Box left them in the first game of the 1963 World Series, Koufax faced none other than the Yankees' bullet on Mickey Mantle, the book on Mantle was to avoid throwing curveballs near the plate, even if it was great, he was so strong and so good at keeping his hands back that he could still crush them and that's why on his first pitch against Mantle he cut only fastballs and struck out when Mantle appeared for the second time.

Koufax again got two strikes on fastballs at this point, everyone in the stadium, including Mantle and Kopex's catcher, was thinking about the fastball. Koufax shook the fastball sign twice and then uncorked the pitch he had been told never to throw. Mantle, the pitch came up to his eye level and then, just before reaching the plate, he just dove. Crossing Mantle's knees, Mantle faces Colfax in the second inning and goes for a price. Nikki is obviously your friend. Mantle flinched and never moved his bat. Stories like that surround Colfax. Once, when he was 45 and had been retired for years, he was throwing batting practice for the legendary Dodgers lineup of the 1980s, including players like Dusty Baker, Steve Garvey and Ron, they say. than one of the batters. he asked the old man to throw his curveball kopefax he obliged the curve fell like a stone in the water he couldn't touch it he told his teammates laughing that they should try to hit it and one after another some of the best hitters in baseball who know acurveball is coming to the plate against the 45-year-old, none of them could hit it.

Koufax sadly retired after the 1966 season at just 30 years old after battling constant pain and injuries, including an arthritic elbow. Marvel is in the stats she could have. hold up if he had played longer Hall of Famer Hank Aaron would go on to say that the best thing about Kofax's retirement was that he no longer had to face him photo number five Nolan Ryan there has never been a pitcher like Ryan with his hidden leg kicks with Sage's stride length, Ryan felt like he was right on top of the towering hitters before he even released the pitch, making his eventual 100+ mile per hour fastball look even faster than it was, as a result, It was absolutely horrible to face him because of that fastball. on his sick curve, he struck out more batters than any pitcher and will probably ever throw more no-hitters, more innings, more pitches and through it all, Ryan never gave up to a batter, never took a pitch, not even in the count yet he was trying to make impossible pitches, he wanted to strike out every batter he faced and make them look bad doing it.

Imaginary pitching coach Dave Duncan once said that a guy like Ryan not only gets you out, he embarrasses you thanks to the ferocity of him, Nolan Ryan's typical game featured a lot of strikeouts, a lot of walks and very few hits. Not only did Ryan strike out the most batters in history, he walked the most, 2,795 in his career, more than 50 percent more than Steve Carlton, the next player on the list. List that Ryan Express also threw the most wild pitches and hit 158 ​​pitches during his career, his lack of control, as evidenced by the fact that he walked over a hundred batters in the season 11 times, it only served to intimidate the batsmen further and when Ryan was really focused, the batsmen stood virtually no chance once, when Ryan was dismissed for one. of his seven no-hitters, Detroit Tigers Slugger Norm Cash walked to the plate not with a bat but with a wooden leg that had been ripped off a table in the Tiger clubhouse, check his bat.

Brian fired it off the mound in front of the Homeland umpire. who after a good laugh asked Cash to grab a real bat, Cash responded why aren't you guys going to hit me anyway and didn't charge, a real bat appeared and Ryan had his no-hitter, maybe the coolest moment came. Ryan's intimidating Right at the end of his career, it was a hot August day in Texas in 1993. Robin Ventura, the White Sox's 26-year-old All-Star third baseman, struggled to the plate against 46-year-old Ryan, whom he already had singled against Brian in During the game, Nolan turned up the heat and, beating young Robin Ventura, dropped his bat, threw down his helmet, and charged the mound.

Big mistake. Ryan Hogg tied up the youngster and Hammer with a barrage of blows to the head, which was later called the Texas haircut. This whole ordeal made it clear once again that there are at least two things you don't mess with Texas and Nolan Ryan photo number six Aroldis Chapman have called it the Cuban missile the sultan of Swift the viceroy of speed is officially the launcher tougher Always Six-foot-six-inch Aroldis Chapman is a menacing presence on the mound and when you add in some control issues, as well as a suspension for abuse he incurred in 2016, you really have a bona fide Boogeyman.

Chapman's left arm was blessed by the gods. He and they burst onto the scene with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010 and since then Chapman has been one of the most electric and erratic closers in the Major Leagues. Did I mention that he was once clocked at 105.1 miles per hour in one of his first major league games? Yes, on September 24, 2010, this happened, the pitch was the fastest ever recorded in history and it was almost Andrew McCutchen Chapman who then hit 105 again with the Yankees in 2016. Pitches like that don't need a PRT, they're practically hittable. and he can't help but intimidate hitters, even the best in the world, so what's it like to see a 105 mile per hour fastball?

Slugger Andrew McCutchen said trying to hit Chapman's fastball is like trying to catch a fly, not a fly ball, a bug like Mr. Miyagi, like Randy Johnson and Sandy Koufax, facing Chapman as an even bigger nightmare. for lefties when he was once asked what it was like to face Chapman from the southpaw box, Matt Carpenter said he was scary, he was just scary, he coils up like a snake and throws 100 miles an hour and looks like he's going to be right. next to your face and it could be, and in case anyone has ever forgotten what he's capable of, Chapman has a tattoo on his left wrist where 105.1 miles per hour under a flame is tattooed. tail fastball and for those of you who are going to comment that he has failed today, his heaters up to 104 miles per hour this year might make you want to reconsider those statements.

Lastly, no Intimidating Heroes list would be complete without a few honorable mentions first. Sam McDowell, the six-foot-five-inch left-hander, had a devastating fastball and lived hard and fast both in the field and off the hill. He claimed five consecutive strikeout titles from 1965 to 1970, twice exceeding 300 miles out of the field. He described himself as the greatest. The most desperate and violent drunk in baseball. This erraticness along with his legendary heat and sometimes suspicious command combined to make him one of the most feared fireball throwers in the history of the game in the late '70s. Astros Ace J.R.

Richard was one of the most dominant pitchers. In the majors, Richard not only looked more like a center than a pitcher, at six feet eight inches and 220 pounds, but he could throw his fastball over a hundred and his slider in the mid-90s at a time when this was extremely rare, like Nolan Ryan I believed in. letting him fly all the time without regard to where he was going, he also had a bit of a reputation as a talent scout, unfortunately his career was cut short by a stroke in 1980, just when he was really gaining ground, but still, you left him behind. an incredible legacy, especially in the minds of the hitters he faced at the time, nicknamed The Crazy Hungarian for his crazy appearance and on Mount Persona Albrosky turned batter intimidation into performance art during his 12 seasons in the Major Leagues, was he bit with the umpires and hitters, including those on deck and could be counted on for a good relaxing fight at least a couple of times a season and finally the rocket Roger Clemens with over 4,000 career K's and 300 wins while passing a decent part of his steroid-pumped career and reputation. actually preceded him, aside from his thick frame and menacing gaze, Clemens was a master of intimidation, his actions also not forgotten this moment of the 2001 series, not content with simply breaking Mike Piazza's bat with a internal heater.

Clemens picked up the barrel. and he hit them as a catcher somehow he wasn't rejected into the game maybe even the umpire that day was too scared to face him, so what have you learned from baseball's

scariest

images about how to intimidate hitters first? It helps to have a dynamite fastball and sometimes better if it's not entirely clear where it's going, sometimes it's even scarier if you know where it's going and that presumed destination is towards you, sometimes a dirty, off-speed pitch can be equally discouraging or a simulated psychotic episode or hey, how? about a real one, all of these combined to give us our formula Proud to be an intimidating pitcher in the animals of baseball history thanks for watching this video and coming soon, the

scariest

hitters in baseball history, leave a comment below telling us who you would like. to see the feature in that video, finally leave a like if you like it and make sure to click on this playlist to see other rehearsal videos like this, have a great day everyone.